William J. Ryan (Bill) was appointed Regional Director (RD) for Region 3 in 2016. Region 3 is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA and serves Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC. As CISA RD, Bill sets strategic level guidance for, and maintains an operational view of, the region’s cyber and physical infrastructure security and resilience mission. He also serves as an advisor and liaison between DHS and representatives from all levels of government, domestic and international, as well as the private sector.
Prior to his appointment as RD, Bill served as a DHS Protective Security Advisor (PSA) in the Philadelphia District from 2005 to 2016. As a PSA, he contributed to the development of the national risk picture by assisting with the identification, assessment, and monitoring of critical infrastructure. He also acted as a physical and technical security advisor to government agencies and the private sector in the U.S. and overseas.
Prior to assuming his PSA duties, Bill served as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1998 to 2005. His assignments included tours in both the overseas and domestic fields, as well as at CIA headquarters.
Before joining the CIA, Bill was an International Programs Specialist with the U.S. Department of the Navy from 1991 to 1998. During his tenure with the Navy, he negotiated the transfer of U.S. military equipment to foreign government allies to assist in securing U.S. interests overseas, as well as the interests of the respective countries.
Bill is a member of the Senior Executive Service. He has held multiple university adjunct professor positions, and was a contributing author to a text book entitled “Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Homeland and Civil Security.” Bill holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia, a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware, and has completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.