HARVARD Kennedy School of Government; Center for Public Leadership
79 John F. Kennedy Street Cambridge, MA 02138
Office: 617-495-8810 Cell: 719-424-2241
Dana_born@hks.harvard.edu
Dr. Dana H. Born is a lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Center for Public Leadership. She joined the faculty at Harvard University upon retirement from the United States Air Force at the rank of Brigadier
General. Dr. Born currently serves as a Director of the publicly traded Apollo Education Group and is a member of their Audit and Compensation committees.
A tested and respected military commander in times of conflict and crises, Afghan veteran, and accomplished behavioral scientist and industrial-organizational psychologist, she spent the last eleven years of her military career at the US Air Force Academy, nine of those as Dean of the Faculty. As Dean, she led the 750 member organization with $350M budget to unprecedented national rankings. Concomitantly, she led 18 research centers to new frontiers in cutting-edge research by increasing the annual funding from $9M to $74M per year. She also led a 100+ person cross-functional team in a multi-year effort resulting in the most sweeping and transformational changes in the fifty year history of the Institution regarding how future Air Force leaders are educated and trained, and instilled with the precepts of character, honor and integrity.
In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Born served as the Commander of the 11 th
Mission Support
Squadron, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC. In that role she was a key on-scene Commander during the
9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Other Pentagon assignments included Department of Defense (DoD) level responsibilities in recruiting analysis, personnel management and policy formulation, and also serving as the aide, speechwriter and policy analyst to two Secretaries of the Air Force.
Dr. Born’s keen sense of human/institutional behavior and military training, coupled with her proven large organizational leadership skills, and demonstrated command experience during 9/11 form the basis of her focus today on change and risk management, leadership, organizational behavior, diversity, inclusion and strategic alignment.
A highly decorated military officer and published author, Dr. Born continues to give back as a Trustee of the US
Air Force Falcon Foundation and a member of its Scholarship Committee. As a General Officer she is the recipient of three of the Air Force’s most senior level awards including the Air Force Distinguished Service
Medal, Secretary of the Air Force’s Eugene M. Zuckert Management Award and the Air Force Association’s
Hoyt S. Vandenberg Award for Aerospace Education. She is also the recipient of the American Legion Auxiliary
Active Duty Veteran Award (AF), Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award from Pennsylvania State University,
Honorary Doctorate from Simmons College, Harvard Law School’s International Women’s Day Installation
Nominee and selection as 1 of 20 Distinguished Women on the First Lady of the United States’ Mentoring Team.
A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with distinction, she received a M.S. in Experimental
Psychology from Trinity University, a M.A. in Research Psychology from University of Melbourne, Australia and her Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Born is Past President of the American Psychological Association (Society for Military Psychology), a senior consultant for the Authentic Leadership Institute, National Accreditation Peer Evaluator for the Higher Learning
Commission and a member of the International Women’s Forum. She lives in Lexington, MA with her husband
(USMC Retired) and two children. An avid outdoors and sports enthusiast, Dana treasures spending time with her family skiing, climbing, and mountain biking at their vacation home in Colorado’s high country and breaking away to the local beaches at Cape Cod.

Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Center for Public Leadership July 2013 - present
Lecturer
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Instituted new, and now a highly sought after Leadership course at the HKS to educate, train and inspire graduate students, corporate executives and military and political leaders to “make the world a better place.”
United States Air Force Academy
Dean of the Faculty (2004 – 2013) & Department Chair (2002 - 2004)
July 2002 – Jul 2013

Led institution to unprecedented national academic ratings highlighted by #1/320 ranking (three consecutive years) among all undergraduate institutions in Western US (US News & World Report), and the nation’s #1 undergraduate only research institution (National Science Foundation).
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Pioneered new strategic direction and campaign plan with aligned performance/metrics for 5,000 member organization that protected core mission and responded to changing world-wide requirements and ten figure downturn in defense spending for organization.
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Developed vision and strategy to successfully implement new programs ensuring the Air Force continues to lead in the strategic areas of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), cyber security/warfare, space, intelligence,
STEM, language and cultural immersion - while also building inclusive excellence (diversity and inclusion).
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Built and led large cross-organizational crises action leadership team that successfully addressed allegations of sexual assault and harassment - resulting in a major transformation in the organization’s culture and climate, and a renewed focus on dignity and respect. Served on senior Department of Defense (DoD) and Air
Force level teams addressing similar issues of gender orientation and religious respect .
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Spearheaded twelve person team to develop new assessment architecture to provide senior leaders with the information they need, when they need it…while also creating a multi and cross-level learning culture, resulting in better qualified and more productive individuals, teams, organization and workforce.
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Instituted the most revolutionary educational changes in the history of the Academy, improving the
Institution’s ability to better fulfill its mission of providing future Air Force leaders of character with the critical thinking skills necessary to confront the global challenges of tomorrow.
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Deployed to Afghanistan as part of US led coalition nation-building efforts - focused upon teaching, training and building a more professional Afghan Army capable of providing its own security.
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Fostered teamwork to integrate diverse organizations to add value and achieve the next level of excellence, utilizing expertise in organizational behavior, change management, strategic alignment and human capital to increase organizational capacity and performance.
Bolling Air Force Base, Washington DC
Commander, 11 th Mission Support Squadron
May 2000 – June 2002
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Led emergency response during 9/11 attack on Pentagon resulting in immediate activation and staffing of command center for the Air Force’s senior-most political and military leaders, 24/7 command operations,
100% accountability of thousands of personnel in DC area and the timely and dignified recovery of remains.
The Pentagon (Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) June 1997 – May 1998
Aide-de-Camp, Speechwriter and Policy & Issues Analyst
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Orchestrated critical international defense related travel missions to foreign defense partners for the SECAF, conducted research/analysis and crafted messages for use in appearances before Congress, the Secretary of
Defense, foreign Ministers of Defense, and world-wide visits to deployed service-members.