Trump adds biometrics industry veteran to transition team

According to an FCW report, President-elect Donald Trump has named Michael T. Dougherty, currently CEO of the Secure Identity and Biometrics Association (SIBA), as a member of his transition team, with responsibility over the Department of Homeland Security.

The transition process, governed by the Presidential Transition Act, ensures the smooth transfer of executive power. Dougherty will provide policy advice to the incoming Trump administration, which has made completing the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, now in pilot project stage, a key component of its proposed immigration policy.

Dougherty has over 20 years of legal and policy experience in the federal government. At the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), he was appointed Ombudsman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services where he led an office of 27 professionals with a US$6.5 million budget.

Dougherty served as Legislative Counsel to Senator Jon Kylon the Senate Judiciary Committee and prior to that, as a Senior Policy Advisor at DHS Headquarters. He also served as an appellate litigator with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Immigration Litigation, and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Immediately before he became the CEO of SIBA, he was Director of Business Development in Homeland Security Programs at Raytheon. At the defense contractor, he was responsible for initiating and supporting pursuits in the homeland and public safety markets, and leading collaborative efforts across businesses to bring distinctive products and services to civilian mission sets. He also represented Raytheon as a a thought leader, writing white papers and speaking at both U.S. and international events. He also worked to evaluate third-party technologies for investment purposes.

At SIBA, Dougherty is responsible for promoting awareness of technologies, services and processes that could secure and improve travel, borders, health care, law enforcement, commercial transactions and emergency situation management. SIBA is a non-profit group that promotes the value of secure identity technologies and biometric solutions. It members, who include Unisys, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Leidos, Identify, RiVidium, NEC, Advanced Optical Systems, and Disaster Solutions, share a common interest in biometrics, identity management, cyber protection, and mission assurance.

The association is currently the process of re-branding and will be called the “Identification Technology Association (IdTA)” in the near future.

Article Topics

appointments  |  biometrics  |  Department of Homeland Security  |  IdTA  |  SIBA