Colonel Melissa (Molly) Solsbury is the Maven Smart System (MSS) Program Director for the Department of War (DoW) within Research & Engineering (R&E). In this role, Colonel Solsbury is responsible for partnering with the services as a service-level experimentation support organization dedicated to enabling the seamless expansion and integration of the Maven Smart System within the military services.
Prior to arriving at CDAO, Colonel Solsbury served as the Director of the Chief of Staff of the Army Coordination Group in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army. She served operational tours with the 1st SFOD (Delta), 82nd Airborne Division, Joint Special Operations Command, and 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), serving as the Senior Intelligence Officer at multiple echelons up to the J2 of the Special Operations Joint Task Force in Kabul, Afghanistan. Colonel Solsbury commanded the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater) and participated in campaigns in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, and North Africa.
Colonel Solsbury also served in a variety of roles ranging from intelligence and policy to research and development, including Director for JSOCx and Project Ridgway - technology, data, and innovation-focused initiatives charged with digital transformation within the Army and Joint Force.
Colonel Solsbury earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Statistical Analysis from LaSalle University, a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University, and completed her Senior Service College fellowship at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory.