Michele Finley is the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Chief of Staff, a position she has held since her appointment in October, 2019.  As the Chief of Staff, she supports DTIC’s mission to ensure the innovation and knowledge stemming from the Department of Defense’s past and current investment in science and technology (S&T) forms the building blocks for the next generation of discovery, enhancing and accelerating American warfighters capabilities.  Her responsibilities include: promote a unified strategic approach to ensure DTIC’s Science and Technology goals are aligned and nested with the DoD’s; shape and mold the organization’s culture and atmosphere; foster collaboration, within the organization as well as with others from government, industry, and academia; and, manage the efforts of a team of DoD civilians and contractors to accomplish DTIC’s near and long term goals. 

In addition, Ms. Finley is part of the senior leadership team that manages an organization whose annual operating budget is $65M and whose Information Analysis Centers (IACs) generated over $2.5B in R&E related contracts. She also serves as the Managing Editor for the Journal of DoD Research and Engineering (JDR&E), which publishes scientific research articles, commentary, and cutting-edge research from the Research and engineering Communities of Interest. 

Prior to her appointment as the Chief of Staff, Ms. Ms. Finley served as the Deputy Director of User Services, one of DTIC’s six Directorates, as well as serving as DTIC’s Public Affairs Officer and Strategic Communications Specialist.  Before joining the Department of Defense as a DoD Civilian, Ms. Finley spent 13 years working for a non-profit medical organization advocating for physicians and their patients in the field of otolaryngology, that medical specialty concerned especially with the ear, nose, and throat and related parts of the head and neck. 

Ms. Finley is a recipient of the DTIC Exceptional Civilian Service Award and a graduate of Radford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications. 

She enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking, and spending time with her family and two small dogs, Bella and Brady. She is married to William (Bill) Finley and has two grown children, a daughter, Caitlin (23), and son, Ryan (20).