Branson Brooks
As government agencies focus their energy and resources on all-domain operations, hyper-automation and information technology modernization have become essential components in achieving success. With this, officials believe the government should continue implementing a tech-focused approach to protect the U.S. homeland from evolving threats across the global geopolitical landscape.
At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13, you will receive updates on the nation’s significant threats and what security measures are being put in place to face these challenges. The event will feature conversations amongst leaders who spearhead the development of homeland security strategies and priorities, so don’t miss out on the discussion and sign up now!
The Homeland Security Summit will feature a panel discussion highlighting how hyper-automation and IT shape today’s government operations in preparation for tomorrow’s battles. The discussion will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. and will serve as the closing panel before the afternoon and closing keynote.
The panel will include topics such as:
- How national security agencies are upgrading their systems and automating processes to enhance operational efficiency
- Panelist insights into their objectives, technological implementations and the impacts on resource management, data privacy and overall efficiency
- Challenges faced, solutions implemented and the future directions of these initiatives.
Meet the Panelists:
James Burd
James Burd is the chief privacy officer for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where he spearheads CISA’s Office of Privacy, Access, Civil Liberties and Transparency, or PACT. Burd and the PACT Office ensure that CISA implements total individual privacy protection to manage a secure cyber and physical infrastructure. Burd has consistently worked in areas related to the intersection of privacy and cybersecurity, physical protection tactics, biometrics, law enforcement, intelligence and information sharing throughout his career.
Burd has served as CISA’s chief privacy officer since 2018 after being appointed CPO full-time in 2021. He has held positions in various privacy and data governance capacities at CISA and its predecessor agency, the National Protection and Programs Directorate, or NPPD, since 2011.
Previously, Burd was the deputy chief privacy officer and a senior privacy analyst for NPPD. As NPPD’s senior privacy analyst, he played a considerable role in establishing the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of privacy and civil liberties safeguards in 2015.
Valerie Cofield
Valerie Cofield, the chief strategy officer for CISA, will speak on the homeland security initiatives currently being implemented nationwide. As chief strategy officer, Cofield serves as the principal policy and strategic adviser to CISA leadership. She aligns principals across the agency’s operational areas and promotes policy and functional resilience.
Prior to her time at CISA, Cofield served at the FBI for 22 years, holding several roles.
Cofield was the deputy assistant director for the cyber capabilities branch within the FBI’s cyber division. In this role, she oversaw the development of the unit’s technical tools and capabilities and led cyber-centric training, recruiting and budgeting for the division.
Sunil Madhugiri
Sunil Madhugiri serves as the chief technology officer for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Information and Technology, or OIT. Since joining CBP as a chief architect in 2019, Madhugiri has led the identification of new technology capabilities designed to advance the organization’s aligned research and vendor engagement initiatives.
Madhugiri worked in the private sector for 30 years before joining CBP. He was previously a chief database architect at Salesforce, where he produced sufficient technology services for the federal government. Madhugiri also worked for Oracle as a database architect.
In a report produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop, Madhugiri cited automation as a vital service for the federal government. He said automation “is moving from the edges, all the way inside into the enterprise,” a shift he described as a “big change.”
Madhugiri also chairs the CBP’s Technical Review Board, a governance body that focuses on improving the quality, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of the CBP’s information technology solutions.
Attend the Potomac Officers Club 2024 Homeland Security Summit to learn more about these officers and how they help shape the future of Homeland Security from a technological perspective. Register now!
