Experience & Impact
From DARPA to deployment
For 25+ years, I've built and led technology innovation programs in psychological health and education—specializing in the messy, fascinating work of getting academia, government, philanthropy, and startups to actually collaborate.
I'm also deeply committed to autism advocacy, both personally and professionally. As a parent of two adult sons on the spectrum, my work focuses on technologies and policies that improve independence, education, and lifelong outcomes for neurodivergent individuals.
- Navy Aerospace Experimental Psychologist (Retired Captain) – 22 years of service spanning aviation simulation research, VR training and therapy, human factors, medical training technologies, and hearing protection. Duty stations from Pensacola to the Pentagon
- DARPA Program Officer – As Program Officer in the Information Innovation Office (I2O), managed over $60M in R&D pioneering intelligent AI agents and virtual humans for mental health, graphic novel art therapy for PTSD, and personalized educational games—technologies now deployed at scale
- Office of Naval Research – Led first military VR therapy for PTSD, now in 70+ clinics worldwide
- Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health & TBI – Executive Director of Science & Technology. Instrumental in developing investment strategy for $900M congressional appropriation to improve lives of service members, veterans, and families
- Game Development – America's Army (13M+ registered users), current Roblox projects with Sesame Street
- Executive Director of STEM Initiatives (U.S. Department of Education) – Political SES appointment creating nation's first Office of STEM. Coordinated 60+ federal programs, built 200+ public-private partnerships to reduce STEM education disparities
- Chief Science Officer – American Psychological Association (118,000 members)
