Dr. Laura Junor, PhD: SEI Treasurer
Dr. Junor is the Director, Research and Strategic Support at the National Defense University, Institute for National Strategic Studies. She had previously served as the Director for the Center for Strategic Research (CSR) and holds the academic rank of University Professor at NDU. As Director of INSS, she oversees five research centers and a publishing unit that provide direct analytic support to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The research centers provide regional expertise in areas such as Russia, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa, and NATO, along with functional expertise in fields such as national security policy, military strategy, defense reform, future warfare, military readiness, and international political economy. Prior to her arrival at NDU, Dr. Junor was confirmed as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. As the Principal Deputy, Dr. Junor co-led the Department’s efforts to modernize the military retirement system and transformed readiness management in the Department. Her additional responsibilities included all military and civilian personnel policies, the military healthcare system including TRICARE, family support services, the Defense Commissary Agency, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and department policy relating to suicide prevention and sexual assault. Dr. Junor previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness, the Chief of Staff for Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, and as a deputy team leader for readiness at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA). A native of the D.C. metropolitan area, Dr. Junor graduated from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland with honors in economics. She received her Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University