Issue link: https://resources.twc.edu/i/1518937
The Washington Center • Cybersecurity Accelerator Program | Program Schedule Sasha O'Connell Cyber Fellow, The Washington Center Sasha Cohen O'Connell, PhD is an Executive in Residence in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, School of Public Affairs (SPA), American University where she currently teaches cyber policy at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Additionally, she serves as the Director of the Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy & Justice, Law, and Criminology Master's programs and leads SPA's graduate certificate in Cyber Policy and Management. O'Connell's career in public service includes time in academia and the executive branch. She has spent the majority of her career at the FBI where she served most recently as the organization's Chief Policy Advisory, Science and Technology and as the Section Chief of Office of National Policy for the FBI's Deputy Director where she led policy engagement with the National Security Council on a wide breadth of issues. Among other roles, O'Connell ran the FBI's Strategy Management Office where she led implementation of the Balanced Scorecard for the FBI's Director and served as Chief of the Executive Staff for the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division where she led strategic planning, performance evaluation, training, and communications for the Bureau's criminal programs. During her time at the FBI O'Connell focused her energy on enhancing strategic, risk-based decision making; driving cross-programmatic strategic initiatives; building partnerships across government and private sector; and driving strategic communications and outreach to enhance the public's understanding of the role of federal law enforcement. O'Connell holds a Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College as well as an MPA and Doctorate in Public Administration from American University. She lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, dog and cat. Sean Flowers U.S. Dep of Commerce/Ready Force Cyber Sean Flowers has a background in Cybersecurity, focusing on education and strategic leadership. These focuses include planning for future cybersecurity demands while securing the present and translating industry job descriptions to educational curriculums. He has previously held positions as Chief Information Security Officer for the Department of Commerce, IT Director for Meta (Facebook), and a Cyber Operations Officer in the Army Reserve. He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice, Graduate Certificate in Cyber Crime & Critical Infrastructure Protection, M.S in Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation, M.A in Business Administration and pursing a doctorate in cybersecurity leadership at Capital Technology University. Sean is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and the Army Reserve.