DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director of Manufacturing Capability Expansion & Investment Prioritization
• Director of the Manufacturing

Anthony Di Stasio currently serves as the Director of the Manufacturing, Capability Expansion, and Investment Prioritization Directorate (MCEIP) at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment (OUSD A&S). MCEIP prioritizes and invests in industrial development and production critical for protecting national security. Previously, Mr. Di Stasio served as the Director of the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Program, now known as Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI). Prior to his role leading the DPA Title III Program, he served as the Program Manager for the Department of Defense Joint Enhanced Munitions Technology Program (JEMTP) at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD R&E). He simultaneously served as the U.S. National Lead for the OUSD R&E's Technical Cooperation Panel (TTCP) for energetics. He also has 17 years of experience at the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (Armaments Center), headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, where he focused on munitions design and development. His service at Armaments Center included Project Officer for the Insensitive Munitions Explosive Program, Project Officer for the Future Requirements of Enhanced Energetics for Decisive Munitions Energetics Program, Project Officer for the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition Explosive Thrust, and Insensitive Munitions Technical Lead. He led more than five field transition technologies and holds five patents for the development of the subscale insensitive munitions testing and production of nano-energetics. He won three research and development awards from the Army, as well as awards from NATO for contributions to insensitive munitions technology development. He was recognized by TIME for having one of the "Inventions of the Year" in 2010. Mr. Di Stasio has expertise in energetic materials, detonation train design, nano-energetics, gun propulsion, rocket propulsion, insensitive munitions, program management, and risk analysis. He received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Degree from the University of Delaware.

Job Titles:

• Military Assistant

Colonel Crystal Carberry was commissioned through the ROTC program at St. Mary's University in 2002, with a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of the Incarnate Word. She also holds a master's degree in Business (Supply Chain Management) from the University of Kansas, and a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. Her first assignment was in the 498th Corps Support Battalion, 19th Theater Support Command, Korea, where she served as a Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer. She then served as the Assistant S3 and Regimental Support Squadron S1, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Johnson, LA. The unit transitioned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, where she was assigned to the 94th Brigade Support Battalion as the S1 and deployed as the Task Force Logistics S1 to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Following attendance at the Combined Logistics Officer Advanced Course, COL Carberry was selected to command the 135th Quartermaster Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, Fort Stewart, GA, and deployed the company to Talil, Iraq for 12 months. Upon completion of company command, COL Carberry, served in the 3rd Battalion (Training Support) (Armor), 395th Regiment, First Army Division West, Fort Cavazos, TX as an O/C Team Chief, Battalion XO, and Battalion Commander. After attendance at the Command and General Staff College, COL Carberry returned to Fort Cavazos, TX to serve at III Corps in the G4 as the Supply Branch Chief. She deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan with III Corps to the International Joint Command Headquarters, where she served in the CJ4 as the Plans and Operations Chief. COL Carberry completed key and developmental assignments at Fort Carson, CO as the Brigade S4 for the 43rd Sustainment Brigade, Battalion XO for the 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, and Support Operations Officer for the 4th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade. Prior to command she served with the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Fort Liberty, NC, where she served as the G3 Plans Chief. She then assumed Command of the Army Field Support Battalion-Cavazos, followed by an assignment as the First Cavalry Division, G4- Chief of Sustainment. COL Carberry attended Senior Service College at the Army War College and is currently serves as the Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. COL Carberry has also deployed and served in support of hurricane relief efforts in Texas, Puerto Rico, and North Carolina. Her awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal with one star, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Ribbon with the numeral 3 device, and the NATO medal. COL Carberry is married to COL Argot Carberry and they have one son.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy
• Policy Executive, Strategist

Dr. Laura D. Taylor-Kale was confirmed in March 2023 as the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD(IBP)). She advises the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and other senior defense leaders on all matters pertaining to industrial base resilience and innovation; small business programs; and industrial base development, industrial policy, and international engagement. She also leads teams dedicated to conducting geo-economic analysis and assessments; providing recommendations on budget matters related to the defense industrial base; anticipating and closing gaps in manufacturing capabilities for defense systems; assessing impacts related to mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; and, monitoring and assessing impact of foreign investments in the United States. Dr. Taylor-Kale is a policy executive, strategist, and organizational behavior scholar with over two decades of experience at the intersection of economic diplomacy, international development finance, technological innovation, and national security. She most recently served as the Fellow for Innovation and Economic Competitiveness at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and contributed to CFR's Renewing America Initiative. Her CFR research focused on strategic innovation, industrial policy, and the changing nature of work. From 2017-2018, she was an International Affairs Fellow at CFR and the deputy director of CFR's independent task force on the future of the U.S. workforce, co-authoring of the task force's published report "The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century." Prior to joining CFR, Dr. Taylor-Kale served in the Obama Administration from 2014-2017. As the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing in the International Trade Administration, Dr. Taylor-Kale led multiple teams of international trade specialists and oversaw policies and programs to promote exports of U.S. manufactured goods and economic competitiveness in health and information technology; energy and environmental technologies; and transportation and machinery sectors. Prior to the Department of Commerce, Dr. Taylor-Kale was the senior advisor for policy and operations at the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation where she coordinated policies for OPIC's $5 billion portfolio of investments in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Taylor-Kale joined the Obama Administration from the World Bank where she was special assistant to the Vice President for sustainable development and climate change. From 2003-2012, Dr. Taylor-Kale was a career Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State and served in diplomatic postings in India as a consular officer and special assistant to the ambassador, Côte d'Ivoire as a political affairs officer, Afghanistan as an economic affairs officer, and in Washington, DC in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs as a financial economist. She received multiple awards for her economic analysis and from 2010-2011, was the first Foreign Service Officer to serve as an advisor to the U.S. Executive Director on the boards of the World Bank Group. Dr. Taylor-Kale holds a B.A. in economics and anthropology from Smith College, an M.P.A. in development economic and demographic studies from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs, an M.B.A. in finance and management from the New York University's Stern School of Business, and a Ph.D. in management science and engineering with a specialization in Organizations, Technology, and Entrepreneurship from Stanford University's School of Engineering. Her scholarly research examines grand challenges, ecosystem design, and how organizations leverage technology to build cross-sector strategic partnerships. Dr. Taylor-Kale is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is the recipient of numerous educational and professional awards, including the Zhi-Xing Eisenhower Fellowship, International Career Advancement Program, Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, and the David Boren Scholarship for Critical Language Study. She is a member of the Truman National Security Project and the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Dr. Taylor-Kale was born and raised in the Chicago, Illinois area and resides in Washington, DC.

Job Titles:

• Director, Office of Small Business Programs

Farooq A. Mitha currently serves in the Biden administration as the Director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). As Director, Mr. Mitha oversees more than $140 billion of annual awards to small business. In addition, he assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretaries of Military Departments, Under Secretaries of Defense, Directors of Defense Agencies and Major Commands in including small business planning into the readiness of the Department. These efforts aim to modernize and restore the nation's industrial commons through focusing on advanced manufacturing, applied research, and innovative programs that align small business capabilities with the DoD's current and future needs. Prior to his appointment Mr. Mitha served on the Biden-Harris transition team as a member of the DoD Agency Review Team. Mr. Mitha also served in the Obama administration as the Senior Advisor to the Director of the DoD Office of Small Business Programs and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy. Mr. Mitha served as the President and CEO of Imbue Group, Inc., which provided the subject matter expertise to DoD's industrial base and innovation programs on small business programs, supply chain risk, defense procurement policy, utilization of other transactional authorities, engaging small businesses within the national security technology and industrial base, and advanced manufacturing. In his previous time at the Department of Defense, Mr. Mitha led several programs and initiatives that have increased the visibility of small business within DoD, modernized programs to infuse small business capability into major defense acquisition programs and increased effective dialogue with industry. Mr. Mitha has a strong background in international policy and national security. He is fluent in Arabic and published opinion-editorials offering commentary on issues concerning the Middle East and the American political system. In 2009, Mr. Mitha was a Fulbright Fellow in Amman, Jordan where he coordinated a Track II diplomacy conference and conducted research on economic reform in the Middle East. Mr. Mitha has also lectured at domestic and international universities on economic reform in the Middle East, U.S. policy in the Middle East, and civic engagement. Mr. Mitha obtained his law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and holds a B.S. degree in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from the University of South Florida.

Job Titles:

• Director, Industry Engagement

Job Titles:

• Director, International Cooperation

Job Titles:

• Director of the CHIPS Coordination Cell
• Director, CHIPS Coordination Cell

Molly Just is the Director of the CHIPS Coordination Cell (C3), which is tasked to continue investments in programs to secure US microelectronics interests, improve US domestic microelectronics innovation and supply, and establish a strong foundation for the next generation of microelectronics technology for DoD applications while also sustaining current systems. In this role, Ms. Just leads the department's interagency collaboration related to the CHIPS Act, oversees the Defense Microelectronics Cross-Functional Team, and will lead the development of an enterprise-wide microelectronics acquisition strategy. Prior to leading C3, Ms. Just most recently served as an executive at In-Q-Tel, the strategic investor for the U.S. Intelligence and Defense Communities. In that role, she led In-Q-Tel's strategic investment portfolio for the National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Air Force, and Space Force. Prior to joining In-Q-Tel, she was a senior management consultant and practice lead at Avascent (now Oliver Wyman) where she specialized in advising private equity firms on mergers and acquisitions in the national security sector and providing growth strategy to the major defense primes. Prior to Avascent, Ms. Just spent three years at the Department of Defense serving as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics. Ms. Just attended the University of Virginia for both her undergraduate and graduate (MBA) degrees. She is a Batten Institutes Ventures Fellow, a Rotary International Scholar, a Red Cross Presidential Award recipient, and was named a Military Spouse of the Year by the Green Beret Foundation. Ms. Just also serves on the advisory boards of CyberSatGov and Special Operations Warrior Foundation and in her spare time volunteers with SOCOM Care Coalition.

Job Titles:

• Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International and Industry Engagement

Mr. Justin K. McFarlin currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International and Industry Engagement at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, Mr. McFarlin is responsible for Defense Industrial Base engagement strategy development and coordination, as well as the coordination and integration of all international agreements in the fields of research, development, acquisition and logistics, and foreign military sales. Specifically, he acts for the ASD(IBP) on matters concerning international programs while directing and monitoring the implementation of defense policies on international armaments cooperation within the Department. Mr. McFarlin oversees the Office of International Cooperation and the Office of Industry Engagement. Prior to re-joining the U.S. Department of Defense, Mr. McFarlin spent almost two decades working in Aerospace & Defense. He was most recently a Director in the Corporate Strategy & Development group at L3Harris, where he shaped a corporate portfolio of businesses valued at over $40B. His work included managing special projects, leading internal deal teams, and serving as external coordinator for select M&A activities. Previously, Mr. McFarlin was a strategy and operations consultant at Monitor Deloitte and Censeo Consulting Group, working with Fortune 500 companies and U.S. federal agency clients. Mr. McFarlin began his career as an Army Officer, holding leadership and staff positions domestically and abroad, including Platoon Leader in a Patriot missile battery and Aide de Camp to a Deputy Commanding General of Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Mr. McFarlin earned the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, multiple Army Commendation Medals, and both the Chilean and U.S. Parachutist badges. Mr. McFarlin received his B.S. in Computer Science from West Point, his MBA from Dartmouth College, and his MPA from Harvard University. He is a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and a Life Member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

Job Titles:

• Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience

Ms. Danielle Miller is the currently serves as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, Ms. Miller is responsible for accessing the health of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and recommends key policies, investments and actions designed to strengthen the capacity and resilience of the DIB. Ms. Miller oversees the Office of Policy, Analysis and Transition and the Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization. Previously Ms. Miller established the Office of Policy, Analysis, and Transition (PA&T) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. As its inaugural Director, she provided guidance and oversight to the Office of Industrial Policy Analysis, the Office of Industrial Scenario Analysis, and the Office of Enabling Future Capabilities Transition. While leading this office she developed Supply Chain Data Model, mapping the supply chain for 180 weapon systems, established a Lithium Battery Strategy, and drafted the first National Defense Industrial Strategy and Implementation Plan. In addition, she directed analyses of current and emerging risks and opportunities within the defense industrial base, informing key policy, program, and budget decisions. Ms. Miller gained extensive expertise in analysis and program evaluation in her prior roles with Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE). As the Director of Readiness and Force Employment Division, she was responsible for leading CAPES' analysis of the Services' readiness portfolios and responsible for funding the DoD five-year readiness program. This included leveraging existing data sets and tools to develop intricate models of the aviation sustainment process. In addition, Ms. Miller was responsible for assessing Global Posture portfolio, and developing resourcing options prioritized by strategic alignment and operational relevance. Within CAPE, she also served as the Deputy Director of Joint Data Support Division. In this role she managed teams of analyst developing force structure and force employment data. She led the establishment of archived historic deployment data, which continues to be used to support program evaluation. Prior to her Civil Service Directorship positions, she worked in the private sector providing support to CAPE, the United States Air Force and the Department of Labor. Ms. Miller also has spent time in the non-profit sector, working for Special Olympics Florida and the Better Housing League of Greater Cincinnati. In each organization she effectively secured funding from a variety of foundations and local, state, and federal agencies. She graduated from Florida State University with a Master of Arts in International Affairs and a Bachelor of Science from Wright State University in International Studies.

Job Titles:

• Acting Principal Deputy
• Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy

Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (A)PDASD Industrial Base Policy Ms. Halimah Najieb-Locke currently serves as the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, Ms. Najieb-Locke leads and supports the Department of Defense's efforts to develop and maintain the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to ensure a secure supply of materials critical to securing national security is readily available. Prior to this role, Ms. Najieb-Locke served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience were she was responsible for assessing the health of the Defense Industrial Base and recommending key policies, investments and actions designed to strengthen the capacity and resilience of the DIB. She is also responsible for advising on actions to safeguard the DIB from potential adverse actions domestically, as well as foreign interventions. Ms. Najieb-Locke oversees the Office of Policy, Analysis and Transition, the Office of Global Investment and Economic Security, and the Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization. Ms. Najieb-Locke was most recently the Senior Advisor for Industrial Base and Innovation for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense where she advised on complex and high priority special assignments and strategies in areas such as federal procurement acceleration, joint experimentation, and critical technology areas. Prior to joining the Department of Defense, she served as the Senior Procurement Counsel for the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in the U.S. House of Representatives where she conducted investigations and issued findings as they related to the health specific response to the coronavirus crisis, with a focus on procurement activities from companies that are government contractors and federal agencies. Previously, Ms. Najieb-Locke was Counsel for the House Armed Services Committee where she handled all acquisition related policy issues and legislative development, including Title XIII, acquisition workforce, industrial base policy, foreign military sales (FMS)/export controls and technology transfer. Prior to this, she served as senior professional staff for the House Small Business Committee handling contracting, entrepreneurial development, veteran's issues and the SBIR/STTR programs. Ms. Najieb-Locke is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and the George Washington University Law School, where she specialized in public procurement law and how procurement systems operate, both in the United States and abroad.

Job Titles:

• Director of Global Investment and Economic Security ( GIES )
• White House Leadership Fellow

Nicoletta Giordani is the Director of Global Investment and Economic Security (GIES). Ms. Giordani has been a member of the Senior Executive Service at the Department of Defense (DoD) since June 2019. In her role as Director, she is responsible for safeguarding the U.S. industrial base from investment and economic risks. Ms. Giordani oversees the DoD's representation to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector (Team Telecom), as well as DoD's review of defense-related mergers and acquisitions under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Prior to GIES, Ms. Giordani was the Principal Advisor on enterprise risk management to the DoD's Director of Administration and Management (DA&M) and helped oversee DoD business-related interactions with the White House. Before that, Ms. Giordani was the Chief Strategy Officer for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). At DCSA, Ms. Giordani oversaw and managed enterprise strategy and transformation efforts for the critical technology protection, insider threat, cyber, counterintelligence, and background investigation missions across a 14,000-person agency. Prior to DCSA, Ms. Giordani was the Deputy Director of the Personnel Vetting Transformation Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD I&S). In 2018, the Deputy Secretary of Defense selected Ms. Giordani as a White House Leadership Fellow. Through the fellowship, Ms. Giordani was detailed to the National Security Division of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). While at OMB, she negotiated a $75 billion annual portfolio including the counter-ISIS campaign and the Army operations and maintenance portfolio. Prior to her fellowship with OMB, Ms. Giordani was the Assistant Director for Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) at Defense Security Service. In this role, she advised DoD senior leadership on opportunities and challenges to the industrial base stemming from foreign direct investment, global market trends, and technology transfers. Ms. Giordani also held various senior positions in the private sector. She worked on institutional business development for Guggenheim Partners, served as a Director at UBS Wealth Management, Vice President of strategic planning and business development at Credit Suisse Private Banking, and as Senior Engagement Manager at Accenture in the capital markets practice. Ms. Giordani received a Master of Arts in International Economics and Strategic Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), a Bachelor and a Master of Business Administration from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy. She is a graduate of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government senior executive fellows program as well as the venture capital program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Job Titles:

• Acting Director, Policy, Analysis, and Transition ( PA & T )