David R. DiOrio, Ph.D.

Captain Dave DiOrio is a native of Pittsfield, Massachusetts and a 1983 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He served for 26 years as a Nuclear Submarine Officer aboard ballistic missile and fast attack submarines and conducted intelligence, warning, and strike missions around the globe. He conducted several strategic deterrent patrols during the Cold War and participated in Operations Desert Strike, Joint Guardian, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve. His submarine service culminated as the Deputy Director for Submarine Strategic Forces Atlantic and led a team of professionals that developed the concept of operations for the Guided Missile Submarine Fleet where four Trident Class nuclear submarines were transformed into a conventional Joint Special Forces and Tomahawk Missile Strike platform.

Captain DiOrio then transitioned to National Defense University where he taught hundreds of senior military officers and interagency civilians in joint professional military education. He later served as the Deputy Director of the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA., teaching counterinsurgency strategy, Islamist militancy, and joint military planning. During his teaching tenure, he earned a doctoral degree in public policy and facilitated an ongoing dialogue between Pakistani military leaders and United States Central Command war planners to address the Islamic militant threat emanating from the Middle East.

Doctor DiOrio currently conducts Islamist terrorism research and teaches as an Adjunct Professor for the Joint Special Operations University in Tampa, FL. He is Lake Lure’s  Mayor Pro Tem and has served as a Commissioner for the past five years.  He is  dedicated to the preservation of our beautiful Lake and to the Town of Lake Lure.