Heather Durgin

Heather Durgin is an innovative leader in both the private and public sector.  Her success is built on finding unique solutions and developing comprehensive action plans to execute them.  She has solved problems with countless machines, power plants and even developed an attachment for her son’s trach tube when doctors could not find a way to prevent his airway from collapsing. Despite a technical degree her biggest impact has been solving problems relating to people and processes.  

Over the past decade Ms. Durgin has worked across the Department of Defense in one capacity or another. A graduate of both the Naval Post Graduate School and Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a degree in Marine Engineering and an Executive Masters in Business Administration; she is currently the Chief of Staff for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. 

Ms. Durgin started her civil service career as a Naval Architect, where she became an expert in Unmanned Underwater Vehicles and Submarines. She then was selected as an Undersea Warfare Integrator. There she coordinated the analytical efforts of analysts working undersea issues in support of the acquisition community. From there she served as the division head for the Undersea Sensing and Electro-Optics Division, before moving on to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Intelligence & Security) where she expanded our partnerships with key allies and wrote the 2020 Defense Intelligence Strategy. 

Prior to her civil service she worked in a shipyard as a Jr. Project Manager, where she managed projects with an annual gross revenue of approximately twenty-five million dollars, while working on improving the efficiency and safety of the company. Before getting into Project Management Ms. Durgin designed electrical subsystems, and troubleshot electrical issues for power plants. She started her career as a Third Assistant Engineer working onboard Ships, as she quotes “an overpaid grease monkey”

Ms. Durgin is an avid boater, proud hockey mom, and dedicated wife who enjoys throwing pots and listening to her son learn the electric guitar- alright she tolerates the guitar...