Linda Denning has been part of the Department of Defense’s Regional Center enterprise since 1999, and after more than 23 years at the William J Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, she brings longstanding knowledge of Department of Defense and Regional Center policies and practices to assist with the establishment of the newest Regional Center, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. In her role as Associate Director of Support Functions, undertaken in May 2022, she oversees human resources, budget, travel, information technology, contracting and facilities, as well as the admissions program.
Ms. Denning began at the William J Perry Center in January 1999 as Student Services Coordinator, then moved to Operations in 2008, where she had responsibility for the successful execution of courses, seminars, workshops and symposia for senior defense and security officials from Latin America and the Caribbean, managing all areas of administrative, operational and contracting support. In her last position, Chief of Operations and Student Affairs, she oversaw all operational aspects of the William J Perry Center, as well as admissions and contracting.
Prior to her service in the Regional Center enterprise, Ms. Denning was a linguist and intelligence analyst at the Drug Enforcement Administration, and she served in Military Intelligence in the United States Army. She is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Portuguese and Russian. She holds degrees in International Relations and Economics from the University of California, Davis, and in Computer Science from Mary Washington University. She also holds a Master’s Certificate in Federal Government Program Management from George Washington University.
