In October 1998, Dr. David became president and chief executive officer of ANSER, an independent, not-for-profit, public service research institution that provides research and analytic support on national and transnational issues. In November 1999, Dr. David initiated Analytic Services’ Homeland Defense Strategic Thrust to address the growing national concern of multidimensional, asymmetric threats from rogue nations, substate terrorist groups, and domestic terrorists. In May 2001, the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security was established to enhance public awareness and education and contribute to the dialog on the national, state, and local levels. In April 2004, the corporation was selected by the Department of Homeland Security to establish and operate a new federally funded research and development center, the Homeland Security Institute.
From September 1995 to September 1998, Dr. David was Deputy Director for Science and Technology at the Central Intelligence Agency. As Technical Advisor to the Director of Central Intelligence, she was responsible for research, development, and deployment of technologies in support of all phases of the intelligence process. She represented the CIA on numerous national committees and advisory bodies, including the National Science and Technology Council and the Committee on National Security. Upon her departure from this position, she was awarded the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the CIA Director’s Award, the Director of NSA Distinguished Service Medal, the National Reconnaissance Officer’s Award for Distinguished Service, and the Defense Intelligence Director’s Award.
Previously, Dr. David served in several leadership positions at the Sandia National Laboratories, where she began her professional career in 1975. Most recently, she was Director of Advanced Information Technologies. From 1991 to 1994, Dr. David was Director of the Development Testing Center that developed and operated a broad spectrum of full-scale engineering test facilities. Dr. David has also been an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico. She has technical experience in digital and microprocessor-based system design, digital signal analysis, adaptive signal analysis, and system integration.
Dr. David is a member of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the Corporation for the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. She is Chair of the National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Technology Insight–Gauge, Evaluate, and Review and Vice Chair of the HSAC Senior Advisory Committee of Academia and Policy Research. She also serves on the National Security Agency Advisory Board, the NAE Committee on Engineering Education, the NRC Committee on Scientific Communication and National Security, the NRC Committee on Information for Terrorism Prevention, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Technical Division’s Advisory Board, the National Advisory Committee for the Wichita State University Foundation, and the External Advisory Committee for Purdue University’s Homeland Security Institute.
Dr. David previously served on the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council, the NRC Naval Studies Board, the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, the Defense Science Board, the Department of Energy Nonproliferation and National Security Advisory Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Technical Advisory Group and the Securities and Exchange Commission Technical Advisory Group.
Dr. David is an Associate Fellow of AIAA, a Class Director for the AFCEA International Board of Directors, and a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and Eta Kappa Nu Electrical Engineering Society.
Dr. David received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Wichita State University (1975), an M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University (1976), and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University (1981).
Dr. David frequently provides speeches, interviews, lectures, briefings, and articles on the many facets of homeland security. She is the coauthor of three books on signal processing algorithms and has authored or coauthored numerous papers.