Leader of the Month: Janice Kephart

For many who have dedicated their careers to public service, a critical moment or event typically seals their desire to become a civil servant. For Janice Kephart, that moment came on February 26, 1993, when a van bomb detonated underneath the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people, one of whom was an in-law to Janice. Following that act of terror, Janice and her family moved from Philadelphia to DC, where Janice leveraged her law degree to join as counsel on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee for Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Technology. That position led to the role of a lifetime for Janice as counsel on the 9/11 Commission, where she helped draft the 9/11 Final Report that provided recommendations to the White House and US national security entities.

Today, Janice is the CEO of Identity Strategy Partners, an SME services and consulting firm that serves the public sector in overcoming identity and biometrics challenges. Prior to founding Identity Strategy Partners, Janice served as a Senate Judiciary Counsel (twice) and Special Counsel (once) and as the border counsel on the 9/11 Commission responsible for the immigration investigation into how the hijackers got in and stayed in the U.S. long enough to commit the acts of terrorism on 9/11. She reported her findings in the Terrorist Travel recommendations in the 9/11 Final Report ("we must assure a person is who they say they are") and its attending monograph 9/11 and Terrorist Travel. After testifying 19 times before Congress on issues related to biometrics, identity and the border, (such as REAL ID) she founded Identity Strategy Partners in 2017. Her first Identity Strategy was with the DOD Chief Engineer for Biometrics, where she directed (and still does) the founding of the Biometric Interagency Working Group (BIWG) that supports over 40 government programs that operate or support biometric implementations. Today, the BIWG is resourced out of the DHS Office of Biometric Identity Management Futures Identity. 

Janice will be speaking at the Biometrics for Government & Law Enforcement Summit this December 10-11 in Reston, Virginia. At this year’s biometrics event, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Women’s Networking Break, a forum for women leaders in the biometrics space to convene, share career lessons, and expand their network.

Before the event begins next month, Janice sat down with IDGA to discuss her experience as a woman in biometrics and homeland security. The conversation included her advice for young women entering the workforce, the importance of staying resilient, and the value of finding a career mentor who can help guide your journey.