Speakers
Keynote Speakers and Other Plenary Session Speakers
The Honorable Michael Chertoff - Secretary, DHS - Invited
Admiral Thad W. Allen - Commandant US Coast Guard
The Honorable Elaine Duke - Under Secretary for Management
Connie Patrick - Director, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Rod Beckstrom - Director, National Cybersecurity Center - Invited
Rear Admiral John C. Acton - Director, Presidential Transition, DHS US Coast Guard
Donald G. Bathurst – Chief Administrative Officer
Brad Cooper - Deputy CAO
Chief Administrative Officers Council
Jeffery Orner – CAO USCG
Eugene Schied - CAO CBP
Alan Hirsh - Acting CAO TSA
Michael Keegan– CAO FEMA
Pat Wallis - CAO ICE
Nelson Garabito - USSS CAO
Marcus Hill – CAO FLETC
Nancy Guilliams – CAO USCIS
Dana Bouley - CAO S&T
Kathleen Ferte – CAO DNDO
Michael Capps– CAO NPPD
Denise Delawter – CAO I&A
Gloria Eskridge– CAO DHS HQ
Teresa Pohlman – CAO/OSEP
Scott Myers– CAO/ALM
Karl Johnson – CAO/RPM
Michael Chertoff - Secretary, DHS
On February 15, 2005, Judge Michael Chertoff was unanimously confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the second Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, after his June 2003 Senate confirmation.
Secretary Chertoff was previously confirmed by the Senate in 2001 to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. As Assistant Attorney General, he oversaw the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also formed the Enron Task Force, which produced more than 20 convictions, including those of CEOs Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay.
Before joining the George W. Bush Administration, Chertoff was a Partner in the law firm of Latham & Watkins. From 1995 to 1996, he served as Special Counsel for the U.S. Senate Whitewater Committee.
Prior to that, Chertoff spent more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, including service as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As a federal prosecutor, Chertoff investigated and personally prosecuted significant cases of political corruption, organized crime, and corporate fraud. Among them was the “Mafia Commission” case, in which the leaders of La Casa Nostra were all convicted and sentenced to 100 years in prison for directing the criminal activities of the American Mafia.
Chertoff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1975 and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978. From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.
Secretary Chertoff is married to Meryl Chertoff and has two children.
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Admiral Thad W. Allen - Commandant US Coast Guard
Admiral Thad W. Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on May 25th, 2006. As such, he leads the largest component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), comprised of about 42,000 men and women on Active Duty, 7,000 civilians, 8,000 Reservists and 34,000 volunteer Auxiliarists.
The Coast Guard is America’s oldest continuous seagoing service and is a Federal law enforcement agency as well as a branch of the armed forces. The Coast Guard serves the American people by saving lives and property at sea; ensuring the safety of thousands of professional mariners and millions of recreational and commercial vessels; protecting our ports and maritime infrastructure from terrorism, securing our borders, maintaining aids to navigation, responding to natural disasters, defending our Nation, conducting humanitarian operations, protecting our marine environment, and keeping shipping routes open and clear of hazards. The Coast Guard is “Semper Paratus” – Always Ready to respond to All Hazards – All Threats.
In his thirty eight years of service, Admiral Allen has held operational command both at sea and ashore, conducting missions to support the maritime safety, security and environmental stewardship interests of the Nation. As a Flag Officer, he served as the Principal Federal Official for response and recovery operations for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, while also serving as the Coast Guard Chief of Staff. He was responsible for leading Coast Guard forces as Commander of the Atlantic Area and U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic. Prior to that he commanded the Seventh Coast Guard District, where he directed all operations in the Southeastern United States and Caribbean. He served aboard cutters Androscoggin and Gallatin and commanded the Citrus. He wore a dual hat as Commanding Officer of Group Long Island Sound and Captain of the Port, and he commanded Group Atlantic City and Long-Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN) Station Lampang, Thailand. Today, Admiral Allen is leading the Coast Guard through significant modernization to better organize, train, equip, and deploy our men and women to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
Admiral Allen graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1971, and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the George Washington University, and received their Alumni Achievement Award in 2006. He also holds a Master of Science degree from the Sloan School of Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2007, Admiral Allen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the National Graduate School.
He is a native of Tucson, Arizona and the son of retired Coast Guard Chief Damage Controlman Clyde and Mrs. Wilma Allen. Admiral Allen and his wife, Pam, have three children and two grandchildren.
To keep up with Admiral Allen and his activities as Commandant visit www.uscg.mil/comdt. Be sure to sign up for RSS feed of his journal, iCommandant.
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Elaine Duke - Under Secretary for Management
On October 29, 2007 Elaine C. Duke was appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Management. Previously she was the Chief Procurement Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. In this capacity she provided leadership over the department's $14 billion in contracts and $11 billion in financial assistance programs. Ms. Duke was the department's Deputy Chief Procurement Officer from October 2004 to December 2005, when she assumed duties as the acting Chief Procurement Officer. In January 2006, Ms. Duke took over full responsibilities as the department's second procurement chief. Before coming to the headquarters, she served for two years as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Transportation Security Administration.
Ms. Duke spent the majority of her career in acquisition with the U.S. Navy. She completed her final tour with the Navy at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC. She was Director, Office of Contract Policy as well as the Deputy Director, Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical Division in the Contracts Directorate. Prior to her tour with the Naval Sea Systems Command, Ms. Duke served on the staff of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations & Environment), working the base closure and realignment program.
Ms. Duke also held various positions with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. She began her career as a contracting officer for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to her work in the Department of Defense, Ms. Duke served as the Deputy Director of Contracting and Property Management for the Smithsonian Institution and Director of Acquisition and Grant Services for the Federal Railroad Administration.
Ms. Duke has a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and a Master's degree in business administration.
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Connie L. Patrick, Director FLETC
Director Connie Patrick was selected the fifth Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in July 2002. Previously, Director Patrick spent over six years in various FLETC Associate Director positions. She provides oversight to the training of the majority of federal officers and agents. FLETC services more than 80 federal agencies; provides training to state, local, and international police in selected advanced programs; graduates approximately 50,000 students annually; and is the largest law enforcement training operation throughout the country.
Headquartered on approximately 1,600 acres at Glynco, near Brunswick, Georgia, the FLETC also operates facilities in Artesia, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; Cheltenham, Maryland; and the International Law Enforcement Academies at Gaborone, Botswana and San Salvador, El Salvador.
Prior to her appointment at the FLETC, Director Patrick completed a distinguished 20-year sworn law enforcement career in Florida, starting in 1976 as a deputy with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. In 1981, she became a Special Agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). She was promoted to Special Agent Supervisor, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Regional Operations Bureau, Special Agent in Charge of the FDLE Intelligence and Investigative Support Bureau, Director of the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute in Tallahassee, and Director of the Division of Human Resources and Training.
She received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award and the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, the government’s highest Civil Service awards. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida.
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Rod Beckstrom - Director, National Cybersecurity Center
Mr. Rod Beckström is the Director of the National Cybersecurity Center in the United States Department of Homeland Security. He was appointed to his current position on March 7, 2008, and reports to Secretary Michael Chertoff.
In his capacity as Director of the Center, he facilitates information sharing and collaboration among Federal Government organizations responsible for various aspects of cybersecurity. He leads the effort to fuse information across multiple Federal Government domains in order to represent the composite state of U.S. cyber networks and systems.
Before joining the Department of Homeland Security, he founded several companies, including C*ATS Software Inc., which he took public as the Chairman and CEO. He has co-authored four books, including The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations that presents a new model for analyzing organizational competitive strategies. He is a graduate of Stanford University with an MBA and a BA with Honors and Distinction. He served as Chairman of the Council of Presidents of the combined Stanford student body and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
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Rear Admiral John C. Acton - Director, Presidential Transition, DHS US Coast Guard
Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Rear Admiral Acton earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1976 and was selected for flag rank in 2003.
On active duty, he served in CGC GLACIER, homeported in Long Beach, California, as an ice-qualified Deck Watch Officer and CIC Officer during cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica. Next he served as Commanding Officer, CGC CAPE HENLOPEN, a search and rescue patrol boat in
Petersburg, Alaska, and then completed his active duty at Vessel Traffic Service, New Orleans.
In the Reserves, RADM Acton has developed broad operational, logistic, interagency and joint military expertise as the commanding officer of six reserve units: including a vessel augmentation unit, a search and rescue unit, Port Security Unit 308 in Gulfport, MS; and CG Reserve Unit SOUTHCOM in Miami, FL. He also served at Marine Safety Office Tampa, FL.
RADM Acton was recalled to active duty for nearly three years subsequent to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to serve, initially, as a CG Liaison Officer at U.S. Joint Forces Command and then as the CG Liaison Officer for the stand-up of U.S. Northern Command. As the Fifth CG District Chief of Staff, he provided oversight for the largest reserve mobilization since World War II, in support of Operations NOBLE EAGLE and IRAQI FREEDOM. He finished his active duty on Secretary Ridge’s operations integration staff at the Department of Homeland Security.
During the Fall 2005 he was recalled as the senior CG Liaison Officer in support of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita operations along the Gulf Coast. Most recently, he was recalled as the Deputy Director of Operations (DJ3) at U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs in 2006. He is currently on active duty as the Director of the Presidential Transition Teams for the CG and DHS.
His Active Duty for Training assignments have included overseas evolutions in Turkey, Portugal, Germany and Korea; as well as coursework at the Naval War College, the National Defense University, the Army War College and the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
In addition to his undergraduate degree, RADM Acton holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Columbia University and has also completed post-graduate studies at both Harvard University and Dartmouth College.
RADM Acton’s decorations include the CG Distinguished Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two CG Commendation Medals, the 9/11 Medal, two CG Achievement Medals, the Arctic and Antarctic Service Medals, as well as other team and unit awards.
RADM Acton has twenty-five years business experience with Pepsi, Frito-Lay, BellSouth and the America’s Cup, and is with international consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.
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Donald G. Bathurst – Chief Administrative Officer
Mr. Bathurst is Chief of Administrative Services, Department of Homeland Security. He is responsible for delivery of administrative services to the Department of Homeland Security, including facilities acquisition, facilities management, inventory management, records management, health and safety programs, environmental compliance, mail room, motor pool, fleet management and a customer service center.
Most recently he served as the Director of the Office of Asset Management at DHS, responsible for planning, development, acquisition, management, protection, and disposal for all tangible assets of the Department of Homeland Security, including land, buildings, motor fleet, aircraft, and all other personal property.
Mr. Bathurst has served within FEMA as the Director of the National Dam Safety Program, coordinating the activities of 24 Federal agencies and the 50 States; as director of building sciences and public education programs in the Mitigation Directorate; and as the Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator, where he was instrumental in establishing counterterrorism training, coordinating anti-arson efforts and putting facility management plans in place for the National Emergency Training Center.
Prior to his service at FEMA, he spent more than 15 years at the General Services Administration where he served as the Chief Fire Protection Engineer. He also served in a variety of other roles including Acting Director of Safety, Chief of Environmental Management, and Acting Director of Repair and Alteration.
He started his career as a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician in Prince William County, VA, and Prince George's County, MD.
His accomplishments have been recognized through numerous awards from within the government and the private sector, including the 1992 Arthur S. Flemming Award as one of the top five managers in Federal service and the NSPE Federal Engineer of the Year award for GSA. His contributions to risk management and fire performance estimation have been internationally recognized, most notably by the Society of Fire Protection Engineer's President's Award. He is a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
Mr. Bathurst is a member of the Federal Government's Senior Executive Service and holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Public Administration from The American University, where his practicum project explored relationships between the Executive and Legislative Branches of the Federal Government.
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Mr. Bradford Cooper is currently serving as the first Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Cooper is responsible for providing executive level policy, oversight and operational leadership for: Real Property, Design and Construction, Personal Property, Logistics, Marine, Aviation, Fleet, Environmental Planning, Historic and Cultural Preservation, Environmental Management, Occupational Safety and Health, Energy, Mail, Records, Directives, Forms, Printing, Publications and Graphics and Library. Previously he was the Director of Asset Management at the Department of Homeland Security where he provided executive oversight for Real Property, Design and Construction, Personal Property, Logistics, Marine, Aviation, Fleet and Mail Management. He spent the prior eight years with the Department of the Treasury-United States Mint in various executive level positions, including Senior Advisor to the Director, Associate Director for Manufacturing, Deputy Associate Director for Sales and Marketing, and Superintendent of the West Point Mint. His responsibilities included manufacturing, engineering, supply chain management, sales and marketing, coin design and engraving, safety, environment, energy, facilities and construction management, research and development, finance, human resources and systems support. While at the United States Mint, Mr. Cooper developed and implemented a comprehensive five year capital investment and workforce management plan to achieve world class status through the implementation of a Total Productive Manufacturing (TPM) effort that combined the principles of lean manufacturing, ISO9000 (product design and quality management system), ISO14001(Environmental Management System) and supply chain management. In addition, Mr. Cooper received the Secretary of Treasury Award on three separate occasions for:
• Key contribution to the launch of the largest coin program in the history of the world, the fifty state quarters (50Q), issuing one new quarter for each state every ten weeks.
• Achieving sales revenue growth of 166% and profitability improvement of 200% for numismatic products through the utilization of a newly developed database marketing program that facilitated customer segmentation strategies.
• Co-leading the launch of the Golden Dollar, the first new circulating coin since 1979, producing over one billion coins in the first year. This was more than the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) dollar coin in 21 years and far exceed the projected demand of 300 million.
Before coming to the Government, Mr. Cooper worked for over 11 years in various positions in the private sector, most recently as the Chief Operating Officer U.S. Controls Corporation. Prior to that, he was Plant Manager, Operations Manager and Safety Director responsible for domestic and international operations at Texas Instruments Inc., as well as an Engineer for Raytheon Corporation. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Massachusetts College of Engineering.
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Jeffery Orner is the Coast Guard's Deputy Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics. He has served in this position since November 2005. Mr. Orner has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since July 1999. He provides executive leadership of the Coast Guard's engineering and logistics programs and workforce (Naval, Civil, Aeronautical and Industrial), maintaining the Coast Guard's $25 billion capital plant consisting of 230 ships, 1,800 boats, 200 aircraft and 23,000 facilities. The CG-4 team is responsible to maintain affordable readiness for the Coast Guard, through innovative and disciplined approaches to logistics, engineering and industrial processes. He is also the Coast Guard's Chief Administrative Officer.
Mr. Orner was the Executive Director of the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) from 2001 to 2005. As the Command's number two official, Mr. Orner led a worldwide work force of over 24,000 military and civilian personnel; he oversaw $10 billion in annual spending; and was NAVSUP's acquisition executive. He managed the Navy's supply chain operations while leading an enterprise-wide business transformation. Mr. Orner also led the Navy's logistics community.
From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Orner was the Assistant Deputy Commander, Fleet Logistic Support at the Naval Sea Systems Command. As NAVSEA's senior logistician, he was responsible for fleet support and acquisition logistics, including all processes, products and services necessary to achieve and sustain affordable readiness for all ships and ship systems, Navy-wide. He led NAVSEA's efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Fleet customer support, and led the team that developed the Distance Support program. The Naval Sea Logistics Center , a logistics and information technology center of excellence, reported to him.
From 1993 to 1998, he was an Assistant Program Executive Officer for Mine Warfare, where he led a nationwide team working on life-cycle cost reduction initiatives, fleet readiness improvement efforts, and the establishment of disciplined configuration management processes for 25 system acquisition and shipbuilding programs and over 70 in-service systems used on ships, aircraft and by Explosive Ordinance Disposal teams.
Mr. Orner was the Configuration Management and Logistic Support Branch Head in the NAVSEA Surface Combatant Ship Program Office from 1988 to 1993. There he led a team that managed the readiness, configuration management, maintenance and support of all non-AEGIS surface combatant ships in all life cycle phases, including shipbuilding, major modernization, and in-service support.
The Department of the Navy hired Mr. Orner in 1982 as a graduate cooperative education student. When he graduated from that program, NAVSEA selected him into their Fleet Logistic Support Directorate, where he worked on business process improvement efforts, including configuration management, the Fleet Modernization Program and related educational efforts.
A native of Ebensburg , PA , Mr. Orner holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wittenberg University in Springfield , Ohio , and a Master of Science Degree from the Kogod School of Business at The American University in Washington , D.C. He is a member of the Acquisition Professional Corps, certified in Program Management and in Life Cycle Logistics.
Mr. Orner has received both the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal and the Navy Superior Civilian Service Medal. In 1996 Mr. Orner was the first winner of the Admiral Stan Arthur Award for Logistics Excellence (CNO Logistician of the Year Award) and the NAVSEA Logistician of the Year award. In 2004 the NAVSUP civilian and military team w as awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation in recognition of the Command's business transformation and its superior mission performance. Mr. Orner was awarded the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive by the President of the United States in 2005.
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Mr. Hirsh is the Acting Chief Administrative Officer for the Transportation Security Administration. He provides leadership and operational oversight and direction for the following programs and activities: Information Management Programs/Records Management; Occupational Safety, Health, and Environment; Property Management; and Facilities Management/Real Estate Services.
Prior to joining TSA in early 2002 as a COTR for a major rollout contract, Mr. Hirsh worked as a consultant involved in business process improvement efforts for the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency. Prior to working as a consultant, Mr. Hirsh worked for the Department of Navy involved in explosive manufacturing, rocket motor designing and international treaty arms control implementation for the US Navy and US Marine Corps.
Mr. Hirsh received a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University.
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Michael “Mike” James Keegan is the Chief Administrative Officer and Director, Support Services and Facilities Management for the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).
Mike brings a wealth of experience to the Support Services and Facilities Management Division.
After retiring from the U.S. Navy he transitioned to the private sector working in the electrical power generation industry as a Maintenance Manager, Operations Manager and Plant Manager responsible for construction, start-up, operations, maintenance and business development at four diverse power generating plants. Mike was promoted to Regional Vice President at PG&E National Energy Group, responsible for a portfolio of power plants as well as development, construction and O&M for a variety of new projects. He elected to join the federal government and accepted a position with the Architect of the U.S. Capitol as the Director of Facilities & Power, responsible for the management and upkeep of facilities and infrastructure on Capitol Hill.
Prior to coming to FEMA, Mike was the Associate Director, Facilities & Property Management for the Department of the Interior. In this position, he was responsible for policy and oversight of asset management, facilities management, capital project investment and control, energy conservation, fleet/vehicle management, space and quarter’s utilization, personal property and museum management.”
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Pat Wallis became the Director of the Office of Asset Management (OAM) in October 2007. In her current position, Ms. Wallis is responsible for leading the ICE effort to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate agency-wide policies, procedures, and programs in the areas of Facilities Management, Property Management, Administrative Services, and Records Management. Ms. Wallis also manages the direct delivery of administrative and facilities support to ICE Headquarters locations.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Wallis served at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Chief Procurement Officer as the Director, Management and Budget, and as Acting Director, Office of Acquisition Policy and Oversight. Ms. Wallis has been with DHS since its inception and was instrumental in establishing the organizational structure, staffing, and operating policies and procedures for the Department’s Office of Inspector General. Prior to her service with DHS Headquarters, she served 5 years at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 11 years at the Internal Revenue Service.
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Marcus L. Hill serves as the Assistant Director for Administration at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Glynco, Georgia. He was appointed to this position in June 2006. In this position, he provides executive oversight of two offices, comprised of seven divisions and program areas, that provide support services to the FLETC law enforcement training mission. Prior to this appointment, he served as Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Operations Support within the Administration Directorate.
Mr. Hill began his FLETC career in 1999 when he accepted the position as Chief, Staffing and Classification Branch with the Human Resources Division. From 1999 to 2002, he also held positions as the Senior Policy and Project Analyst (SPPA) for the Office of Planning and Resources, and the Assistant to the FLETC Director.
Mr. Hill left the FLETC for a short period of time from July 2002 to January 2004. During that time, he served as the Administrative Officer for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in the Jacksonville, Florida, Field Office. Mr. Hill rejoined the FLETC team in January 2004 where he served as the SPPA for the Training Directorate.
In addition to his service with the FLETC and TSA, Mr. Hill has held a variety of civil service positions within the Department of the Navy, and the United States Air Force. Mr. Hill also has an extensive military background including service with the United States Air Force active and reserve components, and recently retired as a reserve officer. During his civilian and military careers, he has been recognized on several occasions for Distinguished and Meritorious service.
Mr. Hill is married and has three children.
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In December 2003, Nancy W. Guilliams was appointed Director of Administration, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mrs. Guilliams formerly served as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Administration with the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2003.
Mrs. Guilliams began her career as a federal employee at the Pentagon with the United States Army. As Chief of Facilities Assessment from 1991 to 1993, she provided enterprise –wide cost and feasibility analysis and alternatives for senior Army leadership decisions. Promoted to Chief of the Plans Division in 1993, she managed the community planning for the Army's real property inventory and the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) construction and restoration programs.
Mrs. Guilliams civilian educational includes a Bachelor of Arts from Pembroke State University, NC. She is a 1994 graduate of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA and a 1997 graduate of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle PA. Upon returning from graduate school at Carlisle, Mrs. Guilliams served in the Army Budget Office where she managed Army Family Housing budget and privatization of family housing across the Army. In 1998 she was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff for Support for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where she was responsible for administrative support functions Corps wide as well as the headquarters operating budget.
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Gloria Eskridge is the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Chief Administrative Officer and Director, Administrative Operations.
Gloria came to DHS from the United States Mint, were she was Associate Director of Sales and Marketing. Under her leadership the collectible and investment business grew to over $1 billion dollars. She managed the 50 States Quarter Program, the most popular coin program in the history of the United States. She worked with the governors and the Commission of Fine Arts in development of each design and coordinated launch events that were attended by several thousand citizens of the state. She worked with Congress and stakeholder groups, numerous coin and Congressional Medals programs. These included the popular Marine Corps Commemorative Coin and Congressional gold medals honoring Dali Lama and Mother Theresa. She managed a customer service operation servicing over one million calls per year. The University of Michigan recognized the customer service operation as a top performer compared with government and private sector organizations.
Prior to joining the United States Mint, she worked for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco International and was Director of International Business Development.
She graduated from Greensboro College with a B.S. degree in Chemistry and an MBA from Wake Forest University.
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Dr. Teresa R. Pohlman has over 25 years of extensive leadership experience managing all aspects of public and private sector environmental and infrastructure program and product development. Her background includes management positions with responsibility for $300 million to over $1 billion annual budgets for environmental, infrastructure, and facility maintenance programs.
At Headquarters Air Force, she was the Environmental Division Chief, and managed the Air Force's $1 Billion environmental program, including cleanup, compliance, conservation, and pollution prevention, for all bases in the United States and overseas, including international bilateral agreements with Russia , Norway , Argentina , and Italy . She also served as an Air Force Regional Program Manager with the Air Force Base Conversion Agency, for a $300 million program concerned with base closure and disposal issues, closing five Air Force bases. While working for the Navy, she served at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters as the Navy single point of contact for environmental base closure issues, She also worked at the Naval Coastal Systems Center in Panama City , Florida as the Project Manager for the Chemical Warfare Protective Dive Suit.
As the Tenant Activities Group Leader at the Pentagon Renovation Office (PRO), she was responsible for the strategic master planning for the entire Pentagon Renovation, other facilities on the Pentagon Reservation, and other geographically dispersed sites for alternate operations. She ensured that the strategic design and requirements for these projects were consistent across the Department of Defense, among the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the other Defense agencies. These requirements integrated operations and maintenance considerations during construction, via the Design Process, where multiple stakeholders participated to ensure renovation and construction are accomplished without sacrificing mission continuity. In addition, she managed the safety and occupational health program for all projects in the Pentagon Renovation Office's $3 billion program, including both renovation and new construction. She was also responsible for coordinating the overall implementation strategy to incorporate appropriate force protection projects, added to the Pentagon Renovation Program as a result of the September attacks, into the $1billion Pentagon renovation efforts. For their outstanding efforts in sustainable construction, her Team won the Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management, one of five awarded in the federal government. In addition, she spearheaded the efforts for LEED certification of three Pentagon Renovation projects, the Metro Entrance Facility, the Pentagon Athletic Center , and the Remote Delivery Facility.
Prior to the Department of Defense, she worked for several defense contractors, and wrote Program Management Plans, Operational Specifications, and Quality Assurance Plans for research and development projects. She also performed and directed power spectral density, moment of inertia, and stress analysis of a large Navy ship cargo transfer crane, and analyzed an inertial navigation system for shock and vibration effects. While working at Rockwell International and NASA, she managed and executed the installation and test of Orbiter Experiments on the Space Shuttle, for the first three flights of the Columbia.
Currently, Dr. Pohlman is the Director, Occupational Safety and Environmental Programs at Headquarters, Department of Homeland Security.
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Scott Myers is the Director of Assets and Logistics Management for the Department of Homeland Security. He is responsible for reporting, tracking, and management of the department assets.
Prior to coming with the Department of Homeland Security he was with the Treasury Department. He began his career with the government nine years ago at the United States Mint as the Controller, Circulating Coinage. He was responsible for leveraging the Mint’s newly implemented ERP system to provide meaningful financial and operational information. He also developed the performance metrics for the Circulating Coinage Strategic Business Unit. His most recent position was the Associate Director for Manufacturing Operations. In this position he was responsible for the four minting operations that manufacture United States coinage. As Associate Director he was responsible for the implementation of Lean Supply Chain Manufacturing concepts as well as the development and implementation of a comprehensive capital modernization program.
Prior to coming to government, Scott spent twenty-two years with Reynolds Aluminum, the maker of Reynolds Wrap. During his career he served in administrative, financial, and operational roles. His experience ranges from developing and implementing business processes and controls, managing fleet and logistics operations, business startups and acquisitions, to consolidation of operations.
Scott has a BA from Florida State University and an MBA from Duke University.
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Karl Johnson assumed his current position in December 2006, after serving as the Assistant Director Asset Management and Director of Mail Management for the Department of Homeland Security. In his current position, Mr. Johnson is responsible for the Departments Records, Directives, Printing, Library Services, Forms and Mail Management Programs.
Prior to joining the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Johnson, was a National Operations Manager for Pitney Bowes. Mr. Johnson led a team with representation from Congress, DoD, university research laboratories, United States Postal Service, and commercial industry in recovery operations and reestablishment of mail services to Congress following the October 2001 Anthrax attack against the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
Mr. Johnson retired from the United States Air Force in 2001 were he served as a Security Forces Officer commanding Security and Law Enforcement units and as a subject matter expert for nuclear weapon security policies and system security engineering for weapons acquisition and development.
He has a Master of Arts degree in Business Management from Webster University , and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Minnesota State University . He is a graduate with honors from the United States Air Force, Air War College and Air Command and Staff College.
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