The AirPatrol Federal Advisory Board
Prem G. Abraham
Mr. Abraham is Chairman of Gladstone Abraham & Company, a private merchant banking group that advises technology-based companies on top management strategy and corporate finance. Gladstone Abraham & Company is comprised of senior executives and entrepreneurs with significant experience in emerging technologies. Mr. Abraham has long-standing relationships with major financial institutions and CEO's of multi-national corporations. He has also advised venture capitalists and leading investment banks in special financing situations.
Fields of interest include bio-technology & medical devices, artificial intelligence, information technology, energy, and the environment. He has considerable expertise in management buy-outs and corporate restructuring. Mr. Abraham has an MBA from Harvard and an M.S.M.E. from University of California at Berkeley where he was a doctoral candidate.
As chairman of Fedship, he has advised European investors and Government agencies of Developing Nations, including India, Sri Lanka and Singapore, on financing of multi-national projects and policy issues involving technology and trade development.
Mr. Abraham is Emeritus President of the Harvard Club of the Peninsula and serves on the boards of several high technology companies. He has been active in civic organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a long time supporter of Rotary International and the San Francisco Symphony.
Scott Aken
Mr. Scott Aken is the Vice President for Cyber Strategy for L3 Communications STRATIS Division. He is responsible for the development of corporate-wide cyber strategies, product commercialization, strategic capture support, fused cyber offerings, and thought leadership within the cyber domain. Most recently, Mr. Aken was the Vice President of Cyber Operations in SAIC's corporate Cyber Program Management Office where he focused on cross-company cyber initiatives, the organization's investment strategy, and community outreach. Prior to SAIC, Mr. Aken was a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he worked complex cyber investigations in the Counterintelligence Computer Intrusion Cyber Squad in Washington, DC. He was also a member of the FBI's elite Cyber Action Team, an immediate response unit for high profile computer intrusions.
Before the FBI, Mr. Aken spent almost ten years working in the software and Internet industry in the Washington, DC area as a Vice President of Program Management for VeriSign / Network Solutions and was as a manager in General Electric's Information Systems business unit. Mr. Aken is a graduate of General Electric's Technical Leadership Program, a speaker at numerous cyber and counterintelligence seminars, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University.
Joel Brenner
Joel F. Brenner specializes in global risk management, information security, and internal investigations. He has represented companies and individuals in a wide variety of transactions and proceedings including sensitive foreign acquisitions, the liability of foreign governments, export controls, securities regulations, and grand jury proceedings. He has years of experience inside and outside government involving national and homeland security matters and particularly enjoys working with start-up companies.
Mr. Brenner was Senior Counsel at the National Security Agency, advising Agency leadership on the public-private effort to create better security for the Internet. From 2006 until mid-2009, he was the head of U.S. counterintelligence under the Director of National Intelligence and was responsible for integrating the counterintelligence activities of the 17 departments and agencies with intelligence authorities, including the FBI and CIA and elements of the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Homeland Security. From 2002 - 2006, Mr. Brenner was NSA's Inspector General, responsible for that agency's top-secret internal audits and investigations. He has also served as a prosecutor in the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and has extensive trial and arbitration experience in private practice.
Mr. Brenner holds a JD from the Harvard Law School, a PhD from the London School of Economics, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
He is a member of the Advisory Board of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Law & National Security. He has written about intelligence oversight and Presidential authority to suspend or prohibit foreign takeovers of U.S. firms, and has been quoted often in the national press in connection with cyber security. Mr. Brenner was awarded the Intelligence Community Achievement Medal in July 2009.
Mr. Brenner publishes frequently and is often quoted in the national media on data security, privacy, and intelligence issues. His forthcoming book, AMERICA THE VULNERABLE: INSIDE THE NEW THREAT MATRIX OF DIGITAL ESPIONAGE, CRIME AND WARFARE, will be published by Penguin in the fall.
Steve Briganti
Steve Briganti has served in a range of executive positions for over 20 years, from founding and growing successful technology startup companies and a cyber security non-profit to managing billion dollar global network enterprises for Fortune 200 companies.
Steve was co-founder and COO of both advanced 3D Optics SoliDDD Corp and the Security Innovation Network, a cyber security public-private non-profit. Also, as founder and CEO of Sprout-IT, Inc., Steve serves in c-level positions to lead venture and startup turnarounds, growth, sales and marketing and product development, including: COO of green tech company, Globe Protect; COO of 3D technology venture, PLLX3; and President of e-commerce company, HIS, Inc. He also led business development for startup, Mobilisa, a wireless artificial intelligence solutions and identity security company and consulted to advanced broadband wireless company, Silvus Technologies.
Steve also served as a program management and next generation information technologies VP at Lockheed Martin, addressing Enterprise, Service Provider and vertical government markets with network, mobility and security solutions. He also served as VP&GM of General Dynamics-Network Systems largest business unit (formerly GTE), including IP architectures, switched communications and migration strategies for wired and wireless enterprise converged network deployments at over 300 sites world-wide. At GD, he developed a spun-off a $10 million Land Mobile Radio and RF communications division.
During his distinguished US Navy service in aviation and communications, Steve served as the first-ever operating CIO and Defense Approval Authority for secure global enterprise operations of a $10 billion global intranet deployment. He also directed a $200 million aerospace program.
While in the Navy, Steve served as Chief of Staff and advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, responsible for policies, legislative affairs, requirements and an $80 billion annual budget. Steve holds a Masters degree in Public Policy and was selected for fellowship programs at the Hoover Institution, Stanford and at MIT. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has deep expertise in C4ISR, RF communications, IT, acoustics and systems engineering.
Chuck Brooks
Charles (Chuck) Brooks serves as the Senior Director for Strategic Partnering, Marketing & Government Relations at Keane Inc, a privately held $1 billion IT company with14,000 employees. In his executive management role at Keane, he is responsible for coordinating corporate partnerships, facilitating governmental relationships for the company at the Federal, State & Local and International levels.
Prior to this position he served as the Vice President for Government Affairs at SRA International Inc, where he served on the Executive Leadership of the $1.6 billion company with 7,000 employees reporting directly to the CEO. He also ran SRA's political Action Committee. Prior to SRA, Chuck served as the first Director of Legislative Affairs for the Science & Technology Directorate within the Department of Homeland Security, where he was responsible for advocacy for the Directorate with Capitol Hill. He has also been a Adjunct Faculty Member at Johns Hopkins University.
In his 20 plus years of business and legislative experiences, Chuck also served as President of Brooks Consulting International, a government relations, investment banking, and public affairs firm. In this capacity he represented Fortune 500 companies, Law Firms and interest groups on various projects.
Brendan Gray
Brendan Gray is the President of HALO Maritime Defense Systems. Prior to joining HALO, he was the Vice President of Operations for Interactive Data Corporation, a global provider of financial market data, analytics and related services to financial institutions, active traders and individual investors. The Company's customers used its offerings to support their portfolio management and valuation, research and analysis, trading, sales and marketing, and client service activities. He was responsible for the organization alignment of the Operations and IT departments, operational strategy formulation and the company's Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) operations across the globe. Brendan is a an IT service Management ITIL® Expert.
A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Brendan served with distinction for thirty years as a Naval Aviator; his last five years as the Deputy Commander for Navy Region Europe, before retiring as a Captain. Brendan successfully achieved enterprise management of IT resources (services, workstations, applications) for the US Navy by formulating a capability-based funding strategy in a network-centric environment. He was also responsible for the security, force protection and the day-to-day operations of nine Navy bases across five countries in Europe, including the safe and efficient operation of seven ports and six airfields.
Brendan has extensive experience in forging international partnerships. He organized and led a multi-national, multi-discipline team from 5 countries and 4 major defense contractors that established requirements for and initial design features of the P-8A (new Navy aircraft). He brought international partners onboard resulting in a $10B funded program. He developed a strategy that led to over $50M in budget increases per year accelerating inventory acquisition and reducing future costs by achieving economic order of quantity buy.
Brendan directed the successful recapitalization of the Navy's European infrastructure, encompassing $1.5B in construction for four bases in Italy, Greece and Spain over a six-year period and he established the first European National Incident Management System (NIMS) Compliant Emergency Operations Center.
Paul Kurtz
Paul B. Kurtz is a recognized Cyber Security and homeland security expert. He is currently leading the Obama transition team for Cyber-Security, and has previously served in senior positions on the White House's National Security and Homeland Security Councils under Presidents Clinton and Bush. He's currently also an on-air consultant to CBS News.
Mr. Kurtz advises clients on cyber-security and homeland security issues. He joins Good Harbor after serving as the founding Executive Director of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), an advocacy group dedicated to ensuring the privacy, reliability and integrity of information systems through public policy, technology, education and awareness. Prior to joining CSIA, Mr. Kurtz most recently was special assistant to the President and senior director for critical infrastructure protection on the White House's Homeland Security Council (HSC), where he was responsible for both physical and cyber security.
Before joining HSC in 2003, Mr. Kurtz served on the White House's National Security Council (NSC) as senior director for national security of the Office of Cyberspace Security and a member of the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, where he developed the international component of the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace. Previously, he was a director for counterterrorism in the NSC's Office of Transnational Threats from 1999-2001.
Prior to his White House work, Mr. Kurtz served in several bureaus in the State Department, specializing in weapons of mass destruction non-proliferation policy and strategic arms control. He also served as political advisor to Operation Provide Comfort in Incirlik, Turkey, and as science attache in Vienna, Austria. He participated in several arms control inspection teams, traveling to Iraq and North Korea.
Mr. Kurtz received his Bachelor's degree from Holy Cross College and his Master's degree in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
Richard H. L. Marshall
Mr. Marshall is the Vice President of Cyber Programs at Trident FSI and is an internationally and national recognized thought leader on cyber related issues. He has extensive leadership experience in formulating growth strategies, integrating policy, culture and training with technology issues, building relationships and delivering lasting results. He is also a strategic thinker who knows how to lead and very importantly, knows where to lead.
He previously was a member of the Senior Cryptologic Executive Service (SCES) and the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service (DISES). Prior to joining Triton FSI, he was the Director of Global Cyber Security Management, National Cyber Security Division, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by special arrangement between the Director, National Security Agency (DIRNSA) and the Secretary of DHS. Within DHS he directed National Cybersecurity Education Strategy; and the Software Assurance; Research and Standards Integration; and Supply Chain Risk Management programs.
Mr. Marshall was previously the Senior Information Assurance (IA) Representative, Office of Legislative Affairs at the National Security Agency (NSA) where he served as the Agency's point of contact for all NSA Information Security (INFOSEC) matters concerning Congress. He devised the IA legislative strategy, helped shaped the passage of the revised Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and was instrumental in shaping the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative.
As an additional duty, Mr. Marshall represented NSA in the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Program in Boston, Massachusetts and the Detroit, Michigan areas where he led the effort to establish an International Consortium on Information Assurance. His successes were noted and praised by the Director, NSA.
In 2001, Mr. Marshall was selected by Dick Clarke, the Cyber Advisor to the President to serve as the Principal Deputy Director, Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO), where he led a team of 40 dedicated professionals in developing, coordinating and implementing the Administration's National Security for Critical Infrastructure Protection initiative and the National Cyber Security Strategy to address potential threats to the nation's critical infrastructures. He persuasively articulated the business case for enhancing information assurance in government and private sectors, and championed national outreach and awareness of information assurance issues to key stakeholders such as owners and operators of critical infrastructures, opinion influencers, business leaders, and government officials.
From 1994 to 2001, Mr. Marshall served with distinction as the Associate General Counsel for Information Systems Security/Information Assurance, Office of the General Counsel, National Security Agency. In that capacity, Mr. Marshall provided advice and counsel on national security telecommunications and technology transfer policies and programs, national security telecommunications technical security programs, the National Information Assurance Partnership, the Common Criteria Mutual Recognition Arrangement, legislative initiatives and international law. Mr. Marshall was the legal architect for the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed exercise "Eligible Receiver 97" that spotlighted many of the cyber-vulnerabilities of our nation's critical infrastructures and helped bring focus on this issue at the national leadership level.
Mr. Marshall successfully represented the United States in two high profile cases in the United Kingdom: A civil matter for the United States Air Force with an amount in controversy of almost a billion dollars, and a criminal matter for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and NSA where he appeared before the High Court of Justice in London as the lead US Counsel. In each case, in large measure through his efforts, the United States prevailed.
Mr. Marshall is a sophisticated senior executive level leader recognized and appreciated for his political savoir-faire and common sense coupled with a polished ability to build meaningful relationships and achieve positive results. Highly respected by White House (National Security Council) and Congressional staffers, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Treasury and private sector leaders, in particularly the financial services sector for his subject matter expertise and skills in policy formulation and ardent advocacy, Mr. Marshall commands a deep understanding and appreciation for the full range of Information Assurance-related legal, legislative and policy issues.
Mr. Marshall is highly sought after as a keynote speaker, panelist and moderator at information technology, legal and policy symposia and conferences at the domestic and international levels. He has addressed various international, Department of Defense, Army, Navy and Air Force legal conferences on information operations, information assurance and critical infrastructure assurance, twice sharing the podium with the Secretary of the Air Force and once with the former Vice-President of the United States.
He has testified before numerous Congressional subcommittees and has distinguished himself as a guest lecturer at the National Defense University (NDU), the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Stanford University, George Mason University, George Washington School of Law, Boston University, Duke University, the University of Virginia, University of Detroit-Mercy, The Harvard Club, The Cosmos Club, The University Club, and numerous graduate and law schools on a myriad of legal issues related to national security and information assurance. He has been a featured speaker at the Black Hat and DEFCON computer security conferences for several years.
In a recent edition of CS Magazine, Mr. Marshall was recognized as one the nation's most influential cyber security professionals who helped shape the information security industry. The University of Detroit-Mercy also established the Richard H.L. Marshall Information Assurance Award in recognition of his contributions to INFOSEC education.
Mr. Marshall graduated from The Citadel with a B.A. in Political Science; Creighton University School of Law with a J.D. in Jurisprudence; Georgetown School of Law with an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law; was a Fellow at the National Security Law Institute, University of Virginia School of Law in National Security Law; attended the Harvard School of Law Summer Program for Lawyers; the Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute on Advanced Legislative Strategies and participated in the Information Society Project at Yale Law School and in the Privacy, Security and Technology in the 21st Century program at Georgetown University School of Law.
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy is a Homeland and National Security practitioner experienced in transportation security and operations solutions, resilience and critical infrastructure protection. During a 33-year commercial and Air Force flying career he commanded a wide range of aircraft from the C-130 to the Boeing 777, while also specializing in all aspects of aviation security. In the post 9/11 world he became a senior official for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), where he established the industry's first Office of Intelligence & Emerging Threats. Concurrently he founded and directed the National Center for Aviation Security, a non-profit center dedicated to scholarly research for the establishment of leading edge security solutions for the aviation industry. He served as an aviation advisor to senior leaders of the Department of Homeland Security and worked closely with the Transportation Security Administration to create Federal Flight Deck Officer Program for which he was one of the first pilots to go on duty as a federal officer.
Following his 2004 retirement from the cockpit Kevin created the consulting firm MoonRaker Associates focused on national security issues and continuity of operations. As an expert advisor Kevin leverages a vast network applying his expertise to developing solutions, which enhance the protection and overall effectiveness and resilience of operations in both the public and private sector. He recognizes the importance of utilizing innovative technologies to enhance and support operations throughout an enterprise. For SPADAC Inc, one of the fastest growing geospatial intelligence companies in the United States, he is a founding member of the Board of Advisors and an expert consultant. In 2008 Kevin was invited to affiliate with Catalyst Partners, Washington DC as an independent consultant, making available to the firm his wide aviation and business experience. He is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation report, Maritime Security: Fighting Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Beyond, June 2009.
Kevin holds a B.S. degree in Earth and Space Science, from West Chester University, PA. He received advanced intelligence officer training at The Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, Arlington, VA, and graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, GA.
Scott B. Mexic
Since retiring from a 24 year career with the U.S. Government in early 2009, Mr. Mexic has focused on a few International Business Development opportunities in Europe, the Balkans and Africa. During his tenure with the U.S. Government, Mr. Mexic served in senior positions with:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he developed and managed programs which assisted disadvantaged producers to effectively compete in the modern Agricultural Market. These programs developed Farmer Cooperatives which resulted in a material increase in the number of disadvantaged producers who achieved the USDA 'Good Agricultural Practices' Certification which materially assisted their ability to market to major market customers.
U.S. Agency for International Development, where he served as the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture in Afghanistan. In this role, he assisted Afghanistan to develop a Strategic Plan for Sustainable Agriculture and then assisted the Minister to restructure the Ministry of Agriculture so that it could better support the Strategic Plan.
City of Indianapolis, where he lead a task force to increase the effectiveness of the City's economic development programs by utilizing public-private partnerships to increase employment in some of the City's most economically devastated communities.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he served as the Departmental liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services. He developed and managed public-private 'welfare-to-work' programs in several States including a highly acclaimed program in South Central Los Angeles which was praised by the LA Times in 1992 as a model program to address the civil unrest which followed the Rodney King verdict.
The Reagan White House, where he developed and ultimately Chaired 'The Privatization Roundtable', which became the U.S. Government's forum for exploring public-private partnerships designed to enhance the efficiency of the US Federal Government.
U.S. Department of Transportation, where he implemented public-private programs designed to merge Federal Transportation Programs with the Federal 'welfare-to-work' program which assisted unemployed inner-city workers access suburban employment opportunities.
Mr. Mexic holds a B.A., MBA and J.D. from Tulane University and a LLM in Taxation from Boston University. He has also studied at the University of Grenoble in France and the University of Thessalonica In Greece. Mr. Mexic is a Member of the Louisiana and District of Columbia Bar Associations. He serves as the Vice Chairman of IsecureD and is a Member of The Carbon Project's Board. Mr. Mexic also serves on the Board of the Community for Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) which provides life-skills training to more than 2.5 Million inner city youth across the U.S.
Thomas Varghese
Thomas Varghese is an entrepreneur with a unique combination of business and technical skills. He has a proven ability to set strategies and business models in rapidly emerging markets and create global companies that are thought leaders and visionary. He has successfully grown companies from zero to profitability by recruiting key talents and providing strategic direction and vision to execute on plans successfully.
Most recently he was responsible for primarily driving Oracle's Security and Identity Management strategy. Prior to that he was the founder of Bharosa, a global security platform provider and served as its president and chief technology officer before its successful acquisition by Oracle in 2007.
He is an industry veteran with decades of experience in Hardware/Software/Networking and related technologies including author of several patents. In his initial career Thomas was a research scientist (electronics, defense, space) designing sub-systems for Telecom, Satellite and Missile platforms prior to founding and/or acting as CTO for several Silicon Valley companies.
Thomas is very active as an angel-investor and start-up mentor currently serving on numerous corporate boards.
