On June 24th, the Council of Intelligence Issues will co-host the “Intelligence Operations in a Digital Age” event with Steptoe & Johnson at 1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C.. Advanced registration is required for the event. Fill out the Registration Form right here. 

During the event’s panel, former intelligence officials will discuss practical, policy and legal factors that influence the planning and conduct of clandestine intelligence operations, how technological advances can affect operations in an increasingly transparent world and the risks that confront intelligence officers and the agents who assist them to support U.S. national security objectives. 

Michael Sulick, former director of the National Clandestine Service for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a consultant of Insider Threat Issues and National Security Affairs, will serve as the moderator for the panel of experienced intelligence officers. The event’s panelists will be: 

• Daniel Ennis – Executive Director of the University of Maryland Cyber Initiative, CEO of DRE Consulting and the former Director of the Threat Operations Center for the NSA
• Robert Litt – Of Counsel, Global Risk & Crisis Management of Morrison & Foerster and the former General Counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
• John Rizzo – Consultant of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC and the former Deputy and Acting General Counsel for the CIA
• Suzanne Spaulding – Senior Advisor of Homeland Security, International Security Program, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the former Under Secretary of the National Protection & Programs Directorate for DHS
• Kevin Zerussen – Managing Director of Goldman Sachs and the former Director of the Information Operations Center for the CIA

“The Council on Intelligence Issues is very pleased to be able to present this distinguished panel of former senior officials. Our  panelists’ extensive public and private sector experience will enable them to provide unique insights into practical and operational challenges in planning and conducting secret intelligence activities,” said George Jameson, co-founder and president of the Council on Intelligence Issues.

“CII strives to educate the public about the risk of  personal and even legal jeopardy facing intelligence officers who must operate  clandestinely. This event is for anyone interested in a real world look at those risks and the national security challenges brought by technological advances and the increasing openness they often bring,” Jameson added. “Panelists also will share their perspectives on the implications of foreign cyber threats against the private sector and the challenges in building  public-private collaboration to address them effectively.”

Please join CII and Steptoe & Johnson for the “Intelligence Operations in a Digital Age” event on June 24th. The reception will begin at 5:30 PM with refreshments at 1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion will begin an hour later at 6:30 PM.

Please complete the Event Registration Form in advance before attending the event. We hope to see you at the “Intelligence Operations in a Digital Age” on June 24th.

Jim Garrettson, founder and chief executive officer of Executive Mosaic, presented Will Hurd, U.S. Representative of Texas, with his second consecutive Wash100 Award on Monday.

Executive Mosaic recognizes Hurd for his efforts to strengthen U.S. national security, including government reform, information technology, homeland security and intelligence. We are ecstatic to present the most coveted award in government contracting to Will Hurd.

Hurd served the Central Intelligence Agency between 2000 and 2009 as an undercover officer in the Middle East and South Asia to collect intelligence that influenced the country’s national security agenda. For the CIA, Hurd briefed members of Congress, which inspired him to pursue politics once his tenure with the agency concluded.

After leaving the CIA and returning to Texas, Hurd worked as a partner of the Crumpton Group, a strategic advisory firm, and as a senior advisor with FusionX, a cybersecurity firm. Hurd ran for the Republican nomination in Texas’ 23rd congressional district in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018. He’s the first member of the 23rd District of Texas for three consecutive terms in a decade.

Hurd was appointed to serve on the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee, where he serves as a Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence Modernization and Readiness in 2017. Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy also appointed Hurd to serve on the House Appropriations Committee, where he’s a member of the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs along with Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

In addition, Hurd serves as the vice-chair of the Border and Maritime Subcommittee of the Homeland Security committee and he’s a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Minor in International Relations. Hurd was also elected student body president for his class.

The Wash100 award, now in its sixth year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Chezian Sivagnanam, the chief enterprise architect of the National Science Foundation, will be featured as a panelist during Potomac Officers Club’s 2019 Artificial Intelligence Forum on June 13th.

At the event, GovCon leaders from the public and private sector will discuss “Starting Your AI Journey” and the challenges that come with that process. You can register for the event here.

Chezian has over 20 years of experience in Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, Process Architecture, IT Governance, IT Operations and Datacenter Architecture. He has significant experience working for large IT organizations in US government agencies, big-5 consulting firms and financial institutions. He has earned numerous professional certifications including ITILV3, PMP, COBIT 5, CSPO and vendor development certifications.

Sivagnanam joined the National Science Foundation as a chief enterprise architect in Sept. 2009 and he advises the CIO in planning and coordination of IT vision, strategy, goals, budget and initiatives that support NSF’s long-term objectives. He is the liaison between NSF IT leadership and Federal Chief Enterprise Architect at Executive Office of the President.

Prior to his current position, Sivagnanam served as a manager of the Public Services team for BearingPoint between June 2002 and May 2009. He served Compuware as the senior systems analyst for the company’s Virginia branch office between May 1999 and June 2002. Chezian also served as a contractor for Deloitte Consulting from Oct. 1997 to May 1999 and as a systems analyst for Login Systems between June 1996 and Sept. 1997.

Sivagnanam earned a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with the College of Engineering Guindy at Anna University in 1996. He also participated in an Executive Program on Leadership with the Yale School of Management in 2008.

Don’t miss out on the 2019 Artificial Intelligence Forum on June 13th. Register right here.

The Department of Homeland Security admitted that President Trump’s plan to ban products from Huawei will be costly and complicated to implement, Politico reported Friday. 

One official said U.S. companies may also face challenges to comply. Robert Kolasky, head of DHS National Risk Management Center, discussed Trump’s supply chain executive order during a webinar hosted by the USTelecom and Inside Cybersecurity. “Security can cost money,” he said. “And costs can sometimes be prohibitive to do things that might be optimal levels of security.”

Meanwhile, the supply chain task force at DHS plans to expand initiatives in the information and communications technology sector to further secure the U.S. industry.