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