Benjamine Huffman, executive assistant commissioner of enterprise services at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will discuss how the agency has advanced its offerings to remain competitive in the evolving landscape.
During Potomac Officers Club’s 2021 Border Protection Innovations and Technology Forum, Huffman will join an expert panel to address innovation, emerging technologies and modernization that will support national security.
To register for the 2021 Border Protection Innovations and Technology Forum, as well as view upcoming opportunities, visit Potomac Officers Club’s Event Page.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has continually worked to identify, adapt and deliver innovative and disruptive commercial technology solutions to enhance safety and effectiveness to maintain a competitive edge.
In his role, Huffman helps deliver mission support services, specialized skills, resources and equipment that enables CBP employees to safeguard the nation’s borders by protecting the public from danger and enhancing global economic competitiveness by enabling legitimate trade and travel.
Enterprise Services includes eight functional offices: Accountability, Acquisition and Procurement, Facilities and Asset Management, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Programming, Administrative Services and Training.
Huffman recently CBP’s recruitment and retention. In 2016, the agency established a centralized recruitment office and attended more job fairs and outreach events to increase workforce priorities.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations also offered incentives to encourage applicants to accept job offers in hard-to-fill ports of entry, which Huffman said helped the agency eliminate staffing shortages at some field locations.
CBP has strengthened its retention efforts through the use of relocation opportunities and financial incentives. CBP’s annual attrition rates for CBP officers and Border Patrol agents have generally been lower than other those rates at other law enforcement agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Prisons, GAO said.
Border Patrol started a new program in 2018, which allows their agents to move to other locations throughout their career. Entry-level agents may begin their careers in a rural area but will have an opportunity to choose where they want to work as they earn seniority, Huffman said.
Huffman will be joined on the panel by experts across the private and public sectors. The panelist will include Ed Mays of CBP and Rob Thorne of DHS. Shamlan Siddiqi, chief technology officer of NTT DATA’s Public Sector will moderate the panel.
Potomac Officers Club will also feature Rachelle Henderson, chief information officer of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as a keynote speaker during the 2021 Border Protection Innovations and Technology Forum.
To register for the 2021 Border Protection Innovations and Technology Forum, as well as view upcoming opportunities, visit Potomac Officers Club’s Event Page.
