Dennis C. Blair
U.S. director of National Intelligence
"Dennis C. Blair became the nation's third director of National Intelligence on January 29, 2009.
Prior to retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2002, Admiral Blair served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, the largest of the combatant commands. During his 34-year career, Admiral Blair served on guided missile destroyers in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and commanded the Kitty Hawk Battle Group. Ashore, he served as Director of the Joint Staff and as the first Associate Director of Central Intelligence for Military Support at the CIA. He has also served in budget and policy positions on the National Security Council and several major Navy staffs.
From 2003 to 2006, Blair was President and CEO of the Institute for Defense Analyses -- one of the nation's foremost national security analysis centers. Most recently, he served as the M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies at the National Bureau of Asian Research, and the Deputy Director of the Project on National Security Reform, an organization that analyzes the U.S. national security structure and develops recommendations to improve its effectiveness.
A 1968 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Blair earned a master's degree in History and Languages from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and served as a White House Fellow at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has been awarded four Defense Distinguished Service Medals and has received decorations from the governments of Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea and Australia."
Photo and biography obtained from:
Office of Director of National Intelligence website: http://www.dni.gov