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Immediate Release

Senior Executive Service Announcements

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has announced the following Department of Defense Senior Executive Service appointments and assignments: 

Veronica Blount Daigle has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness. Daigle most recently served as the senior advisor for national security in the Office of Management and Budget. She previously served as the director of the Force and Infrastructure Analysis Division in the office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation in the Department of Defense. She is a graduate of Fordham University and George Mason University.

Ryan A. Fisher has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. Fisher most recently served as the chief of the Planning & Environmental Branch in the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Justin T. Johnson has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the special assistant to the deputy secretary of defense. Johnson was most recently special assistant to the under secretary of defense for comptroller in the Department of Defense, and served on Department of Defense Landing Team with the President-Elect Donald Trump Transition Team. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College and Covenant College. 

Charlie E. Summers has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the principal deputy assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs. Summers serves in the Navy Reserve, and was most recently executive director for the Veterans Count. He previously served as director of public affairs for the Navy Reserve, a Maine state senator, and Maine’s 48th secretary of state. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Black Hawk College. 

Dr. Steven H. Walker has been selected to be the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). For the last five years, Walker has served as the deputy director of DARPA and has served as the acting director since January 2017. Over his 30-year career, Walker has led several important technology development efforts in the areas of advanced propulsion, aero-acoustics, space systems and hypersonics. He received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Management in 2015 and is an AIAA Fellow. Walker has been awarded the Presidential Rank Award, the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service medal, and the Department of Defense Exceptional, Meritorious, and Distinguished Civilian Service medals. Walker is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Jeffrey S. White has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology. White was most recently vice president of business development; vice president of federal energy, infrastructure, and healthcare; and vice president of Army programs for Siemens Government Technologies. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Naval War College, and Shippensburg State College.