Washington, DC (August 19, 2020) – Venable LLP is pleased to announce that Grant Schneider has joined the firm as senior director of cybersecurity services in the Washington, DC office. As the most senior cybersecurity executive in the U.S. government, Mr. Schneider most recently served as the federal chief information security officer (CISO) for the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and on the White House National Security Council as senior director for cybersecurity policy.
Ari Schwartz, managing director of cybersecurity services at the firm, said, "Venable's robust network of cybersecurity advisors are at the forefront of establishing government and industry best practices across the cybersecurity and information governance sectors. Grant joins us from a distinguished career in the federal government, where he led numerous initiatives that were pivotal to managing risk and enhancing our national cybersecurity, not least of which was his recent work on supply chain security, encryption, and identity management. We look forward to welcoming him to our team and leveraging this experience in service to our clients."
Mr. Schneider was responsible for enhancing the overall defensive cybersecurity posture of federal and critical infrastructure systems, leveraging the expertise of the U.S. intelligence community to identify and mitigate threats to federal cybersecurity, and leading effective and efficient responses to federal incidents. He oversaw the most comprehensive review of the federal government's cybersecurity enterprise, implementing a cybersecurity risk assessment process across 100+ agencies, and worked with Congress to spearhead legislative initiatives, including the SECURE Technology Act, which established the Federal Acquisition Security Council (FASC) to allow for a federal whole-of-government risk management approach to recommending the removal or exclusion of companies or products that pose too great a risk to the federal enterprise. He also served as the first chair of the interagency Federal Acquisition Security Council, establishing criteria processes, and procedures that will be used to evaluate the risk of products and services to the federal government.
Concurrent with serving as the federal CISO, Mr. Schneider facilitated interagency and industry discussions to enhance the cybersecurity posture of the nation as the National Security Council's senior director for cybersecurity policy. During his tenure, he led White House efforts to develop and successfully gain cabinet and presidential approval for the first National Cyber Strategy in more than 15 years, and acted as the principal White House liaison for multiple public-private partnerships focused on securing our national critical infrastructure, including the National Telecommunications Security Council; the Enduring Security Framework; the Energy and Government Coordinating Council; and the Communications and Government Coordinating Council.
Commenting on his move to Venable, Mr. Schneider said, "Venable presented the rare opportunity to work with some of the nation's leading minds in shaping the future of cybersecurity from within the private sector. I have spent my nearly 28 years of government service implementing innovative programs and policies on a national scale and am eager to stretch these muscles in new ways to advance the cybersecurity goals of the firm's clients."
Mr. Schneider received his B.S. in Applied Math from George Mason University.
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Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and other individuals. With more than 850 professionals across the country, including California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients' objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary, advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit https://www.venable.com/.