Brian currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Security Officer (CSO) at AVANGRID, an energy company with assets and operations in 24 states. He is responsible for the companies physical and cybersecurity, security compliance, enterprise risk governance, and fire protection units. In 2018, Brian was appointed by the President of the United States to serve as the sixth Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, at the Department of Homeland Security. Brian also served as the first Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Brian has spent time during his career in the US Marine Corps and various private sector agencies with the goal of protecting the United States from security threats.
Matthew Henman is the head of Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) at Jane’s by IHS Markit. He joined IHS Markit in 2008 following the completion of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London.
Robert Munks is the Editor of Jane’s Intelligence Review (JIR). He previously worked for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and as a foreign policy adviser to the Secretary-General of the European Union, and teaches on the master’s in intelligence analysis degree programme at King Juan Carlos University, Madrid.
Alison Evans is the deputy head and a senior analyst for the Asia-Pacific desk on IHS Markit’s Country Risk team. Ms. Evans is responsible for analysis of the political, operational, and security risks in multiple Asia-Pacific countries, primarily Japan and North and South Korea. Ms. Evans holds a Master of Arts in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C., and attained a First Class Honors degree in Japanese and Korean Studies with a distinction in spoken Japanese, from the University of Oxford, UK. She is fluent in Japanese and German, and is advanced in Korean.
Karl Dewey is a CBRN analyst for Jane’s by IHS Markit and Proliferation editor for Jane’s Intelligence Review. He has MAs from King’s College London in Terrorism, Security and Society and Non-proliferation and International Security.
Paul Benda is the Senior Vice President, Risk and Cybersecurity Policy at the American Bankers Association. Mr. Benda utilizes his background as the former Director of the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) where he was the head of Research and Development (R&D) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support clients in expanding their work with the Federal Government’s R&D enterprise and to help them position technologies for transition in the Government’s Homeland Security to commercial markets. He has helped clients develop strategic approaches for commercial and government opportunities as well as tactical assistance with proposals that has enabled clients to increase their capture efficiency and revenue generation. Mr. Benda also leads the SAFETY Act practice at GSIS. He has successfully helped clients gain approval of SAFETY Act applications by leveraging his security and R&D experience as the former DHS decision authority on SAFETY Act applications. During his tenure at DHS, he approved nearly half of all current SAFETY Act awards, including those for the New York Yankees, Willis Tower and New York Stock Exchange. His experience also includes serving as the Acting Deputy Under Secretary and Chief of Staff of S&T, as well positions in the Department of Defense where he worked at the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and oversaw the design, implementation, testing, and commissioning of all security systems at the Pentagon Reservation. Mr. Benda started his career as an Active Duty U.S. Air Force officer at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, NY and transitioned from military life to the private sector as a consultant for Booz Allen for five years before returning to government service.
Kimberly A. Suta is a journalist who writes for media such as USA Today, Edible Magazine and Texas Living Magazine. She is a filmmaker and entrepreneur with a background in marketing, advertising and social media.
Dr. Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco holds a Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society from George Mason University, with an expertise in human trafficking. She currently serves as a human trafficking expert witness for criminal cases and is the author of “Hidden in Plain Sight: America's Slaves of the New Millennium." Dr. Mehlman-Orozco’s writing can be found in The Washington Post, Forbes, The Crime Report, The Houston Chronicle, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media.
Laura Bacon has been managing editor of the GTSC Weekly Insider since June 2017. She is an experienced copywriter and journalist who has been working in the media industry for over fifteen years and has written for a vast range of clients including Redbox, Coinstar and University College London.