Leadership Team
Karen Carver, PhD
CEO & Chief Data Scientist
Dr. Carver is a statistical consultant and data architect with over 25 years of experience supporting government and commercial clients with statistical requirements on high-performance, mission-critical systems. Beyond being a ninja statistician, Karen is an avid mentor and coach to her team. She has deep experience leading research and development teams, and is published in top-rated professional journals. Dr. Carver believes it is possible to tackle the continuing threats to cyber security, financial systems, transportation networks, and more with a committed team who enjoys the challenge.
Kath Ruggeri, M.A.
Model Development Life Cycle SME
Kath Ruggeri is a model development life cycle subject matter expert (SME). She has spent 15 years developing critical documentation of highly sensitive technologies for commercial, non-profit, academic, and government clients. Kath recognizes how vital excellent information capture is to the long-term success of the organizations she supports. She delights in the challenge of communicating complex systems in language that is accessible to all stakeholders.
Outside her role at Ninja, Kath is a writer and educator; she often mentors community members, helping them to communicate their professional goals and qualifications with laser clarity. One of her proudest achievements was her work with the Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for Young African Leaders. Kath was responsible for planning, developing, and presenting professional programming for 50 visiting post-graduate scholars selected by the State Department.
Dan Rivera
i2 Analyst Master Instructor
Dan has over 18 years of experience teaching i2 Analyst’s Notebook and trained clients in the basic, intermediate and advanced use of investigative analysis applications and their practical use in police departments, government agencies, and private corporations of all sizes, both in the US and internationally. Dan’s training style has been lauded by students worldwide of varying experience and comprehension levels for his ability to explain ideas and concepts in a clear and logical manner.
He is experienced in both classroom instructor-led and virtual environments and can deliver standard training workshops or customize the data to the client’s specific needs. Dan is a US Air Force Veteran and also bilingual with the ability to deliver training in either English or Spanish.
Adam Jungdahl, Ph.D.
Principal Data Scientist
Adam Jungdahl is a data scientist, educator, and national security professional with over 15 years of experience supporting the United States government including assignments with the departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He has expertise in a range of analytic methods including survey research, statistics, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. He is particularly interested in applying advanced natural language processing techniques to complex national security issues. He has published in a variety of academic and intelligence venues and taught graduate courses at American University and the National Intelligence University.
Adam holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from George Washington University, a B.A. in political science and history from Miami University (OH), and professional certificates in advanced data science and machine learning from Georgetown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), respectively.
David Strife
Lead Financial Intelligence Analyst
David Strife is a highly regarded subject matter expert in anti-money laundering and counter threat finance capabilities. He has served private and government clients in both threat model development and as an intelligence analyst. David is a Certified Anti-Money laundering Specialist (CAMS) with nearly a decade of experience in working with local, state, and federal law enforcement. He is also a skilled leader in investigative training, having helped develop new teams for his clients as well as supporting cross-government training for civilian and military analysts.
At Ninja, David continues in his client roles along with business development. He always seeks to foster a collegial environment with his peers in order to ensure continued growth in both technical and business skillsets for himself and those he works with.
Michael Smart
Member, Board of Directors
Michael is a skilled information technology leader with progressive experience providing insights, program recommendations, and contract management for multiple enterprise-level, complex IT projects. He is experienced in software development (Agile, SAFe, DevOps) along with enterprise infrastructure, including public, hybrid, and private data center operations. As a member of the Board of Directors, he leads the company’s business development strategy and helps clients and customers leverage next gen technology to achieve mission success.
Michael received his Master of Business Administration from the Richard J. Bolte Sr. School of Business at Mount Saint Mary’s University and his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Frostburg State University. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Outside the office, Michael serves on several advisory boards with local colleges and has developed and implemented numerous successful community internships. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah and is an avid skier and mountain biker.
David Tripp
Member, Board of Directors
David G. Tripp is a business attorney with law offices located in Fairfax, Virginia. His practice focusses primarily on business law, commercial transactions, commercial litigation, and federal investigations.
Following his graduation from George Washington University Law School, Mr. Tripp served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and as a federal prosecutor in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. After leaving government service, he entered private practice. Mr. Tripp is licensed to practice in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Mr. Tripp has been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court as well as numerous other state and federal courts. He is a frequent speaker on various legal topics involving business law and commercial litigation. He currently serves as a board member for the YMCA of Fairfax County, Virginia. Mr. Tripp brings to Ninja Analytics over 30 years’ experience representing both small business and Fortune 500 companies in virtually all aspects of business law, dispute mediation, and commercial litigation.