Ms. Karen D. H. Saunders, SES, serves as the Program Executive Officer for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) in Orlando, Florida. PEO STRI executes a multi-billion-dollar testing, training, and threat portfolio annually, with a staff of more than 1,000 military, government civilian and service support contractors. The organization also manages Foreign Military Sales programs supporting more than 65 countries. From September 2021 to February 2022, she concurrently served as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)).

Prior to her current assignment, she served as Chief of Staff for the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. From June 2015 to September 2017, she served as the Department of Defense’s Executive Director, Defense Science Board, responsible for management and operations of the Acquisitions, Science and Technology Federal Advisory Board; and as the Program Manager for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Development Office.

In December 2014, she culminated a 30-year career in the U.S. Army as a Colonel serving as the Chief of Staff for the ASA(ALT). Previously, she served on the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s (OSD) staff as the Military Assistant to the Principal Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Before joining the OSD staff, she was assigned to the NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan, Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan serving as the Chief, Security Cooperation Division, Security Assistance Office. She also served as Senior Advisor to the Afghan National Army Ministry of Defense Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Deputy Minister.

She was commissioned as a Military Intelligence Corps Second Lieutenant upon graduation from Oklahoma State University. Her command and staff assignments in Military Intelligence and Operations Research and Systems Analysis included Strategic Intelligence Research Analyst, U.S. Army Concepts Analysis Agency, Bethesda, Maryland; Chief, Intelligence Systems Division, Battle Command Battle Lab - Huachuca; Battalion Executive Officer and Operations Officer, 304th Military Intelligence Battalion and 305nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Upon joining the Army Acquisition Corps, her assignments included Project Director, Tactical Simulation and Warfighters’ Simulation Intelligence Models, Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command, Orlando, Florida; and Deputy Director, Whitfill Central Technical Support Facility, Program Executive Office, Command Control and Communications (Tactical), Fort Hood, Texas. In command select assignments, she served as the Product Manager, Future Combat System-Battle Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; and Project Manager, Constructive Simulation, PEO STRI, Orlando, Florida.

Her military education includes the Military Intelligence Basic and Advanced Courses, Operations Research and Analysis Course, Army Command and General Staff College and the National War College. Her civilian education includes Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Master of Science degrees in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence/Robotics) from the Naval Postgraduate School and National Security Strategy from the National War College. She is also Level III certified in Program Management.