Ethics and Protection of Critical Infrastructure

Steven Roberts, Chair

Steven Roberts writes and speaks frequently on homeland security issues, with a special emphasis on critical infrastructure protection, business continuity, and terrorism. His written work has appeared in professional journals, newspapers and print magazines. Steven is currently the homeland security columnist for the National Law Journal, a contract instructor at the United States Department of Homeland Security's Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, and a Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School.

Steven's professional experiences have included the United States Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office, formerly of the United States Department of Homeland Security, and an assignment to the former President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board within the Executive Office of the President, the White House.

Steven received his undergraduate degree, with honors, from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and his law degree, with high honors and Order of the Coif, from the University of Florida. He is currently an attorney and a member of the Global Security and Enforcement Team in the Washington, D.C. office of Alston & Bird LLP.

Joe Whitley

Alston & Bird partner Joe Whitley was appointed by the President as the first General Counsel to the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the highest ranking legal official in the department. He held that position for two years before his departure and return to private practice. Previously he had led Alston & Bird's white-collar and government investigations practice.

During his tenure with DHS, Joe advised Secretary Tom Ridge and Secretary Michael Chertoff on legal issues including some of the following: immigration, customs enforcement, environmental compliance, international agreements, Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), complex civil litigation, the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act, transportation security, labor and employment, government contracts, incident management, public health, infrastructure protection and intelligence sharing. He worked closely with his counterparts at the White House, Departments of Justice, State, Treasury, Defense and other agencies to coordinate counterterrorism and federal law enforcement initiatives.

Joe previously had an extensive career in the Department of Justice, serving as the Acting Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking position in the Department of Justice, in the George H.W. Bush administration. He was appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush, respectively, to serve as U.S. Attorney in the Middle and Northern Federal Districts of Georgia.

Joe received his J.D. and his undergraduate degrees from the University of Georgia.