Ellen Herbst received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and accounting from the University of Delaware in 1979, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in 1995. She spent a great deal of time after receiving her undergraduate degree in various management positions at E.I. DuPont De Nemours and Company, before moving on to Giesecke & Devrient, a producer of secure documents and banknotes. She also worked for Spectra Systems Corporation, which, according to her NTIS profile, is “a supplier of security materials.” She became NTIS director on July 11, 2005.