Desiree served 14 years in the U.S. Army in the Military Intelligence field. She was a Signals Intelligence Analyst, working directly for the National Security Agency (NSA) to support both tactical and strategic military operations overseas. This role involved leveraging advanced analytical and leadership skills to provide crucial intelligence for decision-making. She actively participated in committees dedicated to fostering a sense of community and was appointed as an Equal Opportunity leader in her unit. She worked diligently to provide information and education to enable promoting fairness and inclusivity.

Her journey has taken her across the world to beautiful destinations such as Seoul, Manila, Okinawa, Tokyo, and finally, the enchanting Hawaiian Islands where she lived for seven years.

While transitioning out of the service she received a great opportunity to work as a Senior IT Security Analyst at a prominent local bank. In this role, she developed comprehensive IT policies and playbooks, orchestrated phishing campaigns, and spearheaded cyber threat detection and response activities. She also worked closely with the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center to forge partnerships between the public and private sectors. She created proof of concepts, policies, and standards that played a pivotal role in the successful passage of the program’s mission in Congress. She recently joined Acacia and She is excited to bring her wealth of experience and motivation to the UCP mission!