Pentagon Starts Search for Defense Innovation Unit Director; Heidi Shyu Quoted

The Department of Defense has begun its search for a new executive who will succeed Michael Brown as director of the Defense Innovation Unit, which helps DOD speed up the adoption of commercial technologies to strengthen national security.

Brown, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, will step down from his role as DIU director once his term ends in September, DOD said Friday.

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary for research and engineering at DOD and a 2022 Wash100 awardee, said Brown has made a huge impact on tech development and adoption in the past four years and under his leadership, DIU has deployed several technologies to warfighters and lowered barriers facing companies seeking to do business with the Pentagon.

“Our new Director will certainly have very large shoes to fill,” Shyu added.

Brown took the helm at DIU in 2018 after serving as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow at DOD for two years. He is former CEO of Symantec and chairman and CEO of Quantum Corp.

The DIU director will directly report to Shyu and oversee a workforce of military and civilian employees with a focus on improving processes and practices to facilitate the transition and delivery of defense technology platforms to DOD.

Applications to the position are due Aug. 12.

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