CHRIS CONLEY
CAPTAIN, U.S. COAST GUARD (RETIRED)

Chris Conley is an expert in foreign security development with specific focus in Africa serving as the Chief of Transnational Threats at U.S. Africa Command.  In this role, he advised foreign governments on maritime security including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing as well as the impact of maritime security on governance and economic development.  Additionally, he oversaw Counter-Threat Finance operations that leveraged data analysis to target financiers of illicit trafficking and terrorism building 42 cases for U.S. sanctions to deny violent and criminal organizations funding streams.

Chris brings a wealth of experience from his 25 years of Coast Guard operations including a role as alternate Federal On-Scene Coordinator for maritime pollution response in the San Diego region that included development of a bi-national response framework with Mexico on the maritime boundary.  He conducted cyber security research as a National Security Affairs Fellow at the Hoover Institution on Stanford University that identified significant incentive gaps for securing critical infrastructure and provided viable policy prescriptions to enhance national security.  His published work can be found in the book, Maritime Issues in Cyber Security.