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Homeland Security Components


About the Private Sector Office

Leadership

The Private Sector Office is headed by Assistant Secretary Al Martinez-Fonts

Groups

The Business Outreach Group presents the private sector's opinions and concerns to the Department and supports outreach efforts of the Department's components.

The Economics Group focuses on the economic impact of Homeland Security policies and regulations.

Responsibilities

The Private Sector Office:

  • Advises the Secretary on the impact of the Department’s policies, regulations, processes, and actions on the private sector.
  • Creates and fosters strategic communications with the private sector to enhance the primary mission of the Department to protect the American homeland.
  • Interfaces with other relevant Federal agencies with homeland security missions to assess the impact of these agencies on the private sector.
  • Creates and manages private sector advisory councils composed of representatives of industries and associations designated by the Secretary to: (a) Advise the Secretary on private sector products, applications, and solutions as they relate to homeland security challenges; and (b) Advise the Secretary on homeland security policies, regulations, processes and actions that affect the participating industries and associations.
  • Works with Federal laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, other federally funded organizations, academia, and the private sector to develop innovative approaches to address homeland security challenges to produce and deploy the best available technologies for homeland security missions.
  • Promotes existing public-private partnerships and development of new public-private partnerships to provide for collaboration and mutual support to address homeland security challenges
  • Assists in the development and promotion of private sector best practices to secure critical infrastructure.
  • Coordinates industry efforts regarding Department functions to identify private sector resources that could be effective in supplementing government efforts to prevent or respond to a terrorist attack.
  • Consults with the various DHS elements and Department of Commerce on matters of concern to private sector including travel and tourism industries.

This page was last reviewed/modified on February 8, 2008.