DIA selects new deputy director

DIA Director Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart announced on April 5 that Melissa Drisko will become the agency’s Deputy Director effective in August 2016. Drisko currently serves as DIA’s Director for Rank-in-Person Implementation.

In announcing her selection, Stewart said Drisko is “the right choice as a partner in leading this Agency. She speaks truth to power, unbiased and unblemished – this is the mark of a true leader.” Going further, he stated that Drisko is “whole-heartedly committed to DIA and to serving our country.”

With over 35 years of federal service, Drisko brings a wealth of experience to the Deputy Directorship. She has served in a number of roles throughout out the Intelligence Community, including with the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and the Central Intelligence Agency. She joined DIA as the Deputy Chief Financial Executive in 2007. Drisko has since has served as the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence at ONI and as DIA’s Vice Deputy Director for Collection Management/Deputy Defense Collection Manager, Chief of Staff, and the Director for Science and Technology.

As Deputy Director, Drisko will help manage the daily operation and long-term planning of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The Deputy Director leads DIA activities in a broad range of both internal and external initiatives.

Drisko graduated from the University of Virginia in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. She was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in May 1981.