Draper Welcomes Brandi Vann, Ph.D., to Its Strategy Team
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Draper today announced the addition of Brandi Vann, Ph.D., to its strategy team. As Principal Director of Strategic Implementation and Planning, Vann will work closely with the company’s four business units and engineering team to ensure their alignment with Draper’s vision and strategy.
“Brandi provides a deep understanding of Draper’s national security customers as well as the technologies needed to sustain and modernize our strategic systems,” said Jennifer Santos, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Draper. “Her insights and experience will help shape our business and technical strategy to better meet the needs of our customers.”
“I am excited to be joining Draper at a time when innovation and technological breakthroughs are increasingly important to our national security,” said Vann. "Draper’s deep well of talent and multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving enable it to deliver solutions to the toughest challenges.”
Prior to joining Draper, Vann was performing the duties as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence and Chemical and Biological Defense Policy and Programs (ASD(ND-CBD)) and was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs (PDASD(NCB)). In this capacity, she supported Department’s activities to ensure a safe, secure, effective, and modernized U.S. nuclear deterrent against weapons of mass destruction threats while also providing defense capabilities against weapons of mass destruction and ensuring compliance with international NCB treaties and agreements. She also served in this capacity as the Executive Director of the Biodefense and Nuclear Weapons Councils.
In 2023, Vann was awarded the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award for her tremendous career in the Defense Department including her support and transformation of the biodefense national security mission.
Vann has also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense, where she led the Department’s efforts to develop capabilities to prepare for and defend against chemical and biological threat agents. Previously, she held positions at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), as a Visiting Scientist at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and as Director of Laboratories at Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
Vann holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of South Carolina where she studied analytical chemistry and applied statistics.
About Draper
Draper is a non-profit research, development, and manufacturing company that solves some of the nation’s most important challenges. With more than 2,500 employees working in collaboration across 12 locations, Draper delivers transformative, mission-driven solutions that successfully meet our customers’ requirements. These efforts focus on four critical mission areas: Strategic Systems, Space Systems, Electronic Systems, and Biotechnology Systems. To extend our legacy into the future, the Draper Scholars program engages with the next generation of innovators while DraperSPARX™ seeks to partner with startups and small businesses that can further our mission. To learn more about Draper, visit www.draper.com.
Released September 24, 2025
