Debra Jordan, Bureau Chief
Debra Jordan is Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, where she oversees public safety, homeland security, emergency management, cybersecurity, and disaster preparedness activities at the FCC. She leads efforts to ensure that the nation’s first responders and the public have access to effective and reliable communications. Under Ms. Jordan’s leadership, the Bureau develops and implements policies to strengthen 911, emergency alerting, network reliability and security, and first responder communications. The Bureau also collaborates closely with Federal government partners responsible for protecting the Nation’s communications infrastructure.
Prior to assuming the role of Bureau Chief in January 2022, Ms. Jordan served as Deputy Chief of the Bureau, where she led emergency preparedness and response efforts and represented the FCC at various interagency committees and task forces related to cybersecurity, supply chain risk management, national security, and continuity.
Before joining the FCC in 2015, Ms. Jordan served as a civilian within the Department of Defense, where she managed a variety of critical information and communications systems. While at DoD, Ms. Jordan served as the Command Information Officer for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, where she led the Navy’s development of a cybersecurity roadmap for critical utilities and facilities infrastructure. She also served numerous assignments to enhance Navy communications networks and telephony services across the Pacific region. As Executive Agent for the U.S. Pacific Command, she led the establishment of E911 and Public Safety Answering Points for the DoD’s command and control communications system in the State of Hawaii, including an integrated fail-over capability with county and state first responders. She also served as DoD’s representative to the Hawaii State Public Utilities Commission for numerous communications issues. As Executive Director for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii, she oversaw the migration of emergency communications systems, including integrating communications with state and local first responders.
Ms. Jordan, a native of Hawaii, has received multiple Navy Superior and Meritorious Civilian Service Awards.
David Furth, Deputy Chief
David Furth is the Deputy Chief of the Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. He is responsible for overseeing policy issues pertaining to public safety and homeland security including public safety spectrum and licensing, E911, Emergency Alert System, and CALEA. Mr. Furth served as Acting Bureau Chief from January to July 2009. From September, 2006 through January, 2009, Mr. Furth was an Associate Bureau Chief. In this capacity, he was responsible for a variety of legal and policy issues in the Bureau, most notably the 800 MHz rebanding proceeding. From March 2003 to September 2006, Mr. Furth was Associate Bureau Chief and Counsel in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Since joining the Commission in 1992, Mr. Furth has served as an attorney in the Private Radio Bureau and the Wireless Bureau, Legal Advisor to Commissioner Rachelle Chong, Deputy Chief and Chief of the Commercial Wireless Division, and Senior Legal Advisor in the Wireless Bureau. Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Furth was in private law practice in Washington, DC and San Francisco, California. He received his B.A. from Harvard University and his J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Nicole McGinnis, Deputy Chief
Nicole McGinnis is Deputy Chief in the Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau. Ms. McGinnis is responsible for the development and implementation of FCC policies in the areas of network reliability and emergency alerting. In addition, Ms. McGinnis has an extensive consumer and spectrum policy background and has held several positions within the FCC, including Deputy Chief of the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau and legal advisor in the Office of the Bureau Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Ms. McGinnis has also worked in the private sector. She started her career as an associate at Wiley Rein LLP, where she worked in the firm’s telecom practice. She also served as Director of Spectrum Resources at Sprint, where she advised a broad internal client base, including corporate counsel, RF engineers, and spectrum development teams with respect to spectrum policies and compliance issues. Ms. McGinnis received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in English and Government from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Sonja Rodriguez, Deputy Chief
Sonja Rodriguez, Deputy Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, is responsible for matters related to emergency preparedness, disaster response, and national security.
Ms. Rodriguez brings nearly 35 years of federal government experience in acquisition program management and systems engineering, leading C4ISR, counter-improvised explosive devices, IT systems, and tactical communication systems programs.
Before joining the FCC in December 2023, Ms. Rodriguez served as a civilian within the Department of Homeland Security as the Assistant Program Executive Officer Deputy for the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cybersecurity, and Intelligence, (C5I) Domain in the United States Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate. In this capacity, she provided technical oversight of a highly complex portfolio representing $3 billion Department of Homeland Security investment in C5I systems.
Ms. Rodriguez joined DHS in 2007, first serving in the DHS Science and Technology Directorate. She began her government career with the Department of Defense at the Naval Air Development Center in Pennsylvania and later with the Space and Naval Warfare Center in California. She has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Marine Science, Systems Engineering, and Acquisition Management.
Jim Schlichting, Senior Deputy Chief
Jim Schlichting joined the Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau as Senior Deputy Chief in April 2023. Mr. Schlichting has had a long and distinguished career at the FCC, with his contributions recognized by the Commission’s Distinguished Service Award (Gold Medal). Immediately before coming to the Bureau, he served as Senior Deputy Chief in the International Bureau, where he was involved with a wide variety of matters -- including spectrum-related proceedings (such as the transition of the 3.7 GHz band), international outreach on robocall and other high priority topics, and satellite broadband issues. Before his time in the International Bureau, Mr. Schlichting was Deputy Bureau Chief in the Wireless Telecommunications from 2005 until 2017, serving as Acting Chief of that Bureau in 2008-2009. From 2003 to 2005, he was a Deputy Chief in the Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology, when the Commission began considering the innovations promised by software defined radios. Mr. Schlichting joined the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau in 1999 as Deputy Bureau Chief, after having served successively as Chief of two Divisions and then as Deputy Bureau Chief in the Common Carrier Bureau (predecessor of the Wireline Competition Bureau). He joined the agency in 1985 in the Common Carrier Bureau and then served as the common carrier legal advisor to the FCC Chairman from 1987 to 1989.
Before coming to the Commission, Mr. Schlichting was an associate at a Washington, D.C. law firm, after having been a law clerk to Judges Philip W. Tone and Luther M. Swygert of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Schlichting received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and his B.A. in History, summa cum laude, from Yale College.
In addition to working in all of these important roles at the Commission, Mr. Schlichting is known throughout the agency as the peerless organizer and MC of the annual FCC Christmas carols - a staff tradition for 32 years.
Maureen Bizhko, Chief of Staff
Maureen Bizhko serves as Chief of Staff to the Bureau Chief and is responsible for assisting the Bureau Chief and Deputy Bureau Chiefs in developing policy initiatives, and planning and directing programs to further the Bureau’s public safety and homeland security goals, including 911 centers and first responders’ priority emergency communications. In accordance with the Bureau Chief’s goals and directives, she advises FCC leadership and other high-level officials on major policy issues related to public safety and homeland security.
Ms. Bizhko has spent over 15 years at the FCC. Before serving as Chief of Staff, she worked in PSHSB’s Policy and Licensing Division specializing in emergency alerting, specifically false alerts and nationwide emergency alert tests and analysis. Prior to joining PSHSB, Ms. Bizhko worked in FCC’s Enforcement Bureau on spectrum enforcement and Media Bureau as legal advisor to the Media Bureau Chief.
Ms. Bizhko received her J.D. from Catholic University of America, with a certificate in the Law and Public Policy Program, and her B.A. in Government and Spanish, with a minor in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Area Studies, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.
Kenneth Carlberg, Chief Technology Officer
Ken Carlberg is the Chief Technology Officer in the Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau. He is involved in the review and analysis of technology. Prior to joining the Commission, Dr. Carlberg worked in both private industry and academia. His work experience spans a wide range of topics including prioritized voice communications, cybersecurity, congestion control, multicast, and resource reservation. He has participated in the Internet Engineering Task Force since 1990, and has been a Principal Investigator and Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Naval Research Lab, and National Science Foundation. Entwined in various efforts, he has occasionally designed and developed production level or prototype software in cybersecurity and various IP layer networking devices. Dr. Carlberg received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from University College London.
Zenji Nakazawa, Associate Chief
Zenji Nakazawa is Associate Bureau Chief to the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. He is responsible for national security, 5G and ICT cyber supply chain risk management, and public safety. Before re-joining the Bureau, Mr. Nakazawa served four years as Legal Advisor to former FCC Chairman Ajit V. Pai for public safety, homeland security, consumer protection, and enforcement issues. In that capacity, he supported the agency’s efforts to promote the U.S. National Strategy to Secure 5G, ensure continuity of communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthen response capabilities of the nation’s first responders, enhance emergency alerting, coordinate on national disasters, and stem the tide of illegal robocalls.
He previously served as Chief and Deputy Chief of the Policy Division in the Bureau, where he managed a broad portfolio including 911, public safety spectrum, the Communications for Law Enforcement Act, cellphone privacy, and unmanned aerial systems. Mr. Nakazawa has also served as Acting Legal Advisor and Staff Attorney in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and Staff Attorney in the former Cable Services Bureau. Mr. Nakazawa received his B.A. in economics from Bucknell University, and his J.D. from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond.
Jeffery Goldthorp, Associate Chief & Chief Data Officer
Jeff Goldthorp is an Associate Bureau Chief in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Mr. Goldthorp’s portfolio includes data science initiatives and national security policy. His work in big data spires to enable the Bureau to make better use of existing data sets and tap into open-source data sets to improve communications situational awareness. His work on national security policy informs and coordinates Commission policy initiatives to reduce risk in the communications sector.
Prior to this position, Mr. Goldthorp served as Associate Bureau Chief for Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability and as Chief of the Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division. He served as the Designated Federal Officer for the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council from through CSRIC VI. In these roles he led a team of engineers and attorneys in the analysis of data on communications reliability and security and shepherded to development of Commission rulemakings. Before this, Mr. Goldthorp was Chief of the FCC’s Network Technology Division, which advised Commission staff on the public policy ramifications of emerging network technologies.
Before joining the FCC in November of 2001, Mr. Goldthorp held several positions at Telcordia Technologies, including: General Manager of the Network Access Engineering Services practice, where he was responsible for expert-based systems engineering services on emerging local access technologies including DSL, HFC, FTTN, and Fixed Wireless; Operations Manager of Telcordia’s Emerging Networks Business Unit, where he was responsible for strategic planning, project management, and operations planning; and Account Executive to Ameritech’s New Media Enterprises venture. He holds a patent for a DSP-based near-end crosstalk simulator that is in use in Telcordia's laboratories.
Mr. Goldthorp earned a BSEE from Lehigh University and a MSEE from Princeton University. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu. He has served as a volunteer for WPFW-FM in Washington, DC and a Big Brother.
Austin Randazzo, Associate Chief
Austin Randazzo is Associate Chief in the Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau. He oversees policy matters related to network reliability, cybersecurity, and wireless emergency alerting. Mr. Randazzo has previously served as the Chief of the Bureau’s Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division and as an Attorney Advisor in the Bureau’s Policy and Licensing Division, where he developed expertise on matters related to the Emergency Alert System and 911. Prior to joining the Bureau, he served as an Attorney Advisor in the FCC’s Office of Administrative Law Judges and as a Harvard Law School-sponsored Holmes Public Service Fellow in the FCC’s Office of General Counsel. Mr. Randazzo received Bachelor of Science degrees, summa cum laude, in Physics and Philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Renée Roland, Special Counsel
Renée Roland serves as Special Counsel to the Bureau Chief and is responsible for addressing issues including strategies for robust and resilient commercial communications networks and systems, cybersecurity and communications reliability, public safety spectrum and licensing, and Emergency Alert Systems.
Before joining PSHSB, Ms. Roland provided counsel on special projects for the Office of Chairman Julius Genachowski, including evaluating and recommending technical solutions for ubiquitous mobile voice service. Ms. Roland also served as Senior Legal Advisor and Chief of Staff for the Offices of Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Mignon Clyburn covering spectrum, international and public safety issues. Since joining the Commission in 2001, Ms. Roland has served in senior positions in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Wireline Communications Bureau and had a lead role in in planning efforts related to The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Roland served as Deputy Chief Counsel - Telecommunications for New York-based Prism Communication Services, Inc. She began her career in private law firm practice in Washington, D.C. specializing in media, wireline and satellite issues. Ms. Roland received her J.D. from the George Washington University National Law Center, and her B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University.
Rochelle Cohen, Communications Director
Rochelle Cohen oversees public affairs for the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. She has extensive communications experience in the technology policy arena. Her prior roles include serving as Director of the Office of Public Affairs at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the Department of Commerce, spokesperson for the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau, and managing public policy communications in the wireless industry. She received her B.A. in English, cum laude, from the University of Maryland.