Transportation Security Law Forum Responding to Evolving Threats to Transportation Security | Part 1

Join us for this Two Part Series:

Register just once to attend both parts of this TWO PART SERIES. Part I will be hosted on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 at Noon – 1:30 PM and Part II will take place at the same time a week later, on September 15, 2021.

Registration is Closed
(Note: The Transportation Security Law Forum is complimentary.)

Part I:  COVID-Related Mandates in Transportation: Lessons Learned and Considerations for the Future

Wednesday, September 8 12:00-1:30pm

As COVID evolves and travel resumes to pre-pandemic levels, a look back at important events of 2021, things to come, and lessons learned.  Topics include a discussion of the federal government’s authority to implement and enforce federal COVID-related mandates such as requiring masks in the transportation sector to contain the outbreak and related challenges.  Panelists will also focus on the unique challenges of the cruise industry to recover, followed by a moderated discussion about lessons learned from COVID and considerations for the future.

About the Presenters

Moderator

Susan Prosnitz, Acting Deputy Executive Assistant Administrator, Operations Support, Transportation Security Administration

Susan M. Prosnitz serves as Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations Support with the Transportation Security Administration.  Operations Support oversees various offices, including policy, intelligence and analysis, vetting, and technology capabilities. Ms. Prosnitz is temporarily assigned to Operations Support from her permanent post as Deputy Chief Counsel for Regulations and Security Standards.  In this role, Ms. Prosnitz advises the Chief Counsel on matters related to TSA’s broad regulatory program including federal rulemaking actions and development of security-related policies and programs.  She became a member of the Senior Executive Service in 2014.

Before joining the federal government, Ms. Prosnitz worked at Suffolk University Law School, where she was the first Executive Director of the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service.   She also served as the General Counsel to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Executive Director and General Counsel for the Special Advisory Task Force on Massport, Chief Counsel to the Massachusetts Highway Department, and as Chief of Litigation for the Boston Police Department.  Ms. Prosnitz was appointed to several other task forces including the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Task Force on Hiring Practices in the Judiciary, the Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes (co-chair) and the Statewide Racial and Gender Profiling Committee co-chair). Prior to her public service career, Ms. Prosnitz worked as an associate with the law firm of Hinckley, Allen, and Snyder and as a law clerk for the Superior Court of Massachusetts.

She is a graduate of Amherst College and Duke University School of Law and received executive leadership certificates from the Harvard Kennedy School, Georgetown University and American University.

Panelists (Listed Alphabetically)

Nathan Bryant, Attorney-Advisor, Litigation, Transportation Security Administration

Nathan is an Attorney-Advisor in the TSA Office of Chief Counsel (CC) Federal Court Litigation section. From 2015 to 2017, he served as Special Legal Assistant to TSA Chief Counsel Francine Kerner. Nathan joined CC in February 2013 after completing the DHS Office of General Counsel (OGC) Honors Attorney Program. As an Honors Attorney, Nathan served details at OGC’s Operations & Enforcement Law Division, OGC’s Legal Counsel Division, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Prior to his selection as an Honors Attorney, Nathan served as a U.S. District Court law clerk in Denver, CO, and Knoxville, TN.

Nathan is currently based in Denver, but he handles a wide range of litigation in courts throughout country. He previously worked on CC’s Transportation Security Litigation team that coordinates with attorneys at several government agencies to defend against constitutional challenges to terrorist watchlisting.

Nathan received both his J.D. and undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. He is admitted to the bar in New York.

Daniel Farkas, Executive Vice-President & General Counsel, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Daniel S. Farkas is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., operator of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.  In this position, Mr. Farkas oversees all aspects of the Legal, Risk Management, Securities Compliance, Corporate Governance, Regulatory Compliance, Passenger and Crew Claims and the Government Affairs areas of the Company.  Mr. Farkas is the Company’s Chief Ethics Officer and currently serves on the board of directors of the Steamship Mutual Underwriting Association Limited and serves as Chairman of the Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation and sits on various other committees within the Norwegian Group.

Prior to joining Norwegian, Mr. Farkas served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County under both Janet Reno and Katherine Fernandez Rundle and was a Partner at a boutique law firm specializing in maritime litigation.  Mr. Farkas joined Norwegian in January 2004 and previously held the positions of Senior Vice President, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel.

Mr. Farkas holds a Bachelor of Art degree Cum Laude, with honors in English and American Literature from Brandeis University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Miami.

John Havranek, Associate General Counsel of Operations and Enforcement, Office of General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security

John F. Havranek is the Associate General Counsel for Operations and Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security, Office of General Counsel. John is responsible for providing legal advice concerning DHS enforcement matters, international law, national security matters, operations, and all-hazards incident management, including the provision of legal support to aid in the development and management of policies, plans, exercises, training, crises, and incident management.

John is also an Appellate Judge for the U.S. Coast Guard Court of Criminal. Secretary Napolitano appointed John to the U.S. Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals on May 2, 2011.

John retired from the U.S. Marine Corps where his last assignment on active duty was serving as the Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, specializing in operational law, the law of war, and detention operations. During his military career, John served as a Staff Judge Advocate, prosecutor, defense counsel, appellate counsel, and Military Judge. John is originally from Fremont, Nebraska and is a graduate of Creighton University and the Creighton University School of Law.

Patricia Vercelli, Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary, Airlines for America (A4A)

Patricia Vercelli is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Airlines for America. She brings to the association more than 20 years of experience in the airline financial services industry. Vercelli is responsible for A4A’s legal and corporate governance, overseeing the General Counsel’s office and providing corporate secretary functions. Vercelli joins A4A from Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP), the airline-owned travel payment system. UATP was formerly a division of A4A for 15 years. Vercelli managed the legal affairs of UATP, guiding them through multifaceted regulatory hurdles in the international arena relative to streamlining the payment processing of transactions between UATP airline members and corporate customers. Prior to joining UATP, Vercelli worked for Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP and Sallie Mae, Inc. A member in good standing with multiple bar associations, she holds a Master of Laws in International Law (LLM) from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor (JD) from The American University.

Special thanks to the TSA Liaisons to the Section for their help planning this event.

Any views expressed do not represent the views of the FBA or the Transportation & Transportation Security Law Section.

CLE

Please note that CLE credit is not offered for this webinar.

Email Communication Policy

By registering for this event, you agree to receive email communications from the Federal Bar Association and affiliated sponsors of the program concerning event details, Continuing Legal Education certification, programming changes, upcoming events, surveys, and post-event communications.

Recording Disclaimer

By registering for an FBA webinar, you agree to the recording of audio and visual content presented during the live event and consent to subsequent use of the recording by the FBA. You agree that the recording is the sole property of the FBA and that the recording may be used by the FBA in any manner in its sole and absolute discretion. This recording may include questions and poll responses provided by you during the live event. If you do not consent to the recording and the FBA’s use of the same, do not register for the event.

If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact sections@fedbar.org.