Andrew Mara

Dr. Andrew Mara is the head of the Force Projection Sector at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), where he is responsible for more than 2,000 staff and the strategic planning, execution, and performance of approximately $600 million in annual funding for programs that span the sea control, strategic deterrence, and precision strike mission space. He was previously the head of the National Security Analysis Department at APL, where he led the analytic team assessing the capabilities needed to solve the most pressing challenges of our national security sponsors and the nation’s decision-makers. Before coming to APL, he was the executive vice president at the Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) as well as a member of the Senior Executive Service as the deputy director, Capability Enablers, of the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In that role, he was awarded a Presidential Rank Award and the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Medal. Dr. Mara earned a B.A. in economics and a B.S. in molecular biology from University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from Yale University.