Liesyl Franz is the acting deputy coordinator in the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues at the U.S. Department of State, coordinating international engagement and policy, strategic planning efforts, and work across the regional and functional elements of cyber issues. Ms. Franz represents the office in external engagements, bilateral and regional fora, and interagency coordination processes. She is the State Department’s lead for cyber discussions with the European Union institutions as well as many Member State bilateral and sub-regional engagements.
She has served as delegation lead for several cyber engagements and multilateral negotiations including in the UN, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as regional venues such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Organization of American States (OAS). She is a frequent speaker on the Department’s activities and priorities regarding cyber policy issues.
Ms. Franz has 20 years of cyber policy experience in the public and private sectors. She previously served as Vice President for Cybersecurity and Global Public Policy at TechAmerica, an industry association representing global high technology companies; Director for Cybersecurity International Affairs and Public Policy the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and Director for Global Government Affairs at EDS Corporation.
Ms. Franz holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.A. from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.