Eric Popiel is a 1998 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy. Prior to being hired by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, he flew Coast Guard missions and instructed pilots in both the HU-25 Falcon Jet and the HC-144 Ocean Sentry. Following his aviation tours, he was assigned to the Emerging Policy Staff under the Deputy Commandant for Operations at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. where he managed the Evergreen Program, the Coast Guard's Strategic Foresight Initiative. In this capacity, he utilized various foresight techniques and methods to help the Coast Guard leverage future opportunities, identify emerging threats, and recognize potential blind spots across all 11 statutory missions.

He currently works at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management as a Strategic Foresight Analyst and manager of OPM’s Strategic Workforce Foresight Team (SWFT). He is responsible for the long-term futures program that informs federal workforce policy for OPM and assists 24 CFO Act agencies in Strategic Human Capital Management. In addition, he serves as a co-chair of the Federal Foresight Community of Interest (FFCOI). He holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Joint Professional Military Education Level 1 certification, and a Masters Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He has attended the University of Houston Foresight Certification Program, and facilitated multiple workshops for Senior Coast Guard leaders, Senior Federal Executives, and foreign countries. He currently provides foresight guidance to multiple federal agencies.