NLSC Leadership

Ernie Andrada
Associate Director
National Language Service Corps

NLSC Associate Director Ernesto (“Ernie”) Andrada is responsible for ensuring the NLSC provides support across the full range of language needs throughout the Federal Government.

Prior to joining NLSC and its administrator, the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO), Mr. Andrada served 22 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a lieutenant commander in 2007.

He began his career as a non-commissioned officer, where he served with Fighter Squadron 84 and Fighter Squadron 41 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, where he deployed aboard the USS Nimitz and the USS Roosevelt. He also served with the Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Department at the NAS in Oceana, Virginia, and at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York.

As a commissioned officer, Mr. Andrada completed various sea and shore rotations. He served as the disbursing/sales and services officer on the USS McFaul and completed a department head tour aboard the USS Ticonderoga, both in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He served as the budget officer for the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, Health and Physical Readiness Division at Navy Personnel Command (NPC) and as the supply officer for the Center for Career Development, NPC, both in Millington, Tennessee.

Mr. Andrada’s final tours were with the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) in Washington, D.C., as the executive assistant to the director of the Financial Management Division and as a budget analyst with the Budget Submitting Office.

Mr. Andrada earned an executive master’s degree in business administration from the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and has both a bachelor’s of science degree in civil engineering and master’s degree in engineering from Old Dominion University. He earned his certified defense financial manager—acquisition (CDFM-A) certification in 2010 and his DoD financial management certification in 2016.

The Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) administers the NLSC as part of its mission to develop and execute programs to remedy foreign culture and language shortfalls across the U.S. Government. DLNSEO’s administration is guided by the National Security Education Board (NSEP), which serves as the governing and advisory body for NLSC. Learn more about the leadership at DLNSEO and the guidance provided by NSEP.