Christy Abizaid

Christine Abizaid moved to Austin, Texas in September 2016, at which
time she was recruited to establish and lead the Austin Presence for the Secretary of Defense’s tech scouting and integration unit, the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx). She continued to serve as the Austin Presence lead through the end of the Administration.

Prior joining DIUx, Christine served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia from July 2014
through August 2016, first in an acting capacity and then earning a full
appointment in December 2014. In this role, she was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the
highest award presented by the Secretary of Defense to non-career Federal employees.

Before joining the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Christine served on the National Security Council staff, both as a Director for Counterterrorism focused on the Middle East, and later as the Senior Policy Advisor to Lisa Monaco, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. She also served for seven years with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) Joint Intelligence Task Force Combating Terrorism, including as the Division Senior Intelligence Analyst for both the Afghanistan-Pakistan Division and the
Iraq/Middle East Division. During her DIA tour, Christine deployed several times to the Middle East in support of counterterrorism efforts in Iraq and the region.

Christine earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and a M.A. in International Policy Studies from Stanford University. She has also received the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Award, the National Military Intelligence Association John T. Hughes Award, the DIA Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, and the Defense Civilian Expeditionary Medal.