More than 20 years overseeing legal and business operations. Demonstrated success in leading solutions for international and multi-stakeholder disputes and projects valued in excess of $20B. 

LICENSES: D.C. Bar, 2020. N.C. Bar, 2010. CLEARANCES: FBI TS/SCI, DHS Interim TS, State Dept. Secret

EXPERIENCE

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Washington, DC

Founding Director, Office of Coast Guard History & Heritage, 11/2023 – Present

• Stood up agency department overseeing museums, collections, historians, associated law enforcement and military, and business and legal operations; advised the highest levels of leadership on navigating legal hurdles; led teams of attorneys and reviewers to advance compliance, rulemaking, and legislative changes; oversaw $300M+ projects, $100M+ contract portfolio, $50M grant, and another $10M+ budget; and developed strategic plans, vision, and strategy to leverage the department to maximize the agency mission.  
• Led and created multiple departments, organizational chart for 120 FTE and military, and appropriate agency-wide plans, policies, and processes, including management, facilities and security, property control, cyber/IT, outreach, and operations (military and law enforcement). 
• Advised congressional representatives on compliance and legislative changes and resources to implement them.  

Detail: Policy, Trade and Economic Security, Director of Icebreaker Collaborative Effort (ICE) Pact, Deputy National Coordinator for USA, 11/2024 – 02/2024                                                                                            

• Served as first chair in the negotiation, execution, and implementation of agreement between U.S., Canada, and Finland to rebuild international supply chains and U.S. industry to reduce costs and time for $20B acquisition. 
• Managed a team of inter-agency lawyers on compliance issues and acquisitions, contracts, cyber and technology, imports and exports, immigration, international security restrictions, intellectual property, and visas. 
• Led rule making and regulations including recent Executive Orders. Engaged with Congress and industry.
• Served as a representative of the U.S. government to Canada and Finland leading agencies U.S.-wide, including State, Commerce, Trade, National Security Council, and Department of Defense, in determining compliance gaps and finding solutions through interpretation, waivers, and rulemaking.

Detail: Director of Special Assistants, Presidential Transition Office, 10/2024 – 11/2024

• Navigated agency-wide legal issues and led solutions with 30+ Senior Executives and officials while overseeing a team of 20+ Transition Special Assistants to develop compliant processes and advice in a fluid environment. 
• Oversaw and authorized high-level sensitive documents and led clearance procedures for presidential transition.

Detail: Senior Counselor, Office of the Deputy Secretary, 06/2023 – 10/2023

• Provided counsel to the Deputy Secretary of DHS and assisted in navigating legal restrictions and finding practical solutions to meet the client’s objectives.
• Proposed solutions and cleared extensive high-level DHS and US government-wide documents, policies, rules and regulations, congressional testimony, and inter-agency direction for Secretarial authorization. 
• Overcame challenges to launch Homeland Security Technology and Innovation Network (an Industrial Base). 
• Oversaw agency portfolios for acquisition, budget, cyber and AI, management, military, policy, rules and regulations, science and technology, and trafficking.
• Received the Secretary’s and Deputy Secretary’s Commendation Award, the highest recognition available.

Founding Director, National Coast Guard Museum, 07/2019 – 10/2023

• Oversaw legal and administrative issues for $300M+ project including construction, contracting, cultural heritage, employment, environmental, fundraising, intellectual property, and visitor experience. 
• Advised and briefed senior audiences, including House and Senate subcommittee, head of USCG and DHS, officers, and executives on funding opportunities, legislation, organizational and legal issues, and policies. 
• Led teams of attorneys and reviewers to ensure compliance and engaged in extensive interpretation and creation of rules and laws. Engaged with congressional representatives on legislative changes. 
• Stood up departments. Developed policies and procedures for compliance. Oversaw 60+ team members.
• Obtained and oversaw $100M+ budget across multiple appropriations. Discovered and overcame a $60M shortfall. Obtained $50M to distribute as a grant bridging a funding shortfall. Stood up an agency-wide grant program to accept and distribute large grants in a three-month timeframe resulting in a second $45M grant. 
• Oversaw $80M+ contract portfolio including claims, initiation, legal disputes, modifications, requests for equitable adjustment, and termination. Facilitated a $65M fabrication contract in just 6 months. 
• Overcame 30 years of delays to build a 80,000 sq ft building successfully completing certificates, designs, Finding of No Significant Impact, licenses, permits, and stakeholder agreements.  

DOJ, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Deputy Program Manager, Art Crime Team, Washington, DC, 04/2019 – 07/2019

• Leveraged knowledge of law, business practices, cultural heritage, science, and technology to provide expert advice on domestic and international rules, regulations, and laws related to financial crimes, fraud/forgeries, human remains, import/export, indigenous issues, repatriation, shipping, smuggling/trafficking, tax, theft, etc. 
• Advised agents on all laws, business, and industry standards (including policies and procedures), relating to cultural and scientific property and institutions, including whether the institutions were compliant. 
• Represented FBI to Senate subcommittee, officials, colleagues, agents, and other agencies and governments.

Department of Interior, Staff Curator, Policy & Partnership, Washington, DC, 07/2015 – 03/2019

• Demonstrated expertise in law and business operations to provide advice for 206M+ assets at ~3,000 entities. 
• Led 10 bureaus in legal clearance, compliance, strategic planning, and policy and process development. 
• Created enterprise-wide policy to impute government legal requirements for compliance of 50M+ assets to 3,000 stakeholders. Negotiated extensive disputes between 10 bureaus and external stakeholders.
• Led compliance and rule and regulation interpretation and creation across the agency. Drafted legislation.
• Created contract portfolio with multiple dependencies for use by 3,000 entities holding 50M+ assets to ensure compliance. Advised on cooperative agreements and grants. Efforts saved millions of dollars.

National Art Museum of Sport, Executive Director, Indianapolis, IN, 11/2010 – 07/2015      

• Utilized executive and legal experience to separate from another entity within six months overcoming repeated obstacles to exceed the goals to restructure the entity while maintaining compliance. 
• Advised board, mitigated risk, and oversaw creation or update of all legal documents, policies, and processes.  

TEACHING: Adjunct Professor, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney Law School, 01/2013 – Present    

PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS: More than 100 including for AI World Government, American Arbitration Association, Federal Bar Association, Florence International Mediation Chamber, Georgetown, Columbia, Cornell, US DOD, and Oxford University, and World Intellectual Property Organization. 

EDUCATION:

• PhD, University College London, International Law. 7/2024.  
• JD, Tulane University, Certificate in International and Comparative Law, Magna cum laude. 5/2010.
• MA, Smithsonian-Corcoran College of Art + Design. 5/2008. BA, University of North Carolina. 12/2002. 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: French, German, and Latin (reading).