Brian Fonseca – Director 
Dr. Alex Crowther – Professor
Brian Fonseca is Director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University’s (FIU) Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, Director of FIU’s Emerging Preeminent Program Cybersecurity@FIU, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations. Brian’s technical expertise is in U.S. national security and foreign policy. He also serves as a Cybersecurity Policy Fellow at the D.C.-based think tank New America. His analysis has been featured in local, national, and international media. Brian joined FIU after serving as the Senior Research Manager for Socio-Cultural Analysis at United States Southern Command’s Joint Intelligence Operations Center South (JIOC-S).
His recent publications include an edited volume with Eduardo A. Gamarra titled Culture and National Security in the Americas (Lexington Books, 2017) and is co-author of The New US Security Agenda: Trends and Emerging Threats (Palgrave, 2017). His 2018 publications focus on Russian engagement in Latin America—including information operations, diaspora diplomacy and Russian-Venezuelan relations.
Brian holds degrees in International Business and International Relations from Florida International University in Miami, Florida, and he has attended Sichuan University in Chengdu, China and the National Defense University in Washington D.C. From 1997 to 2004, he served in the United States Marine Corps and facilitated the training of foreign military forces in both hostile theaters and during peacetime operations.
Dr. Alex Crowther has had an extensive career of government service covering 38 years as an Infantry Officer, a Strategist and a Research Professor. His work at the strategic level includes tours at the Army Staff, the Joint Staff J5 (Strategic Plans & Policies), the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI, the US Army’s think tank) and the National Defense University in Washington, DC. He was personally selected to be a Counterterrorism Advisor for the US Ambassador to Iraq, a Political Advisor for the Multinational Corps-Iraq (MNC-I) Commander, a Special Assistant for the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR), and the Strategic Planner for the Secretary of State’s Special Representative for Syria. Alex has published in a variety of formats and locations, has experience teaching at the graduate level and an extensive background as a public speaker.
He has a BA in International Relations from Tufts University, an MS in International Relations from Troy University, and a Ph.D. in International Development from Tulane University; he was also an International Security Studies Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. Alex is currently a Visiting Research Professor for cyber issues at the Jack D. Gordon Institute and the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice in the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. He is also an adjunct Research Professor of National Security Studies at SSI as well as an adjunct research professor at the Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University. He also routinely travels and lectures in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Alex specializes in unconventional types of competition including cyber and information.
Webinar Objective: Rapidly growing internet user populations, the surge in devices connected to the internet and the widespread technical know-how is increasing vulnerabilities in cyberspace. This discussion will focus on the increasing risks in cyberspace and the strategies used by public and private sectors to mitigate the threats.
Please find below the recording to the webinar: