The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) has a new director: Dr. Gregory Bernard, a highly regarded Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official.
Bernard, a CHDS alumnus, took the helm at his alma mater starting in July. He comes from the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), a component of DOD’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), where he served as the Talent Portfolio Director as well as Acting Managing Director.
“I’m immensely grateful to have been appointed CHDS Director, and I’m looking forward to working with the outstanding faculty, staff, and students at the nation’s leading homeland security educational institution,” Bernard said. “I see this as an opportunity to continue contributing to the growth and innovation of the homeland security enterprise using empathy, systems thinking, and creative problem-solving while building trust and collaborative partnerships.”
Bernard referred to himself as a “strategist, innovative problem solver, and storyteller” working in the national and homeland security mission space. He takes over for longtime CHDS Director Glen Woodbury, who retired last summer after two decades with the institution, headquartered in Monterey, Calif.
Jodi Stiles has served as interim CHDS Director since Woodbury’s retirement. In a message to CHDS staff, Stiles said she was "excited to welcome Greg aboard, and I am really looking forward to his ideas and energy for the center."
Retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, President of NPS, said Bernard is an ideal choice to lead CHDS into the future, noting his reputation as an innovator at the federal level and his knowledge and experience with the institution’s educational programs.
“Dr. Bernard brings broad experience in developing solutions to complex problems across a range of federal, state, and local governments, the private sector, academia, and the international community,” Rondeau said. “We are looking forward to his ideas on how to continue and further grow CHDS’ excellence.”
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said, “Dr. Bernard’s distinguished federal service and his dedication to government innovation has prepared him to not only lead CHDS but propel the center forward. We look forward to the contributions he’ll make to advance our nation’s collective readiness and resilience to future threats.”
As NSIN Talent Portfolio Director, Bernard led a team responsible for changing the way the Department of Defense solves problems by building a diverse network, and delivering innovation programming designed to solve national security problems by matching them with non-traditional problem-solving communities, primarily in venture and academia.
Bernard has worked with the U.S. government since 2003, when he joined the DHS Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) as a contractor working on the Homeland Security Grant Program. He left his contracting firm in 2005 and joined ODP as a federal program manager.
In 2007, Bernard was approached by the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to help establish their Office of State and Local Affairs. In addition, he has worked in the Operations Support Directorate, developing state and local preventative radiological/nuclear detection capabilities. He also served as a risk assessment subject matter expert and Principal Deputy Assistant Director for Architecture and Plans, providing leadership and oversight of the organization responsible for the development, analysis and enhancement of the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA).
Later, in 2016, Bernard served as the senior DHS representative to the first U.S.-China Counter Nuclear Smuggling dialogue and frequently briefed Congressional members and staff on national security risk and the GNDA. His last post at DHS was as the Acting Innovation Officer and Acting Chief of Strategic Analysis for the National Risk Management Center within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Bernard graduated from CHDS in 2012 with a Master of Arts degree in Security Studies. His thesis was titled, “Whistleblowing in a Wikileaks World: A Model for Responsible Disclosure in Homeland Security.” He also helped found the CHDS HSx Program and completed that program in 2019.
Additionally, Bernard received a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Civil Security, Leadership, Management, and Policy in 2016 from New Jersey City University. His dissertation was titled, “Who is Professor Plum: A Framework for Defining Non-State Adversaries.”
A native of Maryland, Bernard lives in Monterey with his wife and two daughters.