The Pentagon said Monday it has named Victoria Coleman, a technology executive and former adviser to the department, as the next director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Coleman succeeds Steven Walker, who left the DARPA director post in January to return to the private sector. Peter Highnam, who has been leading the office in an acting capacity, will return to his role as deputy director.
“During this era of great power competition, DARPA is critical to strengthening the U.S. military’s technological dominance and advancing innovations that benefit our warfighters. We are excited to welcome Dr. Coleman as the new director and look forward to building upon DARPA’s unmatched record of achievement,” Michael Kratsios, the acting under secretary of defense for research and engineering, said in a statement.
Coleman most recently served as CEO of Atlas AI, as well as previously holding top technology positions at Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard [HPQ] and Intel [INTC].
“Her efforts have included work in artificial intelligence, microelectronics, and extensive work in the design and development of mobile devices and other consumer electronics products,” the Pentagon wrote in a statement.
The Pentagon also noted Coleman’s prior experience leading DARPA’s Microsystems Exploratory Council and as a member of the Defense Science Board.