Caitlin Bowers

About Caitlin Bowers

I am a mission-driven leader with extensive experience in defense innovation, national security, and startup-scale operational leadership. Recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for aligning cross-functional teams, managing complex programs, and delivering measurable outcomes, I have a verifiable history of driving organizational growth and impact across government, academia, and industry. Professional focal points include strategic planning and execution, stakeholder engagement, government relations, and innovation portfolio management. Delivering superior administration in these areas requires leveraging exceptional communication skills, relationship building, systems analysis, and resource management to ensure alignment between strategic objectives and operational outcomes.Currently, I serve with the Defense Innovation Unit at the Department of Defense, where I lead the sourcing, scoping, and curation of high-impact mission problems across technology verticals, including Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy, Cyber & Telecommunications, Emerging Technology, Energy, Human Systems, and Space. I have also managed a $3.5M federal program across 23 academic partners, designed and scaled national security talent initiatives, and implemented organizational processes to streamline execution. Colleagues describe me as a strategic, driven, and collaborative leader who navigates ambiguity with confidence and builds high-performing teams that deliver on mission objectives.I welcome connecting with professionals in defense innovation, technology, and leadership roles—feel free to reach out via this profile.

Experience

1. Talent Program Manager & Problem Sourcin and Curation (Contractor)

   Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)

   Jan 2025 — Present · Crystal City, VA, US

   Facilitate targeted seminars with DoD personnel to identify, define, and validate complex mission challenges, ensuring they were framed for effective collaboration with academic and industry partners- Curate and scope high-priority DoD problems, aligning them with DIU’s technology verticals and Talent portfolio programs to accelerate solution development pipelines- Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to implement robust processes for due diligence, business intelligence gathering, data collection, and reporting, improving transparency and decision-making- Spearheaded Salesforce integration to streamline intake, tracking, and matching of problem sets with solution providers, reducing cycle time from identification to project launch- Maintain in-depth awareness of seven DIU technology verticals—Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy, Cyber & Telecommunications, Emerging Technology, Energy, Human Systems, and Space—ensuring program alignment with cutting-edge developments in each field.**This is a SETA contractor position in support of DIU.

Education

• Georgetown University

  Master of Arts - MA, Communication, Culture, & Technology

  2018 — 2020

• SUNY Brockport

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Dance

  2005 — 2009