Visiting Editors

Charles Armstrong Mr. Charles R. Armstrong was the Assistant Commissioner (AC) and Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). As the AC and CIO, Mr. Armstrong was responsible for managing and integrating all of CBP’s information technology (IT) solutions in alignment with overarching Department of Homeland Security (DHS) IT strategies. Mr. Armstrong’s responsibilities included application development, maintaining an efficient IT infrastructure that enables enforcement technology services and support, tactical communications, laboratory services, and modernization initiatives for improving the service delivery in support of CBP’s core business processes. Mr. Armstrong led OIT as the AC since June 2008. He oversaw and executed a budget of nearly 1.3 billion dollars and a workforce of about 6000 Federal employees and contractors throughout the world.

Caitlin Durkovich Caitlin Durkovich is a Director at Toffler Associates, a strategic consulting and advisory firm that architects better futures for public and private sector clients around the globe with an unwavering commitment to be the catalyst for change. A recognized expert in critical infrastructure security and resilience, including cybersecurity, Caitlin helps public and private sector clients navigate the complex operational challenges posed by an increasingly interconnected and interdependent global economy. Over the course of nearly two decades of developing physical and cyber risk management approaches, Caitlin has successfully advanced public-private partnerships that drive thought leadership, influence policy, and evolve industry practices to manage security and operational risks. Caitlin served nearly eight years in the Obama Administration, including four years as Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection with the Department of Homeland Security. She led the mission to protect critical infrastructure and redefined public-private risk management for emerging issues like complex mass attacks, electric grid security, cybersecurity, GPS resilience, and climate adaptation planning. Her experience also includes leading homeland security projects with several government agencies while at Booz Allen Hamilton and pioneering early warning cyber intelligence at iDefense (acquired by Verisign). Caitlin earned a B.A. in public policy studies from the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University and a certificate in business strategy from The Aspen Institute.

Robert Liscouski Mr. Liscouski was appointed by President George W. Bush as the first Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was founded in 2003 and served in that position until 2005. Mr. Liscouski is Managing Partner and co-founder of Convergent Risk Group LLC, an innovative enterprise risk management and cyber security firm focused on protecting companies, state & local governments, international clients and NGOs by providing complete cyber risk mitigation and transfer solutions. Mr. Liscouski is a proven security professional and entrepreneur with over 30 years of senior level security operational and company leadership experience.

Greg Marshall Greg Marshall is the former Chief Security Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Leading an organization comprised of more than 250 federal employees, he was responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of all DHS security policies, programs, and standards. He led physical security efforts at DHS headquarters, serving as the principal representative for all security-related matters, advising the Secretary and Under Secretary for Management on issues affecting the DHS workforce, its facilities and property, equipment and other material resources. Mr. Marshall also held oversight responsibilities for the administration of personnel security, special security (SCI), special access programs, insider threat, and protection of classified information programs at DHS. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services, working on issues associated with corruption, employee discipline, health and hiring.

Luke McCormack Luke McCormack is the former Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where he oversaw DHS’ continuing efforts to implement information technology (IT) enhancements and strengthen IT security. He has extensive IT and leadership experience, previously serving at the Department of Justice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Information Resources Management/Chief Information Officer. From 2005 to 2012, he served as CIO for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and from 1999 to 2005, he served Customs and Border Protection, moving from Director of Systems Engineering, to Director of Architecture and Engineering, to Acting Director of Infrastructure Services Division.

Mo McGowan Mo McGowan was instrumental standing up critical components of the Transportation Security Administration serving as Assistant Administrator, Office of Security Operations; Deputy Assistant; Administrator for Operations; and General Manager, Cargo and Supply Chain Security. Currently he works as a Senior Advisor at the Command Group.

MCPOCG Vince Patton Patton served as the eighth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from May 1998 to October 2002. As the service's top senior enlisted leader and ombudsman, he was the principal advisor to the Commandant of the Coast Guard, his directorates, and the Secretaries of Transportation and Defense, with primary focus on quality of life issues, career development, work environment and personnel matters affecting over 40,000 active duty, reserve enlisted, and civilian personnel servicewide. He routinely addressed these specific issues before appropriate United States Senateand House committees in the United States Congress, as well as with the Commander-in-Chief, along with his senior enlisted counterparts of the other four military services. His numerous military awards include the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, three Coast Guard Achievement Medals, the Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon, eight Meritorious Team awards and nine Coast Guard Good Conduct awards. He also earned the Cutterman Insignia (sea duty recognition) and is one of a few Coast Guardsmen to have earned the coveted "Parachutist Wings" specialty badge during his assignment with Joint Task Force 160.

Michael Schaff Michael (Chris) Schaff has served the Fairfax Fire & Rescue for over 20 years and is currently the Battalion Chief for Virginia Task Force 1, one of the nation's foremost disaster response units. He leads over 200 specially trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, with expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures, following a natural or man-made catastrophic event around the globe and in the U.S. in response to the most catastrophic disasters. Chief Schaff has been deployed for nearly half of 2017 with missions to Haiti, Puerto Rico, Florida, Japan, Nepal, the Carolinas and more. VA Task Force 1 is comprised of emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and includes specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine and technical search. He received a Valor award for his work with Virginia Task Force 1, to recover human remains from the crash site of a KC-135 refueling aircraft in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and a Mission award for his work on international search and rescue from GTSC. He was recently recognized for 20 years of service as an authorized Advanced Life Support (ALS) provider (medic/paramedic).

Dr. Cedric J. Sims Dr. Cedric J. Sims is President and CEO of Evermay Consulting Group. Driven by strong dedication to public service, Dr. Sims has over 24 years of experience in acquisition, cyber security, and systems engineering applied to homeland security missions. He has served in key leadership and operational roles at federal and state agencies. In his last federal appointment, Dr. Sims established the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Program Accountability and Risk Management. As a lead executive in the Management Directorate, his efforts promoted better accountability of the $18 billion portfolio of DHS acquisition investments and matured the acquisition risk management process. Before joining DHS Headquarters, Dr. Sims served at the U.S. Secret Service. He continues his dedication to these critical missions through strong advocacy of public and private partnership.

Roberta (Bobbie) Stempfley Roberta Stempfley is Director CERT Division at the Software Engineering Institute, a part of Carnegie Mellon University. Previously she was a director at the MITRE Corporation, as well as a leader in the field of the security and use of technology to support the public’s interests. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of CyberSecurity & Communications where she engaged with critical infrastructure and industry to raise awareness, reduce risks, and prepare and respond to cyber events. She also served as chief information officer (CIO) of the Defense Information Systems Agency, where her work spanned the internal technology used in the agency and the capabilities put in the hands of war fighters and their mission support organizations. Ms. Stempfley has been recognized as a top federal CIO two years in a row by Information Week, named one of the top 50 Women in Technology in D.C., and awarded the F. Lynne McNulty Award as a leader in cybersecurity by (ISC)2.

Dr. John P. Sullivan Dr. John P. Sullivan served as a lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department; specializing in emergency operations, transit policing, counterterrorism and intelligence. He is an Instructor in the Safe Communities Institute (SCI) at the Sol Price School of Public Policy - University of Southern California, Global Fellow at Stratfor, Senior El Centro Fellow at Small Wars Journal, and Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Global Observatory of Transnational Criminal Networks. In addition, he is a member of The InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response. His doctoral dissertation at the Open University of Catalonia examined the impact of transnational crime on sovereignty. His current research focus is terrorism, transnational gangs and organized crime, conflict disaster, intelligence studies, post-conflict policing, sovereignty and urban operations.