LARSON PARKER

Led CISA’s mission to advise and assist U.S. critical infrastructure sectors understand, manage, and reduce the cyber and physical risks posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones).

• Established CISA’s UAS Security Capabilities – Launched and scaled the agency’s first drone security initiative, growing the team by 200% and securing $2.5M to drive federal and industry engagement.
• Shaped National Drone Policy – Led interagency efforts that influenced federal action on Chinese-manufactured drones and expanded DHS-sponsored flight restrictions over critical infrastructure by 300%.
• Informed Legislation and Infrastructure Protection – Authored congressional reports and briefed lawmakers, helping shape bipartisan legislation on drone threats to national infrastructure.
• Advanced Public-Private Preparedness – Delivered UAS security guidance to 100,000+ partners and led 200+ stakeholder engagements to enhance situational awareness and risk mitigation nationwide.

Spearheaded initiatives to bolster the security and resilience of the Nation’s critical infrastructure and public gatherings against emerging threats including cyber-physical convergence, autonomous systems, and vehicle ramming.

• Shaped National Cyber-Physical Risk Strategy – Co-led a White House interagency working group that produced a report on cyber-physical security gaps, directly informing response priorities following the Colonial Pipeline attack.
• Strengthened Executive Coordination on Soft Target Security – Revitalized the DHS Soft Targets and Crowded Places Executive Steering Committee, enhancing cross-component collaboration and accelerating policy decisions across senior leadership.
• Advanced Threat Preparedness Across Sectors – Authored strategic threat guidance on emerging risks—including autonomous systems, vehicle terrorism, cyber-physical convergence, and targeted threats to houses of worship—advancing national preparedness across multiple critical infrastructure sectors.

Managed national efforts to strengthen critical infrastructure security against insider risks and active shooter threats.

• Led National Active Shooter Preparedness - Facilitated 50+ interactive workshops that empowered thousands of organizations to create and refine active shooter response plans, improving readiness and safeguarding lives.
• Launched Insider Threat Awareness Hub - Created DHS’s first public-facing resource on insider threats and workplace violence, now a widely used training tool accessed by tens of thousands of stakeholders annually.

Led global operations, organizational management, and interagency coordination across combat zones, national command centers, and strategic logistics hubs during a 27-year military career (culminating in the rank of Sergeant Major).

• Strengthened Global Special Operations Coordination – Advised senior Pentagon leadership, streamlined interagency mission planning, and boosted operational responsiveness across joint special operations worldwide.
• Optimized Crisis Response and Personnel Recovery – Led strategic development of classified recovery protocols and personnel accountability systems, improving incident management for 1,500 special mission operators.
• Accelerated Casualty Operations in Iraq – Directed casualty and accountability processes for 5,000+ deployed personnel, cutting incident reporting timelines by 40% and enabling faster search-and-rescue execution.
• Ensured Mission Success for Sensitive Operations – Managed high-risk training and infrastructure sustainment, achieving 100% operational readiness across sensitive special operations missions while managing $9M in security infrastructure.
• Secured Critical Logistics in High-Threat Environments – Coordinated secure logistics and transport for 7,000+ special operations personnel transiting the Middle East, maintaining uninterrupted missions and safeguarding classified assets without incident.