James Harris
CTO
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Mr. James F. Harris currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in the DIA Chief Information Office (CIO). As CTO, he leads information technology (IT) innovation architecture, standards, and strategy in CIO.
Earlier he served as the Deputy Chief for IC Service Operations Group (T34) on a joint duty rotational assignment at the National Security Agency (NSA), Technology Directorate from July 2012 until December 2014. He assisted the Chief of T34 in leading NSA’s delivery of new IC IT Enterprise services.
From December 2011 through June 2012, he served as the IC Desktop Environment Implementation Planning Leader. He was on detail from his duties as Chief of the Enterprise Management Office (DSE) within the Directorate for Information Management and Chief Information Officer (DS). Mr. Harris was responsible for over 150 government and contractor personnel overseeing DS’s strategic planning, enterprise architecture, governance, portfolio management, information technology service management introduction, enterprise configuration and change management, asset management, quality and risk management, and performance optimization.
Mr. Harris was appointed to the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service (DISES) in November 2006 and served as the Chief of the Enterprise Solutions Group (DSS). As one of DIA’s Senior IT Managers, Mr. Harris was responsible for the development, integration, testing, and pre-deployment of Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems (DoDIIS) IT intelligence and business applications, enterprise data, and infrastructure solutions.
He joined DIA in August 1999 as an information operations intelligence officer in the Directorate for Analysis and Production (DI). In December 2002, Mr. Harris joined the J2’s Joint Intelligence Task Force-Combating Terrorism (JITF-CT) as a senior intelligence officer. In November 2003, Mr. Harris was selected to be the JITF-CT IT Program Manager, and in October 2005, he joined DS as Chief of the Office for Enterprise Solutions Integration.
Prior to arriving at DIA, Mr. Harris participated in various assignments as a contractor and government electronics engineer in the Naval Air Systems Command Community and in the Army’s Communications and Electronics Command. His first Intelligence Community assignment was with the Air Force’s Office for Intelligence Assessments in the Pentagon. He began his civil service career as a GS-1 engineering student at the Naval Sea Systems Command.
A Washington, DC native, Mr. Harris received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from NC State University and his Master’s degree from Virginia Union University. He is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps.
Mr. Harris, his wife Bridgette, and two college-aged children reside in Waldorf, MD.