Dana Dyson
Adjunct Professor, American University Washington College of Law
Dana Dyson served with the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA's) Office of General Counsel (OGC) from December 1999 to September 2023. Immediately prior to her retirement from government service, she was the Deputy General Counsel of CIA for Operations. In that capacity, she provided legal advice and counsel to the Director and Deputy Director of CIA and supervised attorneys assigned to the CIA's Directorate of Operations, Directorate of Science and Technology, Directorate of Analysis, and Directorate of Digital Innovation/Center for Cyber Intelligence, as well as attorneys assigned to CIA's eleven topical and geographic Mission Centers. She was responsible for the legal advice and services provided by those counsel in support of CIA operational activities and analyses. From January 2021 to March 2022, Ms. Dyson served as the Acting Senior Deputy General Counsel and the Acting Deputy General Counsel for Operations, providing advice and counsel to Agency leadership and supervising the same operational law cadre. Prior to these assignments, from April 2014 to January 2021, she served as the Chief of OGC's Operations Division and as the Legal Advisor to the Deputy Director of CIA for Operations (DDO).
Ms. Dyson graduated from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Law in 1990 with a Juris Doctor degree and from UNC in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Before joining the CIA, Ms. Dyson served on active duty as a judge advocate in the US Navy from 1990-1999, serving in various positions including as Deputy Legal Advisor to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Staff Judge Advocate, USS SIMON LAKE (AS-33), Staff
Judge Advocate, Submarine Squadron Twenty-two, and Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant, U.S. Naval Academy. She subsequently affiliated with the Navy Reserve. Her reserve assignments included service as Deputy Legal Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as Commanding Officer of the Navy JAG reserve unit supporting the Chief of Naval Personnel and Commander, Navy Personnel Command. Ms. Dyson retired from the Navy in 2012 as a Captain in the Navy JAG Corps Reserve.
Ms. Dyson is also an experienced national security law educator, serving as an adjunct professor and student advisor at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Washington College of Law at American University. Her personal decorations include the Presidential Rank Awards for Distinguished and Meritorious Service, the National Intelligence Superior Service
Medal, the CIA Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the CIA Director’s Award, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the CIA’s Clandestine Service Award and the Director of National Intelligence Intelligence Community Legal Award for Lifetime Achievement.