Karen M. Bonaby - Defense Security Cooperation University

Resident Advisor

Ms. Karen Bonaby is the first Ministry of Defense Advisor (MoDA) and Institutional Capacity Building (ICB) Country Integrator for the Republic of Moldova and she has been active in both roles since November 2020. As the US Senior Civilian Advisor, Ms. Bonaby provides professional, theoretical, and applied advice and consultation on Organizational Change Management strategies to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) Military and Civilian staff in coordination with NATO Representatives, and Moldova Partner Nations. She works within the MoD Transformation Directorate, which is the office responsible for managing implementation of the Moldovan National Army Long-Term Military Capabilities Development Plan. As the ICB Country Integrator, she facilitates collaboration among the different ICB implementers to enable a common approach to the effective design of ICB Support Plan activities, activity coordinated implementation, monitoring of ICB progress, and when necessary, make recommendations for adjustments to design and implementation based on monitoring results.

Prior to entering the MoDA program, Ms. Bonaby Served as the Director, Resources Management Division, Office of the Naval Inspector General (IG). The Naval IG is the senior investigative official in the Department of the Navy and the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy, on all matters concerning IG functions, including but not limited to inspections and administrative investigations. Ms. Bonaby served with the Naval IG for 9 years as the principal advisor to the Naval IG on strategic planning, process improvement, and agency wide program management and as the Assistant IG Subject Matter Expert for HR Workforce, Education and Training for the Naval IG Inspections Division.

Ms. Bonaby completed 23 years of military service as an Officer in the U.S. Navy General Unrestricted Line and Human Resource Support Community. Her assignments supported the Chief of Naval Education and Training, Navy Recruiting Command, Operations and Executive Officer for the Military Entrance Processing Command and Assistant Professor of Leadership and Culture Development at the United States Naval Academy. Of note, as the first Naval Officer assigned Deputy Director of Military Personnel at the National Security Agency (NSA), she authored the first Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Execution Order for deployment of Joint Military Signals Intelligence; the framework remains a permanent addition of NSA SIGINT planning with updates briefed bi-monthly to an Intelligence Review Board representing seven government Intelligence Agencies.

Ms. Bonaby holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in Strategic Studies from Air University, Air Force Senior War College, and a B.S. in Accounting at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.