DIU team members include active duty military, reservists, civilians, and contractors who bring extensive military and private sector experience to accelerate commercial technology for national security.

Our Team

Leadership

Director's Office


Doug Beck

Director, DIU

Sivram Prasad

General Counsel

Trevor Burns

Director, Strategic Planning and Portfolio Operations

Mark Burchill

Military Advisor to the Director

Alex Campbell

Chief of Staff

Cullen M. Greenfield

Director's Action Group

People, Finance and Management


Kirstin Riesbeck

Deputy Director, People, Finance and Management

Carson Spence

Operations Chief of Staff

Laura Hunnewell

Executive Secretary

Rose Brunner

Security and Facilities Director

Carrie Shideler

Acting Human Capital Director

David Henry

CIO

Corinna Mendoza

Contracting Officer Representative (COR)

Commercial Operations


Liz Young McNally

Deputy Director, Commercial Operations

Jesse Gipe

Director, Venture Portfolio

Ngoc Lund

Acting Director, Talent Portfolio

Cassie Muffley

Director, Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub Program

Kedar Pavgi

Director, Strategy and Operations

Sarah Pearson

Director, Commercial Engagement

Strategy, Policy, and National Security Partnerships


Sunmin Kim

Acting Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy, and National Security Partnerships

Katherine Koleski

Director, Congressional Affairs

Bryan Wilson

Director, Global Partnerships

Military Directorate


Steve "Bucky" Butow

Military Deputy

Bale Dalton

Senior Embed, US SOUTHCOM

Glenn McCartan

Senior Embed, US EUCOM

Charles "Newt" McKissick

Senior Embed, US NORTHCOM

Dr. Chris Murphy (CTR)

Embed, US INDOPACOM

Raj Shah

Director, Joint Reserve Detachment (JRD)

Joel VanBrunt

Senior Embed, US TRANSCOM and US STRATCOM

Technology Platforms and Developer Ecosystem


Cheryl Ingstad

Deputy Director, Digital Platforms and Developer Ecosystem

Acquisitions


Cherissa Tamayori

Deputy Director, Acquisitions

Philip Lee

Acting Deputy Director

Nick DuPre

DIU Materiel Leader

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Portfolio


Thomas Horan

Director, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Portfolio

Autonomy Portfolio


David Michelson

Director, Autonomy Portfolio

Katya Volkovska

Deputy Director

Travis DeMeester

Blue Manufacturing Project Manager (CTR)

Trent Emeneker

Blue UAS lead (CTR)

Derek McBride

Portfolio Manager

Will Ryan

Portfolio Manager

Cyber and Telecommunications Portfolio


Pat Gould

Director, Cyber and Telecommunications portfolio

Andrew Hong

Deputy Director

Lynne Guey

Strategic Lead (CTR)

Emerging Technology Portfolio


Dr. Nick Estep

Director, Emerging Technology portfolio

Energy Portfolio


Dr. Andrew Higier

Director, Energy portfolio

Charles "Newt" McKissick

Senior Military Advisor

Human Systems Portfolio


Dr. Christian Whitchurch

Director, Human Systems portfolio

Niels Olson

Chief Medical Officer

Space Portfolio


Maj Gen Steve "Bucky" Butow

Director, Space portfolio

Allen Varghese

Deputy Director

Ric Mommer

Commercial Engagement Executive (CTR)

Cherissa Tamayori

DIU Director of Acquisitions

DIU is a relatively young organization, and I have really enjoyed being a part of its growth story. I’m extremely proud of my team for championing the use of the Other Transaction Authority across the DoD and helping to drive DIU’s impact through the prototypes we’ve been able to contract over the last five years!

Join Us.

Be Part Of Our Team.

  • We Break Down Silos DIU is a proven catalyst for reinvigorating how the government and business work together. We’re not bound by traditional DoD silos, enabling us to work across Services, at the seams of our portfolios,  and the overlap among technology areas -- the intersection of space and cyber, health and AI, and more -- where the real innovation takes place and where new thriving businesses can be created.

  • We’re Trailblazers Our team embodies the same entrepreneurial spirit that drives the startups and companies at the leading edge of technology. We were founded because traditional approaches to defense acquisition were failing to capture innovative applications available to global consumers but out of reach for the U.S. military. DIU is intrinsically invested in getting to yes, whether it’s finding a new solution to a national security challenge or navigating simpler paths to success within the largest bureaucracy in the world. 

  • We’re Passionate About the Mission Technological innovation is central to our future economic prosperity and national security. DIU is building the technology pipeline to ensure our global leadership alongside our allies and partners by forging new partnerships and growing the innovation ecosystem at the intersection of industry, academia, and government. A thriving public-private ecosystem is essential to maintaining American competitiveness and developing foundational discoveries that will sustain us for the next generation.

  • We Respect Ingenuity Good ideas can come from anywhere and, sometimes, the solution you think you want at the start doesn’t turn out to be the best option available. This principle permeates our culture, daily operations, and project execution. To find the best solutions and continuously improve, we regularly seek ideas and feedback from those, at every level, who feel the impact of a challenge or solution in their daily work. We champion the ideas that deliver optimal results.

Interested in joining our team? Learn more about opportunities at DIU.