On May 1, 2017, President Donald Trump appointed Mr. Richard Staropoli as the Chief Information Officer for the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr. Staropoli has extensive experience on matters involving intelligence gathering and emerging technologies. He also has multi-jurisdictional investigative experience involving counterfeiting, forgery, bank fraud, and fugitives, and has significant expertise in the area of technical security and effective countermeasures.
Most recently, Mr. Staropoli worked at Fortress Investment Group, an international hedge fund with approximately $80 billion in assets under management, where he served as Chief Information Security Officer/Managing Director for Global Security and Counter-Party Risk.
Prior to his position at Fortress, Mr. Staropoli served as a Special Agent for 25 years with the U.S. Secret Service. While there, he had many different responsibilities, including serving within the Presidential Protective Division, the Counter-Assault Team, the Hostage Rescue Unit, and the Intelligence Community.
Mr. Staropoli has been the recipient of numerous awards from DHS, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the New York City Police Department. He received a commendation from President George W. Bush for his actions in the White House on September 11, 2001.
Mr. Staropoli received a B.S. degree from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at New York University.