Trish Puttmann

Patricia “Trish” Puttmann serves as Director of Innovation at Vanderbilt’s Institute of National Security, where she leads the Institute’s applied research agenda at the intersection of emerging technology, artificial intelligence, and national security policy. Working across all Institute pillars, Puttmann fosters industry-academic partnerships and convenes interdisciplinary teams to address the field’s most complex and consequential challenges.

Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Puttmann spent over a decade within the Department of Defense, most recently as Chief of Staff for the Operations Directorate at U.S. Cyber Command, where she oversaw a staff of 300 military, civilian, and contract personnel coordinating the Command’s full range of offensive and defensive cyberspace missions.

Throughout her tenure at U.S. Cyber Command, Puttmann held a number of senior staff positions, including as the Command’s Senior Representative to the United Kingdom and Central Intelligence Agency. She similarly served in key operational roles, including at Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber (Air Force), responsible for coordinating offensive cyberspace missions across four task forces and thirteen cyber teams.

For her service in government, Puttmann is twice a recipient of the Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Brigadier General Richard T. Ellis Award for HUMINT Collaboration, and twice a recipient of a Director, CIA Meritorious Unit Citation.

Puttmann holds an M.A. in War Studies from King’s College London and a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, cum laude. She additionally holds a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Oxford and is a member of Chief, a network for senior women executives committed to expanding women’s influence and leadership at the highest levels of industry.