Partners in Prevention Task Force
TASK FORCE
The work of Partners in Prevention is guided by a Task Force whose members bring distinguished records of business achievement and government service. Learn more about them below.
Task Force members and Stimson project staff at the inaugural Task Force meeting (September 2012)
Left to right: Nate Olson (Stimson), Gary Gregg, Brian Finlay (Stimson), Rob Rosenberg, David Oliver, Peter Lichtenbaum, Barry Blechman, Jay Cohen, Ann Beauchesne, Brad Gary, Rupert Herbert-Burns, John Cogliano, Michael C. Mullen
Not pictured: John Clancey, Ashley Craig, Ronnie Goldberg
Task Force Members (click name to view bio below)
• Rear Admiral (ret) Jay Cohen*
• Barry Blechman**
• Ann Beauchesne
• Ambassador Kenneth Brill
• John Clancey
• John Cogliano
• Ashley Craig
• Brad Gary
• Ronnie Goldberg
• Gary Gregg
• Rupert Herbert-Burns
• Peter Lichtenbaum
• Michael C. Mullen
• Rear Admiral (ret) David Oliver
• Rob Rosenberg
* Task Force Chair
** Task Force Vice-Chair
REAR ADMIRAL (RET) JAY COHEN
Principal, Chertoff Group; Chairman, Partners in Prevention Task Force
Admiral Cohen’s early Navy assignments included service on conventional and nuclear submarines. From 1985 to 1988 Cohen commanded USS HYMAN G. RICKOVER (SSN 709). Following command, he served on the U.S. Atlantic Fleet as a senior member of the Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board, responsible for certifying the safe operation of nuclear powered ships and crews. From 1991 to 1993, he commanded the submarine tender USS L.Y. SPEAR (AS 36) including a deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation DESERT STORM. After Spear, he reported to the Secretary of the Navy as Deputy Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs. During this assignment, Cohen was responsible for supervising all Navy Congressional liaison.
In June 2000, Cohen was promoted in rank and became the 20th Chief of Naval Research. He served during war as the Department of the Navy Chief Technology Officer (a direct report to the Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant of the Marine Corps). Responsible for the $2B+/year Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology (S&T) Program (involving basic research to applied technology portfolios and contracting), Cohen coordinated investments with other U.S. and international S&T providers to rapidly meet war fighter combat needs. After an unprecedented five and a half year assignment as Chief of Naval Research, Rear Admiral Cohen retired from the Navy on February 1, 2006.
Unanimously confirmed by the US Senate, Cohen was sworn in as Under Secretary for Science & Technology at the Department of Homeland Security (responsible for DHS Research, Development, Test and Evaluation) on August 10, 2006 (the day of the British Airways liquid explosive plot in England). His success at DHS is documented in a National Geographic TV special "Hi-Tech War on Terror.” Rear Admiral Cohen is now a principal in The Chertoff Group and serves on numerous corporate boards.
Admiral Cohen is a native of New York. He was commissioned in 1968 upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy. He holds a joint Ocean Engineering degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Master of Science in Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture from MIT.
BARRY BLECHMAN
Former CEO, DFI International; Vice-Chairman, Partners in Prevention Task Force
Dr. Barry M. Blechman is the co-founder of the Stimson Center, where he is a distinguished fellow focused on nuclear disarmament. He was chair of Stimson's board from 1989 to 2007. Blechman founded DFI International Inc., a research consultancy, in 1984, and served as its CEO until 2007.
Blechman has nearly 50 years of distinguished service in national security, in both the public and private sectors. He is an expert on political and military policies, military strategy, and defense budgets and industries. Blechman has worked in the Departments of State and Defense, and at the Office of Management and Budget. Among other boards and commissions, Blechman served on the Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States (1998-99), the Defense Policy Board (2002-06), and the Department of State Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy (2005-08).
Blechman holds a PhD in international relations from Georgetown University, has taught at several universities, and has written extensively on national security issues. In 2010, he co-chaired the Iran Study Group with Daniel Brumberg of the US Institute of Peace; the group’s report is called Engagement, Coercion, and Iran’s Nuclear Challenge. Blechman’s recent publications include Elements of a Nuclear Disarmament Treaty and National Perspectives on Nuclear Disarmament. Both volumes, which he co-edited with Alexander Bollfrass, were published by Stimson in 2010.
ANN BEAUCHESNE
VP, National Security & Emergency Preparedness, US Chamber of Commerce
Ann began her emergency management career at the National Governors’ Association (NGA) where she served as a Senior Policy Analyst and Program Director of Emergency Management in the NGA’s Natural Resources Division. There, she focused on critical environmental issues such as nuclear waste cleanup, emergency management, and domestic terrorism issues. While at the NGA, Ann developed and facilitated critical relationships with federal, state, and local agencies while leading several emergency management and domestic terrorism focused conferences. Ann’s expertise on these issues eventually led her to establish and serve as the first Director of the NGA’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division after 9/11. As the division’s Director, Ann led the only Homeland Security division outside the Federal Government allowing for state homeland security advisors to collaborate ideas and information. As a result, she drafted the first-ever and still widely used Governor’s Guide to Homeland Security. In 2003 Ann was asked to help establish the National Security & Emergency Preparedness Department at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As Vice President of the Department she is the gateway for the private sector, lawmakers, and federal agencies to collaborate on all homeland security and emergency management issues. Ann’s career has provided her with a comprehensive knowledge of key homeland security and emergency management issues and has earned her the upmost respect among industry leaders.
AMBASSADOR KENNETH BRILL
Former Director, National Counterproliferation Center (NCPC)
Ambassador Kenneth C. Brill completed a 35-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service in April, 2010. In his final Foreign Service assignment, he was the founding Director of the U.S. National Counterproliferation Center (NCPC), which is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Ambassador Brill served as NCPC's Director for five years.
Ambassador Brill's overseas assignments with the Department of State included serving as Ambassador to the IAEA and the UN Office in Vienna, Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus, acting-Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, and Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. His domestic assignments in the Department of State included service as acting-Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Executive Secretary of the Department and Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, and Director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs.
After leaving government service, Ambassador Brill was President of The Fund for Peace from November 1, 2010 to October 31, 2011. He has written and spoken on the subjects of the nuclear nonproliferation regime, countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the challenges of WMD terrorism, the environment as a national security issue and U.S. intelligence reform.
Ambassador Brill is a graduate of Ohio University and received his MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. He is married and has two grown children.
JOHN P. CLANCEY
Chairman, Livingston International Inc.; Director, Maersk Line
Mr. Clancey is a seasoned and successful international shipping industry executive with over thirty years of global business experience. Prior to founding Hospitality Logistics International in 2010, he served as Chairman of Maersk, Inc. for eleven years, overseeing the company's $6 billion transportation and logistics business. As Chairman, he managed the company's ocean transportation; truck and rail; logistics and warehousing; and distribution businesses. He was also responsible for Maersk Line Ltd., the largest operation of US Flag vessels.
Livingston International (Sterling Partners) is one of the top five customs entry filers in the United States and Canada's largest customs broker. The company also offers customs and international trade consulting services as well as international freight forwarding across North America and around the globe. With its U.S. air/sea hub located in Chicago and regional centers in Los Angeles, New York and Norfolk, Livingston is also a dominant customs broker along the U.S.-Canada border. Across North America, Livingston employs over 2,300 employees at approximately 100 key border points, seaports, airports and other strategic locations.
John has served on the boards of various multi-national companies, including Airgas, Inc., UST Inc., Foster Wheeler Ltd., and AT&T Capital.
JOHN COGLIANO
VP, Homeland Security Solutions, Lexington Insurance Company (Chartis)
John Cogliano is located in Boston, Massachusetts. He oversees the property terrorism business line for the U.S. and Canada within the Property Division at Lexington Insurance Company.
Mr. Cogliano has over 20 years of public and private sector management experience with proven results in crisis management, threat assessment and infrastructure resiliency. He has held several high-profile positions that included: Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation, Chairman and CEO of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Chairman of the Board of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department. Cogliano had responsibility for multi-billion dollar budgets, initiated and implemented anti-terrorism training to field operations personnel, oversaw and directed the vulnerability assessment of state transportation assets, managed the development and implementation of the continuity operating plan (COOP) for the state transportation system, conducted table-top exercises for primary transportation agencies, and conducted actual logistical drills for the state transportation system.
Mr. Cogliano has interacted with all levels of federal, state and local government involved in transportation, law enforcement and homeland security. Managing people, assets and infrastructure in the Post 9-11 world, he has many years of first-hand experience in homeland security and emergency management.
Mr. Cogliano graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science and later studied administration and management at Harvard University.
ASHLEY CRAIG
Partner, Venable
As a partner at Venable, Ashley Craig counsels both US and foreign companies on transactional matters, cross-border regulatory and policy concerns and advises clients on the importance of homeland and transportation security initiatives. Mr. Craig works closely with data and information providers, particularly in the areas of international trade and transport. He represents these companies before Congress, federal agencies (such as the Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation and Commerce), private-sector trade associations, and before the EU/EC.
In addition, Mr. Craig regularly appears before Executive Branch agencies and congressional committees that have oversight of foreign policy, transportation and economic regulation. Some of Mr. Craig's more recent homeland and transportation security legislative experience includes the SAFE Port Act of 2006, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 and the Trade Act of 2002.
Mr. Craig holds a number of leadership positions in the community, including President of the Propeller Club of Washington, D.C., Secretary of the History of Containerization Foundation, and Board Member of the Containerization and Intermodal Institute. He is also a member of the Defense, Transportation and Security Committee of the British American Business Council. Mr. Craig received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 2000.
BRAD GARY
Former VP, Worldwide Government Operations, Allergan
W. Bradford Gary is Managing Director of Southern Ocean Research Company, LLC. Mr. Gary represented Allergan on international government matters and served as its Vice President, Worldwide Government Operations, based in California and Washington, DC, for 18 years. Prior to his appointment with Allergan, he was a senior executive with 3M Company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Baxter International, and the Warner-Lambert Company. Mr. Gary served as a member of the Office of the Chairman of the Board, Executive Management Committee, and Legal Affairs Organization. In government service, Mr. Gary was a professional staff member specializing in national security matters. He also served as Congressional staff with U.S. Representative Les Aspin and the U.S. Senate. Mr. Gary graduated from George Washington University and was a Congressional Fellow in the University's Political Science Department. He did additional graduate work at George Washington University and Cambridge University, and served as an Adjunct Instructor in Political Science in the graduate division of George Washington University. Mr. Gary currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Annapolis Institute, Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA), and Palm Beach Maritime Museum. He is a member of the U.S. Naval Institute and U.S. Naval War College Foundation in Newport, Rhode Island.
RONNIE GOLDBERG
Executive VP, US Council for International Business (USCIB)
Ronnie Goldberg is USCIB’s chief policy officer, overseeing its wide-ranging activities on international trade, investment, economic and regulatory matters, and supervising a staff of policy professionals whose expertise covers a host of issues affecting American companies engaged in business abroad. She also coordinates USCIB policies in relation to those of its international affiliates – ICC, BIAC and IOE – and various other groups. She serves as the U.S. employer representative on the International Labor Organization’s Governing Body, and chairs the BIAC Employment, Labor, and Social Affairs (ELSA) Committee.
Prior to joining USCIB in 1987, Ms. Goldberg served as vice president for international affairs at the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and as a vice president in the trade and export finance division of Chase Manhattan Bank. From 1978 to 1982, she was a project director at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, specializing in East-West trade, technology transfer and Soviet energy development.
Ms. Goldberg received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bryn Mawr College. The recipient of both Woodrow Wilson and Ford Fellowships, she holds a master’s degree in the history of political thought from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
GARY GREGG
Former President and CEO, Liberty Mutual Agency Corporation
Gary retired from the Liberty Mutual Group in 2011 after 22 years as an executive there. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Liberty Mutual Agency Corporation. LMAC provides personal, commercial and surety insurance through independent agents in the U.S., and has approximately $12 billion in revenue and 12,000 employees. Prior to his role as CEO of LMAC, Gary was the president of Liberty’s large account commercial insurance unit, which included Fortune 1000 clients and international reinsurance operations. Gary joined Liberty from KPMG, where as a partner he served manufacturing, technology, and financial services clients. He holds a B.A. in economics from the State University of New York and an M.S. in accounting from Northeastern University. Gary serves on numerous not-for-profit boards including the Museum of Science and Northeastern University, and he and his wife Karen live in Boston and East Orleans, MA.
RUPERT HERBERT-BURNS
Former Director of Intelligence, Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Group
Rupert Herbert-Burns is a leading maritime security expert and consultant for shipping, security, offshore energy, and analytic organizations in the UK, US, and Europe. He is routinely engaged in providing ISPS Code consultation and at-sea security risk surveys for vessels and offshore operations in many areas, including the Gulf of Aden/Horn of Africa, West Africa, the Persian Gulf, and Southeast Asia. Operational work also includes the provision of security training and deployment preparation for vessels working in high piracy and armed robbery threat waters. In this capacity, Herbert-Burns works with embarked vessel security teams protecting ships transiting through high threat waters in the Indian Ocean.
Previously, while based in Washington, DC and London as director of intelligence at the Maritime Intelligence Group (Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit), Herbert-Burns worked on maritime security threat and supply-chain security projects with branches of the US Government, US Navy, New York Police Department, UK Metropolitan Police (Marine Support Unit), Transport Canada, and NATO. As part of his work for Lloyd’s MIU, Herbert-Burns was one of the co-producers and maintainers of the Vigilance vessel security-risk profiling system and the Hull Risk assessment system (insurance), which are in use by governments, navies, and marine underwriters in Europe and Asia. Prior to his work in the commercial maritime and security sector, Herbert-Burns served worldwide at sea as a warfare officer in the Royal Navy, and later as an infantry platoon commander and intelligence officer with the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas. He is now a serving officer in the Royal Naval Reserve working at the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre (Chicksands) and at the Ministry of Defense in London.
Herbert-Burns has a PhD in Petroleum Geopolitics from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, an MA (MLitt) in International Security Studies from the University of St Andrews, and a BSc (Hons) in International Relations and Politics from the University of Plymouth.
PETER LICHTENBAUM
Partner, Covington & Burling
Peter Lichtenbaum is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Covington and Burling and co-chair of the International Trade and Finance practice group. Prior to joining Covington and Burling, Mr. Lichtenbaum served as Vice President of Regulatory Compliance and International Policy at BAE Systems. He has experience in a broad array of international regulatory compliance and trade matters, including export controls, economic sanctions, national security reviews of foreign investments, anti-corruption laws, market access, and international trade disputes. He also has specialized experience in the aerospace, defense, and homeland security industries.
Previously, Mr. Lichtenbaum held senior positions in the Department of Commerce, one of three key agencies responsible for administering US export and foreign trade controls. From October 2003 through February 2006, he served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, responsible for developing the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) policies regarding controls on the export of dual-use items for national security, foreign policy, nonproliferation, and other reasons. Mr. Lichtenbaum also chaired the inter-agency Advisory Committee on Export Policy, and he managed BIS’s participation in multilateral export control regimes. He represented the Department of Commerce in a number of sensitive matters reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). During his tenure at Commerce, Mr. Lichtenbaum also served for seven months as Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, in which capacity he led BIS. His responsibilities included the development and enforcement of strategic trade controls, regulation of foreign acquisitions that affect US security, and oversight of the defense industrial base.
Mr. Lichtenbaum’s background also includes managing the development and defense of several major WTO dispute settlement cases, in which he worked closely with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and other governments. He advised major companies regarding WTO trade policy matters and US regulation of international businesses.
MICHAEL C. MULLEN
Executive Director, Express Association of America
Michael Mullen was selected in February 2009 as the first Executive Director of the Express Association of America (EAA), a trade association newly formed by four large integrated express delivery companies – DP DHL, FedEx, TNT, and UPS. He supports the EAA Board and Committees in developing policy relevant to the express delivery industry in the areas of customs, trade, security and postal issues.
Prior to joining EAA, Mr. Mullen was a senior official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He was initially assigned as Director of the Office of Trade Relations, where he was responsible for managing the agency’s relationships with the trade community. In November 2005 Mr. Mullen was re-assigned as the Director of the Office of Policy and Planning, where he served as the senior policy advisor to the Commissioner and the senior leadership of CBP. In November 2006 he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner for International Affairs and Trade Relations, where he managed the agency’s interactions with foreign customs agencies worldwide and represented CBP at the World Customs Organization.
Before joining U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Mr. Mullen was a Senior Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, a global technology consulting firm, where he worked on information management issues as a member of the national security team. Prior to this position, from 1995 to 2002, Mr. Mullen was the director of the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a business development public/private partnership whose mission is removing trade barriers and expanding market opportunities for U.S. firms in the Asia-Pacific region.
From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Mullen was the Executive Director of the Japan America Society of Southern California, a non-profit organization whose members include top U.S. and Japanese business, government, and academic leaders throughout Southern California. Mr. Mullen concluded a 20-year career as a U.S. Navy officer with an assignment as the Assistant Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Earlier he served in several operational assignments with the Navy in Europe, Washington DC, and Hawaii.
Mr. Mullen is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Georgetown University, where he earned a MA in Government. He also attended the University of Innsbruck in Austria as an Olmsted Scholar. He is married with one son.
REAR ADMIRAL (RET) DAVID OLIVER
Former COO, EADS North America
Dave’s diverse career has included extensive experience in government and industry as well as the military. He retired in June from EADS North America where he served as CEO of the Defense Company and Chief Operating Officer.
Immediately prior, Dave served in Iraq as the Director of Management and Budget for the Coalition Forces. Previously, he served in the Clinton Administration as Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, a position assumed after working as an executive at Northrop Grumman Corporation and Westinghouse.
Dave completed a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy in 1995, retiring as a Rear Admiral (Upper Half). He served at sea aboard both diesel-electric and nuclear submarines, commanded a nuclear submarine as well as two submarine groups, one in Japan and one in San Diego; and served as Chief of Staff of the Seventh Fleet. His final military tour was as Principal Deputy to the civilian Navy Acquisition Executive.
Mr. Oliver’s military decorations include the Defense and Navy Distinguished Service Medals as well as six awards of the Legion of Merit. His awards for public service include two Department of Defense Awards for Distinguished Public Service, and similar awards from the Departments of the Army and the Navy.
Dave’s undergraduate training was from the United States Naval Academy. Subsequently he received a Master of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs (specializing in the Middle East) from American University. He is the author of Making It in Washington, as well as his wife’s biography, Wide Blue Ribbon, and a leadership book, Lead On.
ROB ROSENBERG
CFO, NTELX
Robert Rosenberg is the Chief Financial Officer and one of the founding management team members of NTELX, Inc. an operational decision technology company with a primary focus on supply chain and freight transportation solutions. As CFO, Mr. Rosenberg is responsible for all financial and business administration aspects of the firm.
Prior to joining NTELX, Mr. Rosenberg worked for two subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs, Inc. representing private equity interests in commercial real estate. As part of the Archon Group, Mr. Rosenberg began as a financial analyst responsible for financial analysis and oversight of a $120 million portfolio. While Mr. Rosenberg was an asset manager for Archon, he determined the strategic direction and had P&L-level responsibility for over $100 million in real estate assets. Within four years of his joining Archon, he became the youngest acquisition manager in the company. In his first year as an acquisition manager, Mr. Rosenberg acquired over $55 million in assets, the leading producer in his region. Mr. Rosenberg also worked in Tokyo for Goldman Sachs Realty Japan during its initial year of operations. He helped establish the asset management operating and information platform, trained Japanese staff on the operations and strategies of asset management, and supervised the Japanese loan asset management team in the restructuring of numerous commercial loans.
Mr. Rosenberg graduated from Brown University (A.B. Political Science 1994, AB Organizational Behavior and Management (i.e. Business) 1994). Mr. Rosenberg is married to Laurie Breen, an artist. They have two children, Emma (9) and Harry (7) and live in Silver Spring, MD.