[Infowarrior] - DHS announces cybersecurity personnel

[Richard Forno]

Secretary Napolitano Announces Key Cybersecurity Personnel

Release Date: June 1, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1243885447983.shtm

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano  
announced today appointments for two key cybersecurity posts at the  
Department—Greg Schaffer as Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and  
Communications (CS&C); and Bruce McConnell as Counselor to the  
National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Deputy Under  
Secretary. In addition, Deputy Under Secretary for NPPD Philip  
Reitinger will also serve as Director of the National Cybersecurity  
Center (NCSC)—a major step toward a cohesive DHS strategy on cyber  
efforts.

“This is a crucial time to strengthen the core of our cybersecurity  
leadership team,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Centralizing our  
cybersecurity efforts under Phil’s leadership will help create a  
unified DHS as we continue to adapt to an ever-changing array of  
threats. Together, Phil, Bruce and Greg will guide the Department’s  
efforts to prevent cyber attacks and protect the nation’s critical  
information systems and networks.”

Philip Reitinger

As NCSC Director, Reitinger will be charged with helping secure  
federal networks and systems by collecting, analyzing, integrating and  
sharing information among interagency partners. Reitinger will  
coordinate situational awareness and reporting for federal  
cybersecurity organizations and personnel and resources in order to  
gain clear understanding of risks and threats.

In his current role at NPPD, Reitinger leads the Department’s  
integrated efforts to reduce risks across physical and cyber  
infrastructures. Holding both positions simultaneously will allow  
Reitinger to provide broader strategic direction to the Department’s  
cybersecurity efforts while ensuring preparedness and response  
capabilities across all federal computer systems. Prior to his initial  
appointment on March 11, Reitinger was Chief Trustworthy  
Infrastructure Strategist at Microsoft Corp., where he was responsible  
for improving IT protection and security while coordinating closely  
with government agencies and private partners in order to build  
trustworthy computing systems worldwide.

Bruce McConnell

As Counselor to the Deputy Under Secretary for NPPD, McConnell will  
serve as senior advisor to Reitinger on a host of strategic and policy  
matters related to the Directorate and its components. McConnell’s  
experience with information technology security, procurement and  
management will be a critical resource for DHS as the Department  
continues to adapt and prepare for cyber threats.

McConnell most recently served on the Obama-Biden Presidential  
Transition Team, working on a variety of information policy and  
technology issues. From 2000-2008, he created, built, and sold  
McConnell International and Government Futures, boutique consultancies  
that provided strategic and tactical advice in technology, business  
and government markets. Previously, McConnell was Director of the  
International Y2K Cooperation Center, where he coordinated regional  
and global critical information technology infrastructure  
organizations to promote information sharing and joint action, from  
1999-2000.

As Chief of Information Policy and Technology in the U.S. Office of  
Management and Budget from 1993-1999, McConnell led the government- 
industry team that reformed U.S. encryption export policy, created an  
information security strategy for government agencies, redirected  
government technology procurement and management along commercial  
lines, and extended the presumption of open government information  
onto the Internet. McConnell holds an M.P.A. from the University of  
Washington and a B.S. from Stanford University.

Greg Schaffer

As Assistant Secretary for CS&C, Schaffer will work within NPPD to  
lead the coordinated efforts of CS&C and its components, including the  
National Cyber Security Division, the Office of Emergency  
Communications, and the National Communications System. He will engage  
the public and private sectors as well as international partners to  
prepare for, prevent, and respond to catastrophic incidents that could  
degrade or overwhelm the nation’s strategic cyber and communications  
infrastructure.

Until earlier this year, Schaffer served as Senior Vice President and  
Chief Risk Officer for Alltel Communications, where he owned  
responsibility for logical security, physical security, internal and  
external investigations, fraud, law enforcement relations, privacy and  
regulatory compliance. Schaffer previously held multiple Vice  
President-level positions at Alltel Communications—including Chief  
Risk Officer, Chief Security Officer and Chief Information Security  
Officer—from 2004-2007.

Before joining Alltel, Schaffer was Director of PricewaterhouseCoopers  
Cybercrime Prevention and Response Practice, where he developed and  
implemented computer forensic examinations in connection with major  
internal investigations at Fortune 500 companies, from 1999-2004.  
Previously, Schaffer served as a computer crime prosecutor in the  
Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section at the U.S.  
Department of Justice from 1997-1999, following a nine-year career as  
a litigator for various firms. Schaffer holds a J.D. from the  
University of Southern California Law Center and a B.A. from the  
George Washington University.

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This page was last reviewed/modified on June 1, 2009.