By design, people at DARPA tend to have short tenures. While program managers, office directors, deputy office directors, directors and deputy directors number around 120 in any given year, the total number of people who have done a 3- to 5-year turn at DARPA is large. The DARPA family extends to the even larger number of administrative professionals and contractors who support DARPA’s mission. The vast majority of these alumni refer to their tenure at DARPA as an enormously enriching and life-changing experience, so it is no surprise that many continue to care about and support DARPA’s mission years after they leave. In fact, DARPA alumni have proven to be an exceedingly generous cadre, loyal to the Agency’s mission to prevent strategic surprise and enhance U.S. national security and prepared to provide their advice or leadership when needed.
DARPA occasionally organizes events that help DARPA alumni learn about current agency activities and priorities. These events support the alumni in their roles as DARPA ambassadors and help maintain open channels of communication between DARPA and the broader research community. These events also serve to acquaint current DARPA technical staff with technical, professional and contractor staff from previous years as well as facilitate the sharing of lessons learned, useful contacts and new ideas. DARPA alumni are the living repository of agency history: the successes, the failures and challenges.
The DARPA Alumni Association is an independent, worldwide organization that nurtures lifelong relationships with and among current and future DARPA alumni. The Association offers programs of relevance and service to alumni. Membership is limited to current and former DARPA government employees and SETA contractors, and eligibility for membership will be confirmed by DARPA.
DARPA also moderates the LinkedIn group “DARPA Alumni” (Join Group), where former members of the DARPA family—employees and headquarters contractors—can stay in touch, discuss things that interest them and keep the community informed of updates.
DARPA alumni are also welcome to send questions and comments to alumni@darpa.mil.
Alumni Connections:
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