Lt. Gen. Robert P. “Bob” Ashley elected to RTI International Board of Governors 

Ashley will leverage decades of senior intelligence and national security leadership to help oversee RTI’s strategic direction

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – Robert P. “Bob” Ashley, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, has been elected to the Board of Governors of RTI International, an independent scientific research institute. RTI’s Board of Governors is made up of university appointees from Duke University and the University of North Carolina system as well as independent governors from the business and scientific community.

Ashley fills the independent seat previously held by John Moellering, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, who recently retired from RTI’s Board. In collaboration with RTI’s current board members, Ashley, co-CEO of Touchstone Futures, will help set policy consistent with the institute’s mission to improve the human condition by turning knowledge into practice.

“We are honored to welcome Lt. Gen. Ashley to RTI’s Board of Governors,” said RTI President and CEO Tim J. Gabel. “With a distinguished career in national security and intelligence, including data analytics and AI, his strategic insight and global perspective will be of great value to the board. We look forward to his guidance as we innovate for the future.”

Ashley brings decades of senior intelligence and national security leadership at the highest levels of the U.S. government. He previously served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he led the nation’s premier allsource defense intelligence organization, and as the U.S. Army’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence (G2).

“Lt. Gen. Ashley’s experience at the highest levels of intelligence and national security, combined with his focus on innovation and mission‑driven impact, will strengthen the board as we guide RTI’s long-term strategy,” said chair of RTI’s Board of Governors, Peter Scott.

Across his career, Ashley held senior command and intelligence roles spanning global and operational theaters, including commanding general of Fort Huachuca and the Army Intelligence Center and School, director of intelligence for U.S. Central Command and Joint Special Operations Command, and senior intelligence leader supporting U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

“Lt. Gen. Ashley’s career reflects the kind of principled leadership and strategic judgment that are critical to RTI’s governance,” said Hilda Pinnix‑Ragland, vice chair of the Board and chair of RTI’s Governance & Nominating Committee. “We are pleased to welcome him and look forward to his contributions.”

As Director of DIA, Ashley was responsible for overseeing initiatives focused on data management, analytics, and machine‑assisted intelligence systems, including DIA’s Machine‑assisted Analytic Rapid‑repository System (MARS), designed to transform how intelligence data is processed and accessed. Since retiring from active duty, Lt. Gen. Ashley has returned to his home state of North Carolina and taken formal advisory roles with AI and data‑analytics companies, demonstrating applied engagement with modern Data/AI platforms.

His public service has been recognized with multiple senior military honors, and he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Appalachian State University. Ashley continues to contribute to national security and public service as a commissioner on the Afghanistan War Commission and as an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Appalachian State University and earned master’s degrees in international relations from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and in military strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College.