Donna Gregg Selected to Lead Asymmetric Operations at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Donna Gregg has been named head of the Asymmetric Operations Sector at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

As sector head, Gregg will oversee the work of three mission areas focused on ensuring that asymmetric operations will be a decisive advantage for national security: Cyber Operations, Homeland Protection and Special Operations. She replaces Dan Phillips, who retired in June after 40 years of service to APL.

Gregg most recently served as the mission area executive for Cyber Operations, overseeing projects that included creation of the LIVE Lab, which provides new levels of cyber situational awareness and research capabilities for APL sponsors. She also helped accelerate the introduction of cyber technologies into APL’s own network infrastructure, and as a member of a Naval Studies Board committee has been a key contributor in developing a Navy strategy for cyber defense.

“Donna’s technical expertise and leadership experience make her an ideal choice for this larger role at the Laboratory,” said APL Director Ralph Semmel. “She is highly regarded among staff members as well as in the broader technical community for her expertise, dynamic leadership and effective program management.”

Gregg joined APL in 1984 as a mathematician in the Fleet Systems Department. She later transitioned to the Power Projection Systems Department, where she served in a number of technical and leadership roles, and significantly increased the Laboratory’s competency and expertise in information security-related disciplines, including systems engineering, experimentation and evaluation, advanced prototype development and critical infrastructure protection.

From 2005 to 2011, she served first as the Information Systems Branch supervisor and then managing executive for the Applied Information Sciences Department. In these roles, she led the rapid expansion of technical capabilities for the special operations and cyber communities in tagging, tracking and locating; intelligence systems engineering; and advanced network operations.

Gregg earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.