Blodgett Appointed Assistant Director for Programs and Chief Strategy Officer at Johns Hopkins APL

Lisa Blodgett has been named assistant director for programs and chief strategy officer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

In this role, Blodgett will execute APL’s strategic planning process, lead senior-level engagement with government stakeholders, direct enterprise financial investment in support of APL’s mission and build on existing productive relationships with industry as the Laboratory contributes to some of the most complex technical challenges facing the United States.

“Lisa is an exceptional leader with unwavering mission focus,” said APL Director Ralph Semmel. “Her deep technical expertise and broad national security experience will be key to ensuring the Laboratory continues delivering game-changing innovations that will ensure our nation’s well-being long into the future.”

“Our nation is facing broad and evolving security and technology challenges that APL, working with our government and industry partners, is well positioned to address,” said Blodgett. “By delivering cost-effective and high-impact contributions, strategically positioning the Lab’s resources to maximize our effectiveness, and strengthening our relationships, we will continue to enable success for our sponsors.”

Blodgett most recently served as head of the Lab’s Force Projection Sector, overseeing initiatives that delivered capabilities to the Department of Defense in critical domains including submarine security, precision strike, electronic warfare and strategic deterrence. She also led efforts that resulted in new and highly impactful contributions to advanced sensor development, surveillance and targeting, hypersonic and reentry systems, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.

Blodgett has spent her entire career at APL, beginning in 1991 when she performed computer modeling in support of the U.S. Navy, followed by a role as an acoustic analyst. In 2006, she was named the business area executive for Undersea Warfare and then Sea Control before taking the helm of Force Projection in 2015.

A trusted authority on strategic approaches to national security challenges, Blodgett holds roles across multiple national advisory organizations. She serves on the executive committee for the Submarine Technology Symposium, the advisory council for the National Defense Industrial Association and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory National Security Sciences Strategic Advisory Board.

She has also held roles with the U.S. Strategic Command Strategic Advisory Group, where she chaired the Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Task Force, as well as the board of directors of the Naval Submarine League.

Blodgett earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and holds master’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering and technical management from Johns Hopkins University.