Lora Shiao

Lora Shiao was named Chief Operating Officer of the ODNI in October 2020. In this capacity, Ms. Shiao is responsible for the strategic management of the ODNI, including corporate governance, financial operations, information technology, security and counterintelligence, and talent management. With more than a decade of service at ODNI and two decades in the Intelligence Community (IC), Ms. Shiao brings to bear a strong track record of leading collaboratively across the IC on high-profile topics, including counterterrorism and China, and fostering a corporate culture of workforce engagement and professional development.

Prior to this role, Ms. Shiao served as the Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) from April to October 2020 and as NCTC’s Executive Director from March 2019 to April 2020, a role in which she managed the Center’s financial and personnel operations and helped drive information technology innovation. Previously, Ms. Shiao held numerous leadership and analytic management positions at NCTC. As the Deputy Director for Intelligence from 2016 to 2019, she led the Center’s all-source analysis of the capabilities and intentions of terrorist actors worldwide to inform national policymakers and support the efforts of IC, military, law enforcement, and homeland security partners. As Deputy Director for Terrorist Identities from 2015 to 2016, she supported whole-of government action in the identities intelligence mission space.

Ms. Shiao’s two decades of US Government experience include leadership, analytic, and operational assignments at ODNI, the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, and other IC agencies on joint-duty rotations. She has focused extensively on regional and functional topics in East Asia and the Middle East, and more broadly on science and technology capabilities. Other career highlights include tours of duty deploying in support of operational partners and serving as briefer to the Attorney General and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Many of Ms. Shiao’s proudest contributions have come from volunteering for corporate service with employee resource groups, through diversity & inclusion initiatives, and by mentoring the next generation of IC leaders. She helped establish the intensive two-year ODNI onboarding program to develop well-rounded IC intelligence professionals and created an annual workshop for aspiring IC senior executives.

Ms. Shiao was appointed to the Senior National Intelligence Service in May 2014.