Pedro M. Allende is an attorney, policy adviser, professor, and strategic adviser to companies. Most recently, he served as deputy assistant secretary for infrastructure, risk, and resilience policy with the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans at the Department of Homeland Security. There he led policy development to protect U.S. critical infrastructure against cyber, physical, and natural threats while overseeing policy efforts to increase federal, state, and local preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities. Prior to that, he served as senior adviser and director of strategic initiatives at the Department of Energy's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response. He has also advised on domestic and international labor policy, trade policy, and development finance as counselor to the secretary of labor. Before working in government, he practiced law at Boies Schiller Flexner, where he cofounded the firm's data privacy and cybersecurity practice and litigated high-stakes cases including class actions and cross-border disputes. Currently, Mr. Allende is an adjunct professor at the University of Florida College of Law, where he teaches a course on cybersecurity and cybercrimes. He earned his JD, MS in decision and information science, BA in political science, and BS in economics from the University of Florida. He is fluent in English and Spanish.