Speakers 2

Mr. Fred Ruonavar is the Chief of the Contingency Operations and DoD Information Network (DoDIN) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Branch in the Operations Directorate at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. He acts as the lead government agent for the DoDIN Sector CIP program. He serves as the technical advisor on matters involving infrastructure programs and organizational structures; evaluating directorate level plans and policies for use by Department of Defense employees in the development of information technology criteria; and Information Assurance programs and plans. In addition, he is the lead for the Agency’s Combat Support feasibility planning, providing managerial and supervisory oversight to the DISA supplemental requirements in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and other contingency operations in the Global War on Terrorism. Mr. Ruonavar also directs DoDIN/DISA CIP participation in annual COCOM Tier 1-level exercises, spearheading initiatives to implement standards, methodologies, and strategies that ensure the agency’s mission of providing world class service to the warfighter.

While directing contingency operations as the Chief of the DISA Crisis Action Team (CAT), he received the prestigious Director’s Award. Under his leadership DISA’s CAT responded to numerous catastrophic events including multiple hurricanes, Mediterranean cable cuts, the Haitian earthquake, and the Tsunami Fukushima.

Prior to his civil service assignments, he was a Design Engineer for SAIC supporting Boeing Information Services. He maintained operations and analysis oversight for the Defense Information System Network (DISN) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks, which served well over 10,000 customers.

In 1987, Mr. Ruonavar, a Michigan native, joined the United States Air Force and began his military career with training at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Mr. Ruonavar then went on to graduate with a degree in Electronic Systems Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. During his military career, he held a variety of staff assignments that involved performing evaluation, testing, and diagnostic troubleshooting of microwave and satellite radio links, wiring cutovers, and the management of emerging programs, facilities, circuits, and critical-secure systems.