Michael Potts joined Intelligence & Analysis in September 2010 as the Deputy Under Secretary for Enterprise and Mission Support. His responsibilities include:
- Planning, programming, budget execution, and evaluation of activities to advance analysis and collection, mission integration, information sharing, and the Homeland Security Intelligence Program.
- Continuity of government and operations, including the exercise of mission essential functions.
- Training in intelligence, CI and information security topics tailored to HSE personnel.
- Providing unique, actionable analysis on CI threats to DHS.
- Management of classified networks and knowledge management functions, including the provision of secure communications with I&A field personnel, SLTT partners, and select private sector partners.
- Execution of an integrated and unified DHS CI Program and a collaborative DHS Insider Threat Program.
- Intelligence collection and dissemination through professional document and media exploitation, open source, and reports officer programs.
- Servicing the intelligence and information needs of federal and SLTT partners through a dedicated Single Point of Service.
Mr. Potts comes to I&A from the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) where he served as Chief of the Collection Strategies and Integration Group. His responsibilities at the NCTC included setting the counterterrorism (CT) collection priorities for the Intelligence Community and developing integrated CT collection responses to national plans and strategies, emerging analytic community information needs, and special events and crises.
Mr. Potts began his intelligence career in 1976, as a U.S. Army signals intelligence analyst, attaining the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2) before separating from active duty in 1987. His active duty tours included two postings to the Federal Republic of Germany for the conduct of tactical and strategic SIGINT operations targeting the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. In 1996, he retired from the Army Reserve as a CW4 after serving as an augmentee to NSA and as a member of the 338th Military Intelligence Battalion (Tactical Exploitation) at Fort Meade, Maryland.
After a brief stint with Martin Marietta Corporation as an intelligence curriculum developer and instructor from 1987 to 1989, Mr. Potts served as a Department of the Army civilian with the All Source Analysis System Program Office (ASASPO) in McLean, Virginia. During his tenure with the ASASPO, Mr. Potts led an independent verification and validation team in the evaluation and testing of intelligence software design, development, integration and operational performance. He also attained full certification as a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.
Mr. Potts joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1996 and served in a variety of intelligence management positions, including assignments as an analytic unit chief in the Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence Divisions. He was a founding member of the FBI’s Office of Intelligence in 2003 and authored a number of FBI concept of operations documents to establish intelligence business processes. Mr. Potts was selected into the Senior Executive Service in 2004 as the Chief of the Intelligence Management Section, where he established FBI capabilities to conduct strategic analysis, requirements and collection management, targeting, and customer support.
Mr. Potts’ awards include the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence in Intelligence and Analysis (2004), the Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Commander’s Medal for Sustained Civilian Performance. While serving at DHS, two organizations under his leadership have received Intelligence Unit Citation awards from the Director of National Intelligence.
Mr. Potts holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Management from National-Louis University in Evanston, IL and has attended the FBI’s Executive Institute, the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Executive Institute, the Intelligence Fellows Program and the Leading the Intelligence Community Course.
Mr. Potts is a native of New Jersey and currently resides in Centerville, Virginia. He is married to the former Marjorie Locke and has five children and three grandchildren.