Under Secretary, Office of Policy
Robert Silvers was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate as the Under Secretary for Policy on August 5, 2021. He is responsible for driving DHS’s direction across all of its missions, including counterterrorism; cybersecurity; AI safety; border security and immigration; international affairs; a range of law enforcement activities; and trade and economic security.
Mr. Silvers serves as Chair of the both the U.S. Cyber Safety Review Board and the federal Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force. He also oversees the federal government’s Supply Chain Resilience Center.
Mr. Silvers previously served in the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama-Biden Administration as Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy. In that role he oversaw private sector engagement, federal government incident response, and diplomatic outreach pertaining to cybersecurity and emerging technology. Mr. Silvers also previously served as DHS’s Deputy Chief of Staff, managing execution of policy and operational priorities across the entire Department.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Silvers was a partner at the law firm Paul Hastings LLP, where his practice focused on investigations, cybersecurity and data privacy, AI safety and governance, and other matters at the intersection of law enforcement, technology, and national security. After graduating law school, he clerked for Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Mr. Silvers holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He taught as an adjunct professor in the M.S. in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy Program co-offered by the NYU Law School and NYU Tandon School of Engineering.