Speakers & Organizers   

www.CollabraSpace.com Biography
Mark A. Tanner has recently joined CollabraSpace to develop the line of business enabling law enforcement and homeland security collaboration. CollabraSpace has been supporting several intelligence community organizations with revolutionary collaboration. Prior to joining CollabraSpace, Mr. Tanner was the Director, Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force (FTTTF), Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since May 2003. The FTTTF was created pursuant to Homeland Security Presidential Decision Directive 2, dated 10/29/2001. The FTTTF's mission is to provide information that helps keep foreign terrorists and their supporters out of the United States or leads to their exclusion, removal, surveillance, or prosecution.

For a short term (12/2002 to 5/2003) Mr. Tanner had been assigned to the Inspection Division where he had responsibility for organizational program evaluations. This section provides internal consulting services to FBI program executives, making recommendation for changes to improve effectiveness and efficiency. There is also a staff of internal auditors performing financial and information technology audits, assessing risks for fraud, waste and abuse.

He was transferred to FBIHQ from the Phoenix Division in April 1997 to serve as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Director. In this assignment, Mr. Tanner defined the FBI's Chief Information Officer (CIO) mission and strategy. He continued to serve as the Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the FBI until August 2003. As a result of his accomplishments in this position he was identified by the Federal Computer Week magazine, dated May 1, 2000 as one of the ten “new IT leaders” in federal government and was a finalist for the Citigroup Smith Barney, CIO of the Year Award, May 2003.

Mr. Tanner entered-on-duty as a Special Agent of the FBI in 1983. He has been assigned to the Charlotte, Jacksonville, and New York Field Offices as an investigator. After a tour of duty at FBI Headquarters he was transferred to the Phoenix Division, where he created and supervised a Joint Drug Intelligence Group. He was then promoted to the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Division with responsibility for all organized crime, drug, and violent crime investigative programs in Arizona.

Prior to employment with the FBI, Mr. Tanner worked for the Burroughs Corporation and the Savings and Loan Information Management Systems (SLIMS) Corporation where he was the Vice President, Director of Customer Support. Mr. Tanner has an Accounting Degree from East Carolina University.

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Session SP23: Information Sharing and Intelligence
February 19, 11:00-11:45 Abstract:
In the post-9/11 world, information sharing is expected, demanded, and a mission critical function for organizations protecting the homeland. Yet, it is still difficult at times. Law enforcement organizations, the intelligence community, and even businesses have worked together for years when necessary to achieve a common objective by sharing information and collaborating. The difference today, it seems everyone must work with everyone else to solve this complex, ever-evolving problem of terrorism. In doing so, a massive volume of data is collected; the data is recorded as information, and transformed into intelligence. How do we avoid information overload and bring order, where there may be chaos?

This session will discuss the fundamentals of establishing and operating a task force. Mr. Tanner will discuss experiences ranging from drug intelligence task forces, to violent street gangs, to counterterrorism. He will cover specific experiences with collecting large volumes of disparate data, gaining access to multiple sources of data, and addressing concerns about privacy and operational security. There are great challenges in the sharing of information, but greater opportunities when done effectively. Some of the challenges are technical, but most can be overcome with policy and procedural fixes. Organizations that are geographically dispersed, with differing missions and capabilities can, and are, working together to effectively prevent and deter acts of terrorism.