Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy
Robert Silvers serves as the Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he oversees the development of Department-wide cyber policies and strategies. His responsibilities include the Department's engagement on cyber defense with the private sector, its response during significant cyber incidents, and its pursuit of law enforcement cyber investigations.
From 2014-2016, Mr. Silvers served as Deputy Chief of Staff at DHS, where he oversaw all policy development, operational implementation and budget issues across DHS's 22 agencies and 240,000 employees. Mr. Silvers advised Department leadership on matters pertaining to cybersecurity, counterterrorism, aviation security, the immigration system, border security, trade and travel facilitation and disaster response. Prior to that role, he served as the Senior Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of DHS, and before that as Senior Counselor to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Before joining DHS, Mr. Silvers was an attorney at the international law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he handled complex transnational disputes and investigative matters for his clients. Mr. Silvers also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Kim McLane Wardlaw of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Mr. Silvers holds a J.D. from New York University Law School, where he was named Dean’s Scholar, and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating summa cum laude and as valedictorian of the International Relations program. He and his wife, Alison, have a three-year-old son and live in Washington, D.C.