Solutions Theater
Solutions Theater
Conference Agenda
As of 03/20/23; 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
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.
Panelists:
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Benjamine “Carry” Huffman, Acting Deputy Commissioner, CBP
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Michael Banks, Special Advisor on Border Matters to the Governor, State of Texas
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Mayor Oscar Leeser, El Paso (invited)
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.
Moderator:
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Ron Colburn, The Border Patrol Foundation Board of Directors; Former National Deputy Chief, U.S. Border Patrol
Panelists:
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Raul Ortiz, Chief, U.S. Border Patrol
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Gloria Chavez, Chief Patrol Agent, Rio Grande Valley Sector, U.S. Border Patrol
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Peter Jaquez, Acting Chief Patrol Agent, El Paso Sector, U.S. Border Patrol
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Hector Mancha, Director of Field Operations, El Paso, CBP
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Open
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by SAIC
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
NEW! Breakout Sessions
The Border of the Future
Led by Mitre’s Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI) the session’s speakers will dive into how current advances in applying technology and data expertise are driving discoveries that improve our nation’s safety and make our institutions more resilient in the face of threats.
Biometrics: DHS Working Together
Expert speakers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) 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:
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Patty Todaro Bolin, Managing Partner, ICS Advisory
Panelists:
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TSA
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CBP
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USCG
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USCIS
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by ManTech
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
NEW! Breakout Sessions
Acquisition and Procurement Opportunities
Join key project managers, SMEs, and acquisition specialists from CBP, TSA, ICE, and other Homeland Security agencies as they review current and expected opportunities and provide insight to what’s happening at DHS to resource, acquire and sustain mission-support operations including major acquisition programs and sustainment innovations.
Moderator:
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Moderator: Elaine Duke, Principal, Elaine Duke & Associates, LLC
Speakers:
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Bill Weinberg, Assistant Administrator for Contracting and Procurement and Head of Contracting Activity, TSA
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Paul Courtney, Chief Procurement Officer and Senior Procurement Executive, DHS (invited)
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Kerri Bishop, Chief of the Contracting Office, MST, Procurement Directorate, CBP (invited)
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Stephen Roncone, Chief Financial Officer, ICE (invited)
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:
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Patty Todaro Bolin, Managing Partner, ICS Advisory
Panelists:
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Ryan Scudder, Acting EAC, Enterprise Services, CBP
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Peter Jaquez, Acting Chief Patrol Agent, El Paso Sector, US Border Patrol
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Rose Brophy, Acting XD Workforce Health/DFO Buffalo
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Happy Hour in the Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by Peraton
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Border Patrol Foundation's Southwest Soiree at the Paso Del Norte
Thursday, May 11
8:30 am – 9:00 am
Honoring the Memory Ceremony
Border Security Expo honors and recognizes law enforcement personnel, who have lost 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
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.
Moderator:
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Elizabeth Cappello, Deputy CIO, DHS (invited)
Panelists:
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Rachelle Henderson, CIO, ICE
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Ntina Cooper, Acting Deputy EAC, Enterprise Services, CBP
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Tammy Meckley, Associate Director, Immigration Records and Identity Services (IRIS) Directorate, USCIS (invited)
9:45 am – 10:45 am
General Session: Stopping Organized Theft/Organized Retail Crime
The theft of retail goods is a $70 billion a year problem and the situation is growing exponentially worse. Deputy Assistant Director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Raul Aguilar and colleagues from the FBI, DEA, and the Treasury’s FinCEN discuss interagency strategy that includes working with financial institutions, public/private partnerships, anti-money laundering strategies and counter-terrorist financing programs.
Moderator:
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Mike Braun, President SAVA Workforce Solutions
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Open
10:45 am – 11:15 am
General Session: CBP’s Cost-Wise Readiness Program: Building Logistics Maturity
60% to 80% of the costs CBP incurs on a piece of equipment are after it’s purchased and sent to the field, including what it costs to maintain that equipment. Previously, CBP lacked maturity in the logistics process to acquire and maintain the various technologies it uses to protect the border. The introduction of the Cost-Wise Readiness program changed that. It brought focus to those decisions to make sure the lifetime of the equipment costs is considered, and processes getting the tools needed are made easier. Rick Cornelio, Cost-Wise’s director of logistics and sustainment, will speak to the process and how it’s become an integral part of the CBP acquisition model.
Moderator:
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Elaine Duke, Elaine Duke & Associates, LLC
Panelists:
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Ricky Cornelio, CostWise Readiness for CBP (invited)
11:15 am – 11:45 am
Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by SAIC
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
NEW! Breakout Sessions
Consolidated Tower and Surveillance Equipment Program Update
Moderator:
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Bobby Brown, Senior Partner, Capital Defense & Associates
Speakers:
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Ruynard Singleton, Executive Director, Program Management Office Directorate (PMOD), U.S. Border Patrol
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Kathleen Scudder, Executive Director, Mission Support, U.S. Border Patrol
Sponsored by PureTech
Investing in the Workforce (Part 2)
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:
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Ryan Scudder, Acting EAC, Enterprise Services, CBP
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Peter Jaquez, Acting Chief Patrol Agent, El Paso Sector, US Border Patrol
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Rose Brophy, Acting XD Workforce Health/DFO Buffalo
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Benjamine “Carry” Huffman, Acting Deputy Commissioner, CBP
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm
Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
4:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Closes