Former Department of Homeland Security leader Joseph Lestrange has announced he is joining LexisNexis Risk Solutions as Head of Homeland Security Strategy and Engagement, based in Washington, D.C.
In the role, Lestrange says he will lead engagements across the homeland security enterprise and help shape business strategy. That includes working with DHS customers to understand their requirements and capabilities, identify opportunities, and align data and analytics solutions to deliver mission results. He also plans to partner internally with sales and account teams to translate DHS needs into clear messaging and actionable strategies—supporting customer service, new opportunities, and long-term relationships.
Lestrange brings a long federal background to the position. He served nearly 20 years at DHS, retiring as Division Chief of Public Safety and National Security for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Headquarters. In that role, he provided executive oversight of multiple agency programs and interagency operations, spanning intelligence, interdiction, and investigative efforts. He also helped drive technology initiatives, including the strategic development of an AI-driven big data analytics framework across DHS security and law enforcement portfolios. He additionally served in leadership roles tied to intelligence integration, including as Acting Director of a transnational organized crime mission center within DHS’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis, and as Center Director for HSI’s Joint Intelligence Operations Center.
More recently, Lestrange launched VTP Leadership Solutions, a consultancy focused on leadership development and values-based practice for law enforcement, public safety, and security organizations, along with AI readiness assessments and training. He also serves as Director of AI Education and Implementation Strategy for CLEAR, a vendor-neutral advisory group aimed at helping public safety agencies adopt artificial intelligence responsibly, and he teaches as an adjunct professor at both Tiffin University and Indiana Institute of Technology.
Before his consulting work, Lestrange was Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer for METIS Intelligence, North America, where he oversaw business operations and supported the delivery of AI-driven solutions for law enforcement, public safety, and national security organizations, including launching METIS Academy to help decision-makers develop practical approaches to responsible AI integration.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
