Candid Conversation: How News Deserts Threaten National Security

Glenn Gerstell, Former NSA General Counsel

Glenn S. Gerstell is a sought-after speaker, advisor, and thought leader on cybersecurity and the role of technology in national security, privacy, and geo-political affairs. He served as the General Counsel of the National Security Agency and Central Security Service from 2015 to 2020, spanning both the Obama and Trump administrations. Glenn is currently a non-resident Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, as well as a consultant and corporate board member in a variety of industries. Glenn has served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences Future of Encryption Committee, the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which reports to the president and the secretary of Homeland Security on security threats to the nation’s infrastructure, as well as on the District of Columbia Homeland Security Commission.

Matthew McMillan, U.S. Army

Matt is a public affairs officer in the U.S. Army. He currently serves as the director of the U.S. Defense Information School's Public Affairs and Communication Strategy Directorate at Fort Meade, Maryland. In this role, he leads a directorate of instructors who train officers and senior noncommissioned officers to work in the public affairs field. He was previously an instructor in the same directorate, specializing in issue and conflict communications, communication planning, and media relations. 

Matt's experience includes assignments across the continental United States and abroad, including deployments to Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Haiti, and an additional year in the Republic of Korea. He coordinated communications for a large installation and military unit throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and supported several deployments in support of FEMA vaccination centers in the United States, led the media facilitation team for high-profile military court hearing events, and has been lead communications counsel for multiple general officers commanding units up to 20,000 soldiers. 

Deanna Troust, Founder and President of Truth in Common

Deanna Troust is an award-winning communications strategist and educator whose career includes 25 years in multicultural social change communications, leadership roles at Vanguard Communications, and two successful entrepreneurial ventures. As founder of 3 Stories Communications, Deanna was a pioneer in bringing communications strategy to the inclusion / organizational development spaces and has led dozens of cultural assessment and strategy projects, both solo and in partnership with leading Washington, DC-area firms. As a consultant with the Mission Partners team, she learned about

mis-, dis-, and malformation education by working with the research community and pro-democracy initiatives and efforts to save local news. Deanna brings an unusual blend of mission orientation, PR strategy, and gracious facilitation to the misinformation crisis, which she sees as an issue of equity and access and one of the most pressing of our time.

Stephen Von Jett, DINFOS Faculty [Contractor]

Stephen joined the faculty of the Defense Information School’s Public Affairs and Communication Strategy Directorate as a member of the advanced studies team in July 2021. During his time in the military, Steve served with Joint Task Force – National Capital Region, Washington D.C., providing public affairs planning, coordination, and support as the Department of Defense executive agent for military ceremonies in the nation’s capital. He was the production chief for the 59th Presidential Inauguration and the deputy director of media operations for the state funeral of President George H.W. Bush. He has also been involved in numerous Department of Defense and Army enterprise-level events and observances such as National Memorial Day and Veteran Day observances, Flags-In and Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Army Ten Miler, Twilight Tattoo and dozens of other media engagements and outreach events across the National Capital Region. When not working in the DC area, Steve has worked with Special Forces and Infantry units which has mostly resulted in multiple deployments.