<strong>Mischel Kwon, USCERT</strong> <br />

Director, United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team<br /> National Cyber Security Division<br /> U.S. Department of Homeland Security <br /><br />

Mischel Kwon, an IT professional with more than 27 years of experience, was named the Director for the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) in June 2008. As the Director for the US-CERT, Kwon is responsible for the operational mission of the US-CERT. US-CERT is responsible for analyzing and reducing cyber threats and vulnerabilities in Federal networks, disseminating cyber threat warning information, and coordinating incident response activities. <br /><br />

Kwon brings a unique blend of hands on experience, academic research and training, and a seasoned understanding of how to build operational organizations from inception. Among her successes at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), where she was Deputy Director for IT Security Staff; she built and deployed the Justice Security Operations Center (JSOC) to monitor and defend the DOJ network against cyber threats. In addition, she served as the lead project manager for the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) project at DOJ. The TIC project is a jointly lead project between OMB and DHS. This experience provides a unique perspective in her operational mission at DHS. <br /><br />

In addition to the operational role, Kwon lends her experience and drive for providing superior customer service to DHS. Kwon is leading the effort to enhance the US-CERT’s ability to disseminate reasoned and actionable cyber security information to key stakeholders, including: federal agencies, industry, the research community, and state and local governments. In tandem with this effort, Mischel is in the process of building and enhancing US-CERT’s capability to better protect our nation's Federal Internet infrastructure by coordinating actionable mitigation against and response to cyber attacks. <br /><br />

Ms. Kwon holds a Master of Science in Computer Science and a graduate certificate in Computer Security and Information Assurance. In addition, she serves as an adjunct professor at George Washington University in Washington, DC, where Ms. Kwon also runs the GW Cyber Defense Lab. Her interests branch out into cryptology, wireless networks, and antenna theory.