PNNL

Charles Nelson currently serves as a strategic advisor supporting Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Energy and Environment Directorate and National Security Directorate. He recently retired from federal service with over 30 years of experience across a variety of intelligence and defense missions. His most recent position was deputy director for technology outreach for U.S. Cyber Command’s Capabilities Development Group (USCC/J9). Nelson also served as senior advisor for cyber capabilities at the White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy, a component of the Executive Office of the President. In this role, Nelson supported the development of U.S. policy related to cybersecurity science and technology and U.S. capabilities in cyberspace. He also served as director for cyber strategy integration at the National Security Agency’s Cyber Task Force, directing internal strategy and resource planning for NSA’s role in the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative and supporting federal interagency policy negotiations and strategic communications with U.S. legislators.

His past career experience included numerous engineering, operations, and management roles throughout the U.S. Intelligence Community with increasing focus in the later years on integrated cyberspace capabilities for intelligence and defense missions. He earned his MS degree in technical management at Johns Hopkins University and his BS degree in electrical engineering at George Washington University. In addition, Nelson also attended the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany.