Draper Names Kathryn Brinsfield Vice President and General Manager, Biotechnology Systems
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Draper today named Dr. Kathryn Brinsfield its Vice President and General Manager for Biotechnology Systems. In this role, Brinsfield will oversee the company's biodefense and biomedical research programs and set the business unit's strategic direction.
Brinsfield reports to Draper’s President and Chief Executive Officer Jerry M. Wohletz, Ph.D., and serves on the company’s executive leadership team.
"Kathryn has extensive experience in biosecurity and understands the importance of advancing the nation's capabilities to meet emerging biological threats," said Wohletz. "Her programmatic knowledge and customer insight will be tremendously valuable as Draper continues to invest, innovate, and grow in support of its U.S. national security missions."
Brinsfield joins Draper from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) where she held multiple positions focused on biological weapons and technology, biosurveillance, and counterproliferation. Prior to ODNI, Brinsfield's roles included Chief Medical Officer, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Health Affairs where she had oversight of all medical and public health activities and management of operational biodefense and biosurveillance programs. She also served as Director of Medical Preparedness Policy on the White House National Security Council.
Before joining DHS, Brinsfield was an associate professor at the Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health with 13 years of experience as an attending physician at Boston City Hospital/ Boston Medical Center. She also worked for the Boston Public Health Commission and Boston Emergency Medical Services during this time.
Brinsfield graduated with honors from Brown University and received her Doctor of Medicine from Tufts School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University.
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 January 12, 2026
