Stewart A. Baker
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Directorate
Department of Homeland Security
Stewart A. Baker is the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Directorate in the Department of Homeland Security. He served as General Counsel of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (2004-2005), where he headed the drafting team for the Commission’s report. He also served as General Counsel of the National Security Agency (1992-1994) and Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Education (1979-1981). When not in government service, he practiced law at the Washington, D.C. firm of Steptoe & Johnson llp. Earlier, Mr. Baker served as a law clerk to John Paul Stevens, US Supreme Court (1977-78), Frank M. Coffin, US Court of Appeals, First Circuit (1976-77), and (as an intern law clerk) Shirley M. Hufstedler, US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (1975).
Mr. Baker has been named to numerous US government, private, and international bodies dealing with national security, technology, and related topics, including: President’s Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration (2003-present); Commerce Department’s Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Information and Communications Technologies, Services, and Electronic Commerce (2003-present); Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age (2002-2004); Defense Science Board’s Task Force on Information Warfare (1995-1996; and 1999-2001); Federal Trade Commission’s Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security (2000); President’s Export Council Subcommittee on Encryption (1998-2001); Free Trade of the Americas Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce (1998-2003); UNCITRAL Group of Experts on Digital Signatures (1997-2001); OECD Group of Experts on Cryptography Policy (1995-1997); International Telecommunication Union Experts Group on Authentication (1999); American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security (1998-2005); International Chamber of Commerce Working Party on Digital Authentication (1996-1998); International Chamber of Commerce Group of Experts on Electronic Commerce (1996-2005). Mr. Baker was awarded the Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service in 1994.