David Mussington

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Professor of the Practice; Senior Fellow, GoTech
Affiliations:
Curriculum Vitae

David Mussington is a professor of the practice the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, and currently serves as the CISA Executive Assistant Director. He directs the School’s cyber policy initiative and teaches on cyber policy issues and risk management. Prior to joining UMD in 2016, he was assistant director of the information technology and systems division at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Mussington is also a senior fellow at Canada’s Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). Mussington has over two decades of experience in the national security, cybersecurity, and private sector experience.

Mussington served on the White House National Security Council staff – as director surface transportation security policy and was previously senior advisor for cyber policy for the US Department of Defense. Since leaving federal service, Mussington has directed cybersecurity studies for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Communications Commission and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Mussington has led cyber risk assessments for the Bank of Canada and for private sector entities in the US and Canada. Most recently he has conducted projects on election cybersecurity, social media information security issues, and the security of ICT supply chains. An internationally known expert on critical infrastructure cybersecurity, focusing on protection priorities and identification of adversary attack strategies.


 

Areas of Interest
  • Cybersecurity; critical infrastructure protection; science & technology policy; international security; US defense & foreign policy
PLCY201 Public Leaders and Active Citizens
3 Credit(s)

This course aims to inspire, teach and engage students in the theory and practice of public leadership from the local to the national to the global level. Students will learn and apply diverse approaches to leadership in a multicultural society while developing an understanding of key frameworks and practices necessary to foster collective action across private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Students will also explore and assess their own personal values, beliefs, and purpose as they develop their leadership potential. Finally, students will understand the leadership skills and challenges particular to their role as a future policymaker.
Schedule of Classes

PLCY388X Special Topics in Public Policy; Cyber Conflict: Broad Scope and Disparate Impacts
3 Credit(s)

Cyber conflict is often considered a distant problem the concern of mi litary commands and national governments. Cyber operations and intelligence remain at the center of conflict patterns, but there is so much more. The focus on state-on-state conflict is belied by the fact that the tools and targets of cyber conflict are frequently mundane and include information and services used daily by the public. And if tools can be used by everyone, attribution of effects can be to anyone. Harm can be unevenly distributed, and often falls on those least equipped to deal with its short term and long-term effects. Algorithmic decision making raises the issue of disparate impact hidden in non-transparent supposedly unbiased settings. This seminar explores these issues connecting old concept s of security with new concerns with disparate impact, privacy, access, and disinformation.

PLCY388X SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC POLICY; CYBER CONFLICT: BROAD SCOPE AND DISPARATE IMPACTS
3 Credit(s)
Offered: Spring 2021

Cyber conflict is often considered a distant problem the concern of mi litary commands and national governments. Cyber operations and intelligence remain at the center of conflict patterns, but there is so much more. The focus on state-on-state conflict is belied by the fact that the tools and targets of cyber conflict are frequently mundane and include information and services used daily by the public. And if tools can be used by everyone, attribution of effects can be to anyone. Harm can be unevenly distributed, and often falls on those least equipped to deal with its short term and long-term effects. Algorithmic decision making raises the issue of disparate impact hidden in non-transparent supposedly unbiased settings. This seminar explores these issues connecting old concept s of security with new concerns with disparate impact, privacy, access, and disinformation.

PLCY401 Contemporary Issues in Public Policy
3 Credit(s)

An integrative course that allows policy students to explore the complexities of the policy-making process from the perspective of specific policy topics. They will learn about and discuss subject- based issues in a seminar format led by faculty and policy experts. Site visits to federal agencies, guest speakers, and round table sessions ensure that students receive a variety of real-world perspectives on their chosen policy area. Restricted to students who have earned a minimum of 90 credits.
Schedule of Classes

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