Deborah Lee James

Bio

Deborah Lee James has served in senior homeland and national security management, policy and program positions in government and the private sector for more than 25 years. Most recently at SAIC she was a business unit general manager for a team of 2,900 employees specializing in command, control, communications and computers as well as aviation support services for the U.S. military. Immediately prior to joining SAIC, James was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Business Executives for National Security — a non-profit organization composed of CEOs who focus on advocacy for homeland security programs, and on bringing best practices to national security agencies. Earlier in her career, James was the vice president, international operations and marketing, at United Technologies Corporation. James is an expert on the operations of the U.S. Congress, having worked for a decade as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee. She specialized in military personnel and NATO issues. Following her service in the U.S. House of Representatives, she was nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as assistant secretary of defense for Reserve Affairs. She served in this capacity for more than five years, overseeing budgets in excess of $10 billion, supervising a 100-plus-person staff and serving as the senior advisor to the secretary of defense on all matters pertaining to the 1.8 million National Guard and Reserve Forces. She has a bachelor’s degree in comparative studies from Duke University and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.