Director NCTC

Director, National Counterterrorism Center

Christine Abizaid

Christine Abizaid

 

Christine “Christy” Abizaid has served as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) since June 29, 2021. She is the eighth Senate-confirmed Director and the first woman to lead NCTC, the United States Government’s primary organization that integrates, analyzes, and shares counterterrorism information to address the persistent and evolving threat environment.

 

During the Obama Administration, Abizaid was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. Prior to joining the Office of the Secretary of Defense, she served on the National Security Council Staff as both Director for Counterterrorism and Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.

 

Before returning to government service, Abizaid was as an executive at Dell Technologies in its Global Operations organization, where she led supply chain assurance initiatives.

 

Abizaid began her government career at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) Joint Intelligence Task Force Combating Terrorism, and served for seven years to include time as the Senior Intelligence Analyst in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Division and the Iraq/Middle East Division. She deployed several times throughout the Middle East, including a tour as the senior DIA counterterrorism representative in Iraq.

 

Abizaid has received the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Award, the National Military Intelligence Association John T. Hughes Award, and the DIA Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Abizaid holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and an M.A. in international policy studies from Stanford University.

 

National Counterterrorism Center