Barbara Toohill, Vice President

Barbara Toohill has been with MITRE for more than 30 years and is a highly respected leader and strategist with a reputation for building strong sponsor partnerships. She brings proven expertise in strategic planning, acquisition, project management, problem solving, and team building. She is a systems engineer with deep experience in the analysis, design, and implementation of large-scale, data-intensive information systems. Ms. Toohill has supported DHS since its inception, leading MITRE's support for DHS programs such as the Secure Border Initiative, United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of the CIO, Chief Information Security Office, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). She is responsible for strategic business direction and operations; leading the integration, coordination, and collaboration among MITRE staff across the entire DHS work program; and ensuring that DHS always receives the right resources to meet its requirements.

John Kreger, Chief Engineer

As Chief Engineer, John Kreger is responsible for integrating systems engineering capabilities and ensuring best practices across MITRE's efforts for multiple homeland security partners. He is also responsible for MITRE's homeland security research investment strategy, training, and management of the HS SEDI Program Management Office (PMO). In addition, he works closely with the HS SEDI director to identify programs that support the homeland security mission. During his 20-year career with MITRE working on complex programs for the defense and Intelligence Community, Mr. Kreger has developed expertise in systems acquisition and integration, technology insertion, and interoperability. Previously, Mr. Kreger served as Associate Executive Director of MITRE’s Joint and Defense-Wide Systems Division, where he was responsible for integrating Department of Defense (DoD) policy and standards to enable cross-service and agency interoperability. Before retiring as a Captain from the U.S. Navy, Mr. Kreger spent five years on board Navy nuclear submarines and served for 22 years in the Naval Reserve, including three command tours.

Kenneth P. Rapuano, Director, Advanced Systems & Policy Analysis

As Director of Advanced Systems & Policy Analysis, Ken Rapuano guides cross-cutting homeland security mission initiatives, engaging and leveraging best capabilities from across and outside of MITRE. He is also responsible for transitioning overall priorities into outreach strategy and overseeing the execution of MITRE's homeland security stakeholder engagement plan. Prior to joining MITRE, Mr. Rapuano served at the White House from 2004 to 2006 as Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to President Bush. He chaired the Homeland Security Council Deputies Committee, co-chaired the White House Counterterrorism Security Group, and was responsible for managing the development, coordination, and oversight of homeland security policies among departments and agencies. He also previously served as the Deputy Under Secretary for Counterterrorism at the Department of Energy, responsible for counterterrorism, homeland security, and related special access programs, for the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Mr. Rapuano is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of WMD at National Defense University, the Deputy Chairman of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association's (AFCEA) Homeland Security Committee, and a member of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) National Security Advisory Committee.

Christopher J. Folk, Director

As director of the HS SEDI FFRDC National Protection Division, Chris Folk oversees work program development and delivery to: the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), including Cybersecurity & Communication (CS&C), Office of Infrastructure Protection (OIP), and Federal Protective Services (FPS), and US VISIT. He also leads SEDI support to; the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A); Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO); the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the Office of Health Affairs (OHA); and the U.S. Department of Education (DoEd). Mr. Folk brings more than 18 years of experience supporting the national and homeland security communities, working in operations, intelligence, infrastructure protection, and cybersecurity programs for the DoD, IC, and DHS. His work experience spans all phases of systems engineering and program management, including policy analysis and concept of operations development. He was privileged to stand up the (DHS) Homeland Security Operations Center, first under the White House Executive Office of the President, and subsequently under DHS.

Mr. Folk has been a primary contributor to a number of Homeland Security related cybersecurity strategies and publications, including Enabling Distributed Security in Cyberspace - Building a Healthy and Resilient Cyber Ecosystem with Automated Collective Action, published by DHS in 2011. He is an advisor to the Washington Cyber Roundtable, and is the lead for all civil cybersecurity programs at MITRE, reporting to the senior vice president and chief security officer. He speaks regularly at national cyber and homeland security events.

Gerardo Garcia, Director

As director of the HS SEDI FFRDC Enterprise Services Division, Gerardo Garcia is responsible for overseeing work program development and delivery to: DHS Directorate for Management (DM); DHS Directorate for Science and Technology (S&T); and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Garcia has more than 35 years of senior and executive level management experience in industry and academia in all phases of system design and implementation, including 10 years in the homeland security enterprise domain. His experience spans operations research and technology management, as well as business strategy, process improvement, system engineering, acquisition management, supply chain and logistics, bioengineering systems, and organizational change management. His early career focused on image analysis and pattern recognition, leading to a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Electrical Engineering from New York University. He has authored more than 40 papers and conference presentations, and traveled extensively for business and pleasure in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Mervyn Levy, Director

As Programs Division Director, Merv Levy is responsible for overseeing the execution of the HS SEDI FFRDC work program. He also manages the HS SEDI CORE Research program budget and oversees performance management for the HS SEDI FFRDC. Mr. Levy previously served as the Director for Operations and Enterprise Services and as HS SEDI's Portfolio Division Manager for Immigration, Screening, and Border Management. He brings more than 25 years of substantive experience in the planning, development, management, and assessment of information technology programs for the government and the private sector. His experience includes program management, project management, department management, requirements analyses, alternative analyses and related performance tradeoff studies, information engineering, risk and needs assessments, systems integration, systems architecture planning and design, network design and implementation, and hardware configuration, acquisition, staging, and installation. Mr. Levy uses his diverse experience to provide MITRE’s clients with technical assessments and resolutions for the productive and cost-effective use of resources.

Joe O'Neill, Director

As director of the HS SEDI FFRDC Borders, Transportation & Immigration Division, Joe O'Neill is responsible for strategy development, customer engagement, and outcome management to: Customs and Border Protection (CBP); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Transportation Security Administration (TSA); and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Mr. O’Neill has more than 25 years of experience providing systems engineering, strategic planning, program management, and acquisition expertise to complex technical initiatives in support of DHS, other federal and state organizations, and private industry. His experience includes all phases of systems design, development, and implementation.