The Borders, Trade, and Immigration (BTI) Institute’s External Advisory Board consists of approximately eight to ten public leaders with significant expertise in border and coastal security, immigration, and trade issues.
External Advisory Board members are selected for their knowledge in relevant domains; access to world-class networks; and sterling professional reputations to enhance the BTI Institute’s image and build its foundation for future success.
The BTI Institute’s External Advisory Board serves to assist BTI Institute leaders in planning, research, technology, and market development. Its members work to:
The BTI Institute’s External Advisory Board is led by the Honorable David Aguilar. Members’ photos and biographies are found below:
Commissioner David V. Aguilar is a Partner at GSIS. At GSIS, Mr. Aguilar advises clients on a broad range of national homeland and international security matters including border operations, security management, global trade and commerce, supply chain management and security, critical infrastructure protection, risk management, viability assessments and strategic planning and implementation.
Mr. Aguilar was appointed Acting Commissioner of U. S. Customs and Border Protection on December 30, 2011. As Commissioner Mr. Aguilar led the United States government's largest law enforcement organization with a workforce of 60,000, including 43,000 uniformed law enforcement officers. He strategically planned, formulated, and executed a yearly budget of nearly 12 billion dollars and was responsible for the management of the largest civilian Law Enforcement Air Force in the world.
Prior to being named Acting Commissioner Aguilar had been CBP Deputy Commissioner since April 11, 2010. As Acting Commissioner and as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security's agency responsible for leading the world's only unified integrated border management agency, Aguilar was responsible for securing the over 6,000 miles of land border between the ports of entry against the smuggling of illegal entrants into the United States, illicit goods, narcotics, and weapons for use against the population of the United States.
Mr. Aguilar also served as Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. During that time, he oversaw the largest expansion of the Border Patrol in its 88-year history, doubling its size to over 21,000 Agents. Prior to his becoming Chief of the Border Patrol, Mr. Aguilar was Chief Patrol Agent of the Tucson Sector the largest and most active Border Patrol Sector in the nation.
His leadership has earned him numerous awards, including the Presidential Rank Award in 2008, the President's Meritorious Excellence Award in 2005, the Department of Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal, the Washington Homeland Security Roundtable Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement Lifetime Achievement Award. Aguilar retired from government service on March 31, 2013 after a 35-year career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Mr. Aguilar holds an associate degree in accounting from Laredo Community College and attended Laredo State University and the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a graduate of the Senior Executive Fellows program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Founder and Director General at Grupo Atalaya, a private consultancy specializing in non-technical risk and strategic intelligence.
Prior to founding Grupo Atalaya, Mr. Mohar served as Undersecretary for Migration, Population and Religious Affairs at the Interior Ministry (Ministry of Government) in Mexico until December of 2012. He also served as the Director for International Affairs at the Center for Investigation and National Security (CISEN), and later became the Secretary General.
He was Mexico’s Chief Negotiator for Migration Affairs during the Fox-Bush Administrations, leading the Mexican team responsible to reach agreement for a safer, orderly and legal migration flows between both countries.
At the Mexican Embassy in Washington, he served as representative of the Ministry of Government, responsible for the migratory agenda, border security and bilateral cooperation on drug trafficking. He also oversaw Mexico-US political affairs and relations with the US Congress.
Previously, he was Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) representative in Europe and Mexico’s observer to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Since 2001, Mr. Mohar has been involved in Mexico-US efforts to prevent international terrorism and enhance security at the common border.
Mr. Mohar was for 10 years, until 2013, the representative in Mexico for migratory issues before The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
He has lectured extensively in Mexico and abroad. Currently, he is a board member at the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C and a Non-Resident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS).
Mr. Mohar holds a Law Degree by the Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico).
Maria Luisa Boyce serves as Director for UPS Global Public Affairs. Maria advocates for UPS priorities on Capitol Hill, government affairs efforts in Latin America and serves as a liaison for UPS to National Hispanic Organizations. Maria brings more than 20 years of experience as a dynamic leader that has worked to advance international trade, customs issues and cross border trade.
Prior to joining UPS, Maria Luisa served as U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s (CBP) Senior Advisor to the Commissioner for Trade and Private Sector Engagement and Director for the Office of Trade Relations. Maria Luisa assumed this role, after serving as the Assistant Commissioner for CBP's Office of Public Affairs.
At CBP, Maria Luisa advised the Commissioner and senior leadership of the impact of the agency's policies and regulations on the private sector. She was also responsible for the trade outreach strategy for the agency, assisting to increase compliance rate and improve communications with the private sector. She managed the Advisory Committee of Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) and the User Fee Advisory Committee (UFAC) leading the interaction between COAC and CPB’s Senior Staff.
Maria Luisa was also the Small Business Ombudsman for CBP and as such served as the Regulatory Fairness Representative for the agency responsible for performing as the liaison between the international trading community and senior CBP managers.
Before joining the federal government, Maria served as President of the Border Trade Alliance, a Phoenix-based organization that represents two million stakeholders involved in border and trade issues in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. While there, she helped develop and advocate for key border policy topics impacting the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders.
A native of Bogotá, Colombia, Maria is fluent in Spanish and is conversational in French. She received her bachelor's degree in finance and international relations from the Universidad Externado de Colombia. She also received a certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for completing the Strategic Management for Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies Executive Course.
Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez is an experienced career law enforcement professional with forty years of law enforcement experience in the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Del Rio Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Office of Val Verde County.
A recognized national leader in law enforcement circles, Sheriff Martinez is the Chairman of the Southwest Border Sheriff’s Coalition and the immediate past Chairman of the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition and current member of the Board of Directors. He was elected Sheriff of Val Verde County, Texas in November 2008 and has since been re-elected to that position three times.
Sheriff Martinez possesses an in-depth knowledge of criminal threats and law enforcement operations in the U.S.-Mexico Border Regions. As a law enforcement officer in the Texas Department of Public Safety, Sheriff Martinez spent eleven years as a Sergeant Investigator with the Narcotics service, where he supervised and conducted criminal investigations into narcotics smuggling, organized crime related to narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and organized gang investigations. Earlier, had had worked in Commercial Vehicle Enforcement for ten years as a License and Weight Trooper, a capacity in which he conducted vehicle inspections and enforced Federal Vehicle Regulations as they pertain to commercial motor vehicles.
Following retirement from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Sheriff Martinez worked for the Del Rio Police Department, assigned to the Detective Division where he conducted investigations of such felony offenses as Capital Murder, Murder, Theft, Burglary, and Unauthorized use of a Motor Vehicle.
Sheriff Martinez holds a Masters Police Officers License and earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science in Criminal Justice from Southwest Texas Junior College.
Luc Portelance is a bilingual, seasoned executive with extensive experience leading large, complex, and high-profile operational organizations in the field of public safety and national security.
His 36 year career with the Canadian Government is highlighted by seven years with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) where he served as President (2010-2015) and Executive Vice-President (2008-2010).
Previously, he spent 24 years with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) including key leadership positions such as Assistant Director Corporate, Assistant Director Operations and finally, Deputy Director Operations. He began his career in 1979 with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) prior to joining CSIS in 1984.
Luc Portelance’s expertise in border management, intelligence, law enforcement, and public policy is the result of his hands-on experience leading Canada’s most sensitive national security operations, and his role in modernizing the border agency. Over years, he has developed a proven track record in delivering organizational change and transformation including: business re-engineering, IT-enabled transformation, operational efficiency, downsizing, service orientation, and culture change.
In December 2015, Luc Portelance founded CrossPoint Integrated Strategies, Inc., where he now provides consulting services and executive coaching in a variety of fields associated with his area of expertise.
Jon Spaner
McKinsey & Co. Public Sector Practice
Jon Spaner is a member of McKinsey & Co’s public sector practice based in Washington, Dc. He focuses on management issues involving transportation, border security, international affairs and governance, and space policy.
Previously, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard holding the rank of Captain (O-6). His last position was Sector Commander and Captain of the Port of San Diego, California. In this role, he served as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator in Southern California as well as held responsibility for a team of 1,200 members responsible for maritime safety, search and rescue, and environmental protection in the Southwest region. Moreover, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, Jon previously led the U.S. delegation to the Arctic Council task force responsible for establishing the Arctic Economic Council which is now a fully functioning institution focused on economic growth throughout the Arctic region.
Previously, Jon served as Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Michigan where he was responsible for air operations on the shared border with Canada. He has held senior pilot ratings in the C-130 aircraft and H-60/65 helicopters during earlier tours in California, Florida, and Oregon. Additionally, Jon served as Strategic Policy Advisor to the Four Star General responsible for military operations in the U.S. Central Command region which includes the Middle East, Levant, Central Asian States, and Horn of Africa. He also served as Director of Port and Cargo Security on the White House staff.
Jon has extensive experience with crisis operations including flying relief missions during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, advising the National Incident Command during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, and surviving a piracy attack in South America while serving on a U.S. Flag Merchant Ship as a cadet. He holds an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), M.S. in Management from Purdue University, and B.S. from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy where he served as the Regimental Commander. Jon is a Distinguished Graduate from U.S. Naval Pilot Training in Pensacola, Florida, and a 2013 alumnus of Harvard University’s U.S.-Russia Security Program.
Jon is a former International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, former Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and a former White House Fellow. He resides in McLean, Virginia.
As chief executive officer of Guidepost Solutions, Julie Myers Wood directs Guidepost’s overall strategy and oversees its work across all business lines. Ms. Wood has more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sector working on regulatory and enforcement issues from many perspectives, including as defense counsel, consultant, government investigator, federal prosecutor, and monitor. She also has substantial experience as a monitor and designing, implementing and evaluating compliance programs across a wide variety of regulatory areas and industries. Ms. Wood specializes in helping global companies develop effective testing mechanisms to evaluate internal controls and design compliance programs. She also provides advice to companies regarding border security products and offerings.
Prior to joining the private sector, Ms. Wood served as Head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the Department of Homeland Security leading its largest investigative component and the second largest investigative agency in the federal government with a budget of nearly $6 billion and 15,000 employees. She oversaw the agency’s wide variety of AML and trade compliance investigations and private sector compliance programs; testified about best practices and investigations; and enforced the Export Administration Act and related export control regulations. Under her leadership, the agency developed new methods and proposed legislative language to combat emerging trends relating to trade-based money laundering, check cashing and money remitters, and stored value cards.
Most recently, Ms. Wood served as a Deputy Monitor for a global bank where she supervised a team responsible for conducting a complete compliance review, including a comprehensive technology review and assessment of its compliance regulations. This engagement involved directing teams to conduct targeted reviews in more than 30 locations around the world. She also led the monitoring team on behalf of Guidepost Solutions for DHL relating to OFAC issues. She serves as the appointed monitor for a certification lab, where she evaluates conflict of interest issues and dispositions. Finally, Ms. Wood is the Department of Justice-appointed Independent Consultant for a global energy services firm relating to OFAC issues and its compliance culture.
Ms. Wood’s previous leadership positions in the federal government include Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce and Chief of Staff for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. She also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary (Money Laundering and Financial Crimes) at the Treasury Department, where she helped draft regulations relating to Title III of the Patriot Act, coordinated the U.S. government’s national report/strategy on money laundering, and oversaw Treasury Enforcement activities relating to OFAC. Ms. Wood served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where she prosecuted criminal cases including financial crimes, securities fraud, and other white-collar criminal cases.
Ms. Wood is nationally recognized as a speaker for her expertise on immigration and other law enforcement issues. She has testified before Congress numerous times and has appeared on CNN, C-SPAN, ABC, CNBC, MSNBC, NPR, FOX and other broadcast stations. Prior to government service, Ms. Wood was an associate at Mayer, Brown & Platt in Chicago, IL and she clerked for the Honorable C. Arlen Beam of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.