Ms. McCarthy was appointed Director of the Human Capital Management Office (HCMO) within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in October 2005. She served as the Acting Director of Security. As Director of HCMO she was responsible for the development of policy, plans, programs and oversight of personnel, training, education and career development of civilian and military defense intelligence personnel within the Department of Defense. Amongst her significant accomplishments included the development and deployment of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS), a pay-for-performance personnel system for 47,000 DoD Intelligence Community civilians. She joined OUSD (I) in July 2004 where her primary focus was on the development of policy and strategy relating to intelligence reform to include resource management, acquisitions, collection authorities and personnel.

Before joining the staff at the OUSD(I), Ms. McCarthy was the Director of Intelligence Operations, Strategy and Policy for the United States Coast Guard In this capacity she played a critical role in moving the USCG intelligence program into the IC, establishing Maritime Intelligence Fusion Centers, expanding USCG attaché presence worldwide, and establishing new intelligence and law enforcement collection capabilities She has worked extensively with the Navy at the strategic, operational and tactical levels having served as a Soviet submarine analyst at the Office of Naval Intelligence and at Atlantic Fleet where she supported the Navy’s undersea warfare community. Additionally she provided direct support to joint forces as the Deputy Chief of Joint Analysis and Warfighter Support at the U.S. Atlantic Command. Before her employment in the IC, she served as a technical research analyst at the Institute for Defense Analysis working for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization.

Ms. McCarthy is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland. She is married to Gordon Hannah. They have two children, Liam and Eileen.