Page 18 - FCW, October 2016

Matthew
Derenski
Matthew Derenski got
into technology as a kid
— literally. “I’ve always kind of been interested
in computers since I was little, mostly taking them apart and destroying them,” he said.
He expected to continue down the path of computer networking, but that all changed after he transferred from community college to
a four-year college to
She led the development and execution of dozens of privacy assessments and updated the complex, nuanced HSIN terms of service and model charter. Her managers said that without her efforts, the network would not have a functioning governance policy.
Buchinski can digest extremely complex technical and policy information and zero in on the areas that need attention and develop a plan of action. She has taken on increased responsibility without hesitation and not only maintained operations but diligently worked to standardize and improve processes in each area.
Her growing expertise and relentless efforts to push the program ahead have made her the “go- to” resource when federal and contractor employees need information or
guidance on any aspect of HSIN.
— Mark Rockwell
study IT. A professor connected Derenski with
a summer job at NASA’s
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which led to a part-time job at the lab while Derenski finished college. After he graduated, the lab hired him for a cybersecurity position.
Derenski took on the management of JPL’s
log system for security problems “and then
just started suggesting improvements to it, improving the process,” he said.
His boss then tasked
Allison Buchinski
When she stepped up to manage policy development and compliance for the Homeland Security Information Network, Allison Buchinski took on a huge challenge. And she succeeded — spectacularly, according to her managers — with no formal training.
HSIN allows the Department of Homeland Security’s partners to share sensitive but unclassified information with one another so they can manage operations, analyze data, and send alerts and notices.
Buchinski’s work has been vital to ensuring
that the more than 60,000 federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, international and private-sector
HSIN users are protected under the Privacy Act, have well-defined rights and duties, and have a governance model that protects their interests and holds the HSIN Program Management Office accountable to its users.
16 October 2016 FCW.COM