ISE Governance
The Information Sharing and Access Interagency Policy Committee (ISA IPC)
The ISA IPC was established by the White House in 2009 and subsumed the role of a predecessor body, the Information Sharing Council, which was established by Executive Order 13356: Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism Information to Protect Americans in 2004. It was chaired initially by the Senior Director for Information Sharing Policy on the White House National Security Staff. In a July 2009 memorandum, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism made clear that the Administration regarded information sharing as extending beyond terrorism-related issues to encompass the sharing of information more broadly to enhance the national security of the United States and the safety of the American people. In June 2010, the PM-ISE was designated by the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism as a co-chair of the ISA IPC. This dual role for the Program Manager is an acknowledgment that policies, business practices, architectures, standards, and systems developed for the ISE can be applicable to other types of national security information beyond terrorism and vice versa. In his dual role, the PM-ISE will help ensure that there will be the closest possible alignment between the ISE and broader national security information sharing activities.
The PM-ISE
The role of the PM-ISE is to coordinate and facilitate the development of a network-centric ISE by focusing on standards and architecture, security and access, associated privacy protections, and best practices. The PM-ISE serves as a change agent and center for innovation and discovery in providing ideas, tools, and resources to mission partners who then apply them to their own agencies or communities.
IRTPA established the position of Program Manager to "plan for and oversee the implementation of, and manage the ISE," and to be "responsible for information sharing across the Federal Government."1 Consistent with the direction and policies issued by the President, the DNI, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the PM-ISE issues government-wide procedures, guidelines, instructions, and functional standards,2 as appropriate, for the management, development, and proper operation of the ISE. To better assist in ISE implementation activities, the Office of the PM-ISE has staff with experience in counterterrorism, homeland security, information sharing, technology, and policy at all levels of government.
On May 27, 2010, President Obama appointed Mr. Kshemendra Paul as the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment. Visit the "Message from the Program Manager" to learn about Mr. Paul's plans for the Information Sharing Environment.
The Program Manager is supported by a multidisciplinary team of government and contract personnel to address a wide range of ISE priorities. Senior management includes:
Program Manager, Mr. Kshemendra Paul
Deputy Program Manager, Mr. Michael Howell
Additional leadership bios:
Chief of Staff, Mr. Nick Harris
Executive for Innovation, Integration, and Interoperability, David A. Bray
Executive for Assured Inter-Operability, Michael E. Kennedy
1 IRTPA §1016(f).Amendments to IRTPA included in the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 identified additional attributes and gave additional authorities, including the authority to issue guidelines and standards, to the PM-ISE.
2 Ibid.
