Photo Credit: Gerald L. Nino

CBP Commissioner Robert Bonner signs the Tri-Bureau shared services agreement with (clockwise) Under Secretary for Management Janet Hale, BTS Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson, ICE Assistant Secretary Michael Garcia, and Michael Petrucelli for CIS Director Eduardo Aguirre, with Kathleen Bell from the Transition Management Office.

DHS Under Secretary for Management Janet Hale, Border and Transportation Security Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson, CIS Director Eduardo Aguirre, CBP Commissioner Robert Bonner, and ICE Assistant Secretary Michael Garcia, signed the landmark agreement. Andrew Maner, DHS Chief Financial Officer, served as the Master of Ceremonies.

The Governance Charter was established to ensure service quality and performance, resolve disputes, and promote continuous improvement. The event represented an official endorsement of, and commitment to, shared services on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security and the three bureaus.

In his keynote address, Admiral Loy, Deputy Secretary, remarked that mission support employees play a critical role in accomplishing the DHS mission. Under Secretary Hutchinson praised those who worked on the initiative, particularly for taking on the challenges of transition while continuing to perform day-to-day functions. "Shared services are a 'private sector solution' that have never had such a broad-based application in the public sector," remarked Under Secretary Hutchinson.

Under Secretary Hale summarized the event in her remarks, "The Charter is an incredibly important step in integrating the organizations that have come together to form the DHS." Over the coming months, representatives from DHS, CIS, CBP and ICE will continue to work together to make Shared Services for a Shared Mission a reality.