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Conference Agenda

As of 05/08/23; subject to change. All speakers are confirmed unless otherwise noted below. Keynotes, plenary panels, and breakout sessions are open to conference attendees only.

Wednesday, May 10

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Opening Plenary

Welcome Remarks:

  • Senator John Cornyn, TX (video message)

  • Mayor Oscar Leeser, El Paso

  • Scott Good, Chief Patrol Agent, El Paso Sector, U.S. Border Patrol

El Paso serves as the current intersection of many of the challenges and opportunities on the southwest border. In the Opening Plenary, attendees will hear various local, state, and federal leaders speak to their view of the situation.

Remarks:

  • Benjamine "Carry" Huffman, Acting Deputy Commissioner, CBP

  • Eric Hysen, CIO, DHS

Chavez Theatre

9:30 am – 10:30 am

Opening Keynote Panel: The State of the Border

 

The men and women who serve on the southern border face never-ending waves of trials and tasks regarding human migration, illegal immigration, transnational crime, and a host of other obstacles in securing the border. This Opening Keynote Panel brings the leadership that serves on the front lines daily to discuss what they’re seeing, what they need, and what the next steps are in America’s ongoing border crises.

Opening Video Remarks: Anduril

Moderator:

  • Ron Colburn, The Border Patrol Foundation Board of Directors; Former National Deputy Chief, U.S. Border Patrol

 

Panelists:

  • Raul Ortiz, Chief, U.S. Border Patrol 

  • Gloria Chavez, Chief Patrol Agent, Rio Grande Valley Sector, U.S. Border Patrol

  • Hector Mancha, Director of Field Operations, El Paso, CBP

Chavez Theatre

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Exhibit Hall Open

Halls A-C

10:30 am – 11:00 am

Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by SAIC

Halls A-C

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

NEW! Breakout Sessions

The Border of the Future

The success in managing the border of the future will rely primarily on two things – 1) technology as a force multiplier, and 2) the increased synchronization of multiple agencies to move as a more effective unit.  Join some of DHS’ most respected thought leaders as they interpret those two issues and share their views on what they see “over the horizon” and how the various agencies are tailoring their acquisition offices to deliver on these visions.
 

Moderator:

  • Bobby Brown, Senior Partner, Capital Defense and Associates

Panelists:

  • Manuel Padilla, Jr., Executive Assistant Commissioner, Operations Support Office, CBP 

  • David BeMiller, Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters

  • Ruynard Singleton, Executive Director, Program Management Office Directorate, U.S. Border Patrol

  • Juan Acosta, Assistant Director, Headquarters Field Operations, ERO, ICE

Biometrics: DHS Working Together

Expert speakers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will provide insight into how they are working together and will present a wide-ranging look at the current state of biometrics and what’s next in this fast-moving field. This includes safe travel and commerce, the innovations in biometrics, and the partnerships/interagency information sharing that is occurring.

Moderator:

  • Patty Todaro Bolin, Managing Partner, ICS Advisory

Panelists:

  • David M. Jennings, (Acting) Deputy Chief, Identity & Information Management Division (IIMD), Immigration Records & Identity Services (IRIS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

  • Beth Cappello, Deputy Chief Information Officer, DHS 

  • Ntina K. Cooper, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner (Acting), Enterprise Services, CBP

 

Juarez Room Sponsored by

Pure Storage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

El Paso Room Sponsored by Intel

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by AXON

Halls A-C

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

NEW! Breakout Sessions

How You Can Help Enable the DHS Mission: Current Acquisitions & Resourcing Trends for DHS Needs

Join leaders from the key DHS agencies as they discuss trends in the organization's mission and how they're leading their teams in today's acquisitions and resourcing environment. As DHS passes its 20th year, the organization is now fully formed and focusing on integration and operation of enterprise-wide legacy systems as well as specific agency needs. It is reducing mission collaboration barriers, focusing on cyber security and biometrics, and growing a wider portfolio of acquisitions to support the mission. This panel will speak to the changes at DHS and explore current and expected opportunities (including major acquisition programs) while providing insight as the procurement offices work to resource, acquire, and sustain mission-support operations.

Moderator:

  • ​Moderator: Elaine Duke, Principal, Elaine Duke & Associates, LLC

Speakers:

  • Bill Weinberg, Assistant Administrator for Contracting and Procurement and Head of Contracting Activity, TSA

  • Paul Courtney, Chief Procurement Officer, DHS

  • Kerri Bishop, Chief of the Contracting Office, MST, Procurement Directorate, CBP

  • Sarah Todd, Executive Director of Acquisition Policy & Legislation, DHS

  • Shawn O’Donnell, Supervisory Contracting Officer, DHS/ICE

Investing in the Workforce (Part 1)

There are myriad impactors affecting employee and retiree mental health, and CBP along with DHS has made the awareness of the physical, mental, and emotional challenges and stresses of the mission of border security a top priority. These two sessions are focused on the operators and what resources are available to them now and what will be coming online.

Moderator:

  • Patty Todaro Bolin, Managing Partner, ICS Advisory
     

Panelists:

  • Ryan J. Scudder, Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner, Enterprise Services, CBP

  • Rose Brophy, Acting Executive Director, Workforce Care, CBP

  • Peter Jaquez, Executive Director, Workforce Care Designate, CBP

Juarez Room Sponsored by

Pure Storage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

El Paso Room Sponsored by Intel

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Happy Hour in the Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by Peraton

Halls A-C

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Border Patrol Foundation's Southwest Soiree

(tickets required)

Paso Del Norte

el paso cityscape.jpg
Thursday, May 11

8:30 am – 9:00 am

Honoring the Memory Ceremony

Border Security Expo honors and recognizes law enforcement personnel, who have l
ost their lives in the line of duty. This ceremony, inaugurated at Border Security Expo 2012, continues to honor our fallen heroes each year at a special ceremony in the conference hall.

Sponsored by AKIMA

Chavez Theatre

9:00 am – 9:45 am

Opening Plenary: Southwest Border Technology Integration

As the management of immigrants and their movements head quickly on to robust electronic platforms, this session will focus on the strides the DHS agencies have made and where they plan to go next.

Opening Remarks: Mark Olson, Vice President, Homeland Security, Peraton

 

Moderator:

  • Beth Cappello, Deputy Chief Information Officer, DHS

Panelists:

  • Rachelle Henderson, CIO, ICE

  • Ntina K. Cooper, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner (Acting), Enterprise Services, CBP

  • Tammy Meckley, Associate Director, Immigration Records and Identity Management Directorate, USCIS

Chavez Theatre

9:45 am – 10:45 am

General Session: Countering Organized Theft Groups (OTG) and Organized Retail Crime (ORC)

The theft of retail goods located in, or destined for, the United States is a $70 billion a year problem and the situation is growing exponentially worse. Panelists representing ICE Homeland Security Investigations, at both the Headquarters and Field Office levels, the National Insurance Crime Bureau and MITRE will discuss this growing threat’s connection to the Southwest Border; the impact it is having on our Nation’s retail supply chain; interagency strategy that includes working with financial institutions, public/private partnerships, anti-money laundering strategies and counterterrorism financing programs; as well as interrelated policy and legislative matters.

 

Moderator:

  • Mike Braun, President, SAVA Workforce Solutions; Former Assistant Administrator & Chief of Operations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Panelists:

  • Maria Michel-Manzo, Acting Deputy Assistant Director, Public Safety and Border Security Division, Homeland Security Investigations

  • Richard Spallinger, Supervisory Special Agent, National Insurance Crime Bureau, Foreign Operations

  • Kevin J. Donovan, DHS/ICE Program Manager, MITRE 

  • J.T. Stevens, Deputy Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, El Paso

Chavez Theatre

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

 Exhibit Hall Open

Halls A-C

10:45 am – 11:15 am

General Session: A Fireside Chat with Eric Hysen, CIO, DHS

The statement is simple: "Deliver world-class information technology to enhance and support the DHS mission." But for Eric Hysen, the DHS CIO and acting Deputy Under Secretary for Management (USM), to do this he's got to shape and lead a culture that delivers innovation and works with 21st century strategies; he's got to deliver a strong and resilient network; he's got to be hyper-aware of protecting all the DHS' networks, systems, functions and data and he’s got to provide it all in a customer-based solution that meets the needs of the DHS workforce. In a "fireside chat" format with BSE's Elaine Duke (herself a former USM), Eric will discuss how these goals align with the Secretary’s priorities, DHS' Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR), and the drivers in the DHS budget.

 

Moderator:

  • Elaine Duke, Elaine Duke & Associates, LLC

Chavez Theatre

11:15 am – 11:45 am

Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by SAIC

Halls A-C

11:45 am – 12:45 pm

NEW! Breakout Sessions

CBP's Office of Trade: State of trade deals and partnerships, forced labor enforcement and other emerging issues

Come listen to an engaging conversation with CBP's Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, John Leonard, as he shares his view on the current state of trade, the enforcement of forced labor violations, international engagements, and what technologies or services the Office is looking for as solutions to current and emerging challenges. 

 

Moderator:

  • Ana Hinojosa, President, ABH Global Trade Consulting

Panelist:

  • John P. Leonard, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, CBP

Investing in the Workforce (Part 2)

This is a closed session for Federal, State and Local Agency personnel to share how CBP has developed programs aimed at supporting its workforce. CBP is one of the largest and most diverse law enforcement cultures in the world and CBP is working diligently to develop and design wellness programs to speak to this community.

 

This session is designed precisely with the officer, agent or staff in mind and will focus on the resources that are in place to help make wellness a priority while allowing for the growth and development of its employees. One of the resources we'll discuss is Resilience Skills Training, which helps build individualized skill sets, allowing employees to thrive in both their professional and personal lives when confronted with obstacles and stressors. Resilience is both an art and a science, and successful resilience is a key driver to stronger performance and better health. Agency leadership will share their experiences and challenges, and individuals will be able to relay what has and has not worked, all with the goal to ensure we have the systems and ability to withstand, recover and grow in the face of stressors and changing demands. 

Moderator:

  • Patty Todaro Bolin, Managing Partner, ICS Advisory
     

Panelists:

  • Ryan Scudder, Acting EAC, Enterprise Services, CBP

  • Peter Jaquez, Executive Director, Workforce Care Designate, CBP

  • Rose Brophy, Acting Executive Director, Workforce Care, CBP

  • Benjamine “Carry” Huffman, Acting Deputy Commissioner, CBP

 

 

Juarez Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

El Paso Room

Sponsored by AshBritt 

12:45 pm – 1:45 pm

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

 

Sponsored by PureTech Systems

Halls A-C

4:00 pm

Exhibit Hall Closes

Paso Del Norte

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