Melissa Terlaje

Melissa Terlaje is chief government relations officer and secretary to the board of managers of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). As chief government relations officer, she ensures APL remains well connected with key government leaders and stakeholders regarding national priorities. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Terlaje was the lead for strategy development and strategic engagement in APL’s Air and Missile Defense Sector, responsible for developing strategy-driven initiatives and connecting technology with senior military and government leaders. Previously, she served as the special assistant to former APL Assistant Director for Policy and Analysis Hon. Christine Fox. In that role, she led analytic efforts to inform the intersection of technology and policy and coordinated the APL Senior Fellows program. She also served as the strategic studies lead to then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson. Dr. Terlaje was an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow in both the U.S. Senate and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of AAAS. Dr. Terlaje earned a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in energy, environmental, and chemical engineering, all from Washington University in St. Louis.