Ellen P. Embrey is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and the Director of the Deployment Health Support Directorate. In that capacity, she leads Defense Department (DoD)-wide efforts to develop and implement policies, programs, and activities relating to DoD deployment medicine, force health protection, national disaster support, and medical readiness. Before coming to Health Affairs, Ms. Embrey served in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, where she held a variety of senior and executive-level positions from 1987 to 2001. During her tenure, she assumed the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs during the transition to the new administration and served as Chief of Staff (2000 to 2001) and as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Assistance to Civil Authorities (1998 to 2001). She also held senior staff and management positions relating to reserve component program analysis and oversight, fiscal and budget oversight, legislative and intergovernmental relations, and information and resource management. Ms. Embrey began her career as a management intern at the U.S. Civil Service Commission (1976 to 1978), and subsequently held staff and management positions at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (1978 to 1981) and the Defense Contract Audit Agency Headquarters (1981 to1987). Ms. Embrey earned her B.S. from Virginia Tech and completed coursework for a M.S. from Central Michigan University.