Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Advisory Council Member

Phone: 703.494.1092
Email: mcbride@nars.org
portrait of Dr Dennis McBride, Advisory Council member of Atlantic Legal Foundation

Dr. Dennis McBride is President of the Institute for Regulatory Science (RSI). This Washington area non-profit, non-partisan organization is focused on the proposition that the production of sound public policy, and the administration of justice require timely availability and clear access to sound, understandable – useful science. RSI has published several hundred articles and consulted extensively to government, academia and industry on this seemingly uncontentious proposition, over its nearly 40-year life.

McBride’s most recent positions include Chief Strategy Officer for Source America, the U.S. government’s ($3B/yr) central non-profit agency that oversees the Ability One Commission (Department of Justice) mission of producing jobs for people with disabilities nationally; and Director, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Innovation Research Center, a university-affiliated research consortium of 24 top U.S. university colleges of engineering, business, law, and the sciences – with the mission of significantly enhancing the acquisition of “game-changing” technologies for national defense.  

Dennis earned his Navy gold wings and served a 20-year career in an ‘elite corps of Ph.D. scientists,’ with research and leadership tours at six high-tech government laboratories, aviation, and headquarters organizations, including DARPA and the Office of Naval Research. Dr. McBride’s scientific advancements earned multiple decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He retired at 20 years active duty as a Navy Captain (O-6).

McBride was subsequently elected to full professor and has taught and conducted cutting-edge research, with appointments in colleges and departments of engineering, arts & sciences, public policy, aeronautics, and medicine. He served for ten years as President of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a non-partisan, academic-oriented non-profit think tank, providing many of the services provided (before its closure) by the Office of Technology Assessment. He was editor-in-chief for two peer-reviewed journals: Review of Policy Research, and Technology. He has supported the authorship of amici curiae and has served as an expert witness and/or strategist in many cases of civil and criminal law. Dennis has participated/led numerous human factors-focused reviews and projects for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

Professor McBride served, inter alia, as dean-level Director, Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida and subsequently as assistant/acting VP for Research and president of the GMU Research Foundation (for Intellectual Property development), George Mason University – helping elevate the university to R-1 status. He co-created, and for twelve years, taught two evening courses per semester in Georgetown University Medical School’s graduate program in public policy for scientists. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Hume Center for Intelligent Systems – National Security Institute, and Professor of Practice in Public Policy, Virginia Tech. He is an adjunct professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (graduate level flight simulation). Dr. McBride has authored/co-authored more than 200 scientific/technical publications.

Dennis’ academic degrees include the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. (Experimental Psychology, the University of Georgia), MPA/M.S.P.A., (Public Administration, Troy State University), and M.S. (Systems, Viterbi College of Engineering, University of Southern California), Aerospace Experimental Psychologist Designation (Naval Aerospace Medical Institute) and Flight Test Engineering credentials (Navy Test Pilot School / University of Tennessee Space Institute).

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