[ISN] DHS announces cybersecurity personnel

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.


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