Chief Trust Officer
Institute for Security and Technology

Steve Kelly serves as Chief Trust Officer at the Institute for Security and Technology, a 501(c)(3) non-profit building bridges between technologists and policymakers to tackle emerging security problems. Steve came to IST after serving on the National Security Council staff as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology. This transition also marked Steve’s retirement from the FBI as a special agent.

In his White House role, Steve led national policymaking and advised NSC leadership and the President on matters involving cyber defense, critical infrastructure security and resilience, cyber incident management, and relevant emerging technologies. He served as chair of the U.S. government’s cyber response group, vulnerabilities equities process, the cyber interagency policy committee, and facilitated the successful launch of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark security labeling program for consumer technology. He previously served on the NSC staff in 2013-2015, during which time he was instrumental in developing Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 41 on United States Cyber Incident Coordination.

Steve joined the FBI as a special agent in late-2001 and served within the Bureau’s cyber program for over 21 years in various field and headquarters roles. These included cybercrime and cyber/counterintelligence investigations, private sector and international engagement, strategy/policy, and leadership. His last FBI role was as Chief of Cyber Policy.

Prior to his government service, Steve practiced as a registered professional engineer.