DIU Appoints Liz Young McNally as Deputy Director of Commercial Operations

The Defense Innovation Unit has named Liz Young McNally as the new deputy director for commercial operations.

McNally moves to the DIU after serving as co-CEO at Schmidt Futures, a not-for-profit venture capital firm focused on projects and investments in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and climate science, among other areas.

In her new role, she will use her decades-long experience from the private sector, the military and nonprofit organizations to facilitate partnerships with the commercial tech sector and the investment community, including the collaborations formed with various government agencies and through the National Security Innovation Network and the National Security Innovation Capital, DIU said.

“I look forward to working across the commercial sector, the DOD, and our allies to bring critical solutions to our warfighters on a timescale that matters,” McNally said.

Her private sector experience includes time spent as a partner at McKinsey & Co. and as the global lead for McKinsey Academy, the company’s tech-enabled capability building and leadership development offering.

Before joining the private sector, McNally was a military police officer in the U.S. Army, during which she embarked on two-year-long tours to Iraq, and served as a member of the U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors over two terms.