New Michigan Regional Engagement Principal Appointed by Department of Defense

5/13/2025

The Defense Innovation Unit’s Commercial Operations Team, a Department of Defense (DoD) organization focused on adopting commercial technology at speed and scale for national security is pleased to announce the appointment of Helena Krusec as the new Michigan Regional Engagement Principal. In her new role, Krusec will cultivate partnerships across Michigan’s academic and venture ecosystems and drive ideation around defense and dual-use technology research and applications. She will also create new opportunities to inject resources from DoD into local businesses and institutions to accelerate commercialization outcomes and help build the defense industrial base in the state.

Innovation Partnerships will play a pivotal role in advancing both dimensions of this initiative: deepening engagement between U-M researchers and national security priorities to translate academic excellence into real-world solutions, and strengthening Michigan’s innovation ecosystem by fostering connections between startups, emerging ventures and defense-driven opportunities across the state. Together, these efforts will accelerate commercialization, catalyze dual-use technology development and reinforce Michigan’s position as a vital player in the nation’s security and innovation landscape.
“The innovation ecosystem is exceptional in Michigan, and I look forward to strengthening relationships throughout the state to help elevate and commercialize defense and dual-use technologies,” said Krusec.

Krusec joins the DIU from AFWERX, where she spent four years as a civilian serving as a Branch Chief to the Capital Initiatives Division, building private capital and ecosystem strategy for the entire organization. She is an Acquisition Professional with extensive experience in SBIR/STTR contracting, PIA, OTAs and other FAR-based contracting methods. Prior to her work in the government, she led defense investment and venture platform development for the Texas VC firm Capital Factory, and has more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of startups and national security.

Krusec earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and her master’s in public policy from the University of Chicago.

For more information, please visit: https://www.diu.mil/.