Megen Schlesinger, MBA, is currently the Deputy Director of the Central Coast Tech Bridge at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. Megen is responsible for providing strategic advisement to NPS regarding collaboration between industry, academia, and government to improve Department of Defense technology.  Her expertise in non-traditional defense acquisition and technology-focused small business are leveraged to bring non-traditional players to NPS’s technology ecosystem and to accelerate technology transfer at NPS.

Megen’s career began in the Army, where she served on active duty as a Military Intelligence officer for seven years.  Megen’s experience in the intelligence field has supported a multitude of operational capabilities; she has served in a spectrum of units ranging across mechanized infantry, airborne, and special operations.  Her leadership opportunities allowed her to lead and support intelligence collection across a variety of platforms, including signals intelligence, human intelligence, geo-spatial/imagery intelligence, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  Megen served in numerous locations in the United States and has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  She most recently served as a Military Intelligence officer in the US Army Reserve at Fort Carson, Colorado.  Her military awards include a Bronze Star Medal.

Following her active duty career, Megen earned her Master of Business Administration at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs with an emphasis in Management in 2017.  Prior to graduation, she began working at the Center for Technology, Research, and Commercialization (C-TRAC), a 501(c)(3) in Colorado Springs, CO that was a Partnership Intermediary organization to the United States Air Force Academy.  At C-TRAC, Megen served in a variety of roles, including Program Manager for the US Air Force CyberWorx program, C-TRAC Director of Operations, and finally as the company’s Managing Director.  C-TRAC continues to serve the Mountain West collaborative defense innovation ecosystem through its close partnerships with organizations such as Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation, the US Air Force CyberWorx program, and the Air Force Research Laboratory, among others.

Outside of her professional career, Megen is a busy mother to three young sons, Will, Ben, and Charlie, and is married to an active duty US Army Special Forces officer.  She also volunteers as the Chief Operations Officer of a non-profit organization focused on connecting high-profile mentors to underserved communities, The Mentor Project.  Megen enjoys running, hiking, yoga, reality television, murder mysteries, and is an NCAA Division I “swammer” (former swimmer).