Dr. Itamara Lochard is the Director of Cyber Policy Studies at George Mason University, a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Technology & National Security Policy at U.S. National Defense University, a Senior Researcher of International Security at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, and a certified mediator. Since 1988, she has examined the para-state function, organizational structure and patterns of cooperation of active sub-state groups. In 2004, she developed a database correlating 1,750 active groups comprising 1,000+ members with various metrics of governance. She regularly presents analyses on these data, irregular war, strategiccommunications and cyber/ICT at various OSD, NATO, and UN fora.Operationally, Dr. Lochard co-developed and participated in the initial years of all EUCOM-funded computer network operations, military-to-military, familiarization exercises in both Estonia and the Republic of Georgia. These were the first cyber-related efforts of its kind. In addition, she was the founding commander of the first U.S. civilian cyber defense force unit at the rank of Colonel. She also chaired a multi-year research panel of the NATO Human Intelligence (HUMINT) CoE in Romania commissioned by NATO HQ for Alliance doctrine development. Furthermore, she regularly supports the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Estonia and the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence (StratCom COE) in Latvia.
Academically, she has taught graduate school at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies where she served as the founding director of their cyber initiative in the office of the president. She has also conducted executive education workshops for political and military members of Armenia, Estonia, Macedonia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE Critical National Infrastructure Authority. In 2008, Dr. Lochard created the “Terrorists’ Use of Cyber” course for the NATO Center of Excellence-Defense Against Terrorism (CoE-DAT) which was the first of its kind by the Alliance and continues to be a staple NATO course. In addition, she has trained U.S. Special Forces at U.S. Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) and pre-ISAF deployment troops at NATO Rapid Deployable Corps (NRDC-T) in information operations, non-state groups, and strategic communications.
In addition to presenting her research at academic and policy conferences, for several years, Dr. Lochard served as a contributing editor to Princeton University’s, “Journal for Public and International Affairs.” She also conducted research at the African Studies Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as well as at Stanford University’s International Institute of Studies. She has been awarded numerous grants and fellowships from George P. Shultz foundation, H.B. Earhart foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley foundation, the International Institute of Studies at Stanford University, Office of Naval Research, and Sandia National Laboratories.
Dr. Lochard earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and holds four graduate degrees from Stanford University and the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. She received a Presidential award for citizenship and public service at Tufts University, the Order of Thor from the Military Cyber Professionals Association at the Naval Postgraduate School, and was awarded a Medal of Honor for Special Services from the Cyber Defense League – Defense Forces of the Republic of Estonia.