Dick Schaeffer

Richard C. Schaffer, Jr. is a Senior Advisor to The Chertoff Group. He is a former Senior Executive with the National Security Agency (NSA), with other 40 years of U.S. Government service, including 15 years as a member of the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service. Principal positions during Mr. Schaeffer's career include Director, Information and Infrastructure Assurance, in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence), as well as a member of positions within the National Security Agency, including: Deputy Chief of Staff, Acting Director of Research, Director of the National Security Operations Center, Information Assurance Deputy Director, and Information Assurance Director. During the early phase of his career, Mr. Schaeffer led technical programs and organizations from several dozen to several hundred people, with financial responsibility from several million to almost a billion dollars. Since retiring from the NSA in April 2010, Mr. Schaeffer has continued to pursue his passion for improving the security of U.S. interests in the cyber domain. He serves on the advisory boards of a number of government, private sector, and non-profit companies and organizations, including the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), the National Board of Information Security Examiners (NBISE) and others. Mr. Schaeffer remains a strong advocate of cyber education and training, believing that the Nation's future in the complex world of cyberspace depends upon a corps of professionals who are well-equipped to deal with a rapidly changing technology and threat environment. Throughout his career, Mr. Schaeffer has been recognized for his vision, leadership, and commitment to excellence. He is known for his strategic thinking, ability to build cohesive teams, political savvy, technical competence, and ability to communicate complex topics to any audience.