National Counterterrorism Center

Organization

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.

 

Any suspected criminal or terrorist activity should be reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

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Celia Durall

Celia Durall

 

Celia Durall started as the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Executive Director on October 24, 2022. She previously served as the Chief, Senior Executive Management Office. In that role, Ms. Durall led the delivery of strategic level executive management support to all executives at ODNI.

 

In 2021, Ms. Durall was selected as Acting Chief of the IC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office. After standing up this new office, she served as the principal advisor to the Director and Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence on diversity, equity and inclusion. She synchronized and advanced diversity, equity and inclusion activities, policies and programs across the IC, bringing transparency to these initiatives. Previously, Ms. Durall was appointed as Deputy Assistant Director of National Intelligence for IC Human Capital, where she led the design, development and execution of human resources strategies, plans and policies in support of the men and women who serve in our nation’s intelligence agencies. She was also the first Chief, Intelligence Workforce Development Section at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 

At FBI and in other leadership roles at DIA and ODNI, Ms. Durall has been known as a groundbreaking leader and innovator who enables institutional change and promotes community building to enhance organizational adaptability in a complex and rapidly changing national security environment.

 

Ms. Durall started her intelligence career as a linguist and then transitioned into the analytic career field at DIA. She earned a Master of Arts in International Trade from George Mason University, a Paralegal Certificate in International Trade Law from the American University in Paris and a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Civilization with a concentration in Business from the University of Maryland. After 15 years in federal service, she spent several years at a behavioral social science firm working with tools to capture and catalyze organizational effectiveness and individual development. She is an ICF certified leadership coach committed to developing great leaders. Ms. Durall has over 30 years of broad experience in intelligence, organizational development and human capital. She and her husband, Brian, raised two children in Montgomery County, Maryland.

 

 

Email Us

 

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Mailing Address

 

National Counterterrorism Center
Washington, DC 20511

 

Abby Johnson NCTC

Abby Johnson

 

Abby Johnson was named the Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in October 2022, previously serving as NCTC’s Executive Director.

 

Ms. Johnson has more than twenty years of experience working in the Intelligence Community and is a subject matter expert in U.S. government identities intelligence, watchlisting, and screening activities. She has served in various management, policy and strategy roles in Identities Intelligence, Countering Violent Extremism, Cyber Group, Foreign Terrorist Fighter efforts; and in multiple roles as an Intelligence Manger and Analyst.

 

She also served joint duty assignments at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Screening Center as the Deputy Director for Intelligence and Mission Development, and at the National Security Council’s Transborder Security Directorate as the Director for Identity Management and Biometrics Policy.

 

Ms. Johnson has received two NCTC Director’s awards, an NSC Service Medallion, and an ODNI Leadership and Service Award. She has a B.S.in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Radford University in Virginia.