Like most Federal agencies and departments, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is commemorating Public Service Recognition Week virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) is part of NARA and we are also celebrating the work of our staff this week virtually as well. Public Service Recognition Week is an opportunity to honor the women and men who serve and protect our nation, and to showcase the work they perform.
As Director of ISOO, I am very proud of our staff and the work they perform. Although our office is quite small, our mission is large: We support the President by ensuring that the Government protects and provides proper access to information to advance the national and public interest. We lead efforts to standardize and assess the management of classified and Controlled Unclassified Information through oversight, policy development, guidance, education, and reporting.
This past year our staff:
- Worked with stakeholders to develop a new modern data call questionnaire that more accurately reflects information security operations at agencies and will allow ISOO to better assess their programs and make recommendations for improvements. This questionnaire will replace several different data collections that agencies and ISOO felt were outdated;
- Conducted weekly outreach and training at agencies to help them prepare for Controlled Unclassified Information implementation next year. This outreach continues virtually by WebEx during the pandemic, including a presentation with over 700 information security professionals across the Executive branch last week;
- Revised our oversight program so that our assessments are more targeted to program areas where our recommendations could have the greatest impact;
- Supported the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) as they discussed, deliberated, and approved 23 agency declassification guides. Our staff also hosted a public forum and posted over 500 pages of declassified documents on the ISCAP webpage;
- Led an interagency Declassification Reform Working Group that evaluated current business practices; and
- Created The ISOO Overview blog to aid engagement and outreach with stakeholders and provide them with information and updates.
I am grateful for their dedication and hard work each and every day. Thank you.
Mark A. Bradley Director, ISOO