PNNL

Christopher Dopita is a senior program manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he leads a large and diverse cybersecurity portfolio supporting Customs and Border Protection, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security. With more than two decades of experience across government, national laboratories, and industry, he specializes in cybersecurity strategy, critical infrastructure protection, and advanced research and development program execution.

Dopita has a proven track record of building and scaling high-impact programs, growing a federal cybersecurity portfolio from under $1 million to more than $20 million while leading multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, and analysts. His work spans software development, data analytics, artificial intelligence integration, and full-scale infrastructure vulnerability assessments across sectors including energy, transportation, and industrial control systems.

Previously, he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he led implementation of key congressional mandates to assess cyber vulnerabilities in major weapon systems and defense critical infrastructure. In this role, he provided technical and policy leadership, oversaw cross-organizational analytical studies, and advised senior defense officials on cybersecurity risks and investment strategies.

Earlier in his career at Battelle Memorial Institute, Dopita managed multiple high-priority cyber research programs and contributed to the development of innovative technologies focused on anonymous communications and dark web intelligence analysis. He also held roles supporting national security missions in intelligence analysis, chem/bio/radiological/nuclear defense, and advanced data analytics.

Dopita holds an MBA in finance and global information technology management from American University and a BS in finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also a certified Project Management Professional.

• Cybersecurity
• Intelligence Analysis
• Critical Infrastructure
• Project Management 

• MBA, Finance and Global Information Technology Management, American University 
• BS, Finance, University of Maryland, College Park