Michael Balboni

Contributor

Michael Balboni is a principal of Navigators Global. Mr. Balboni joined the firm after a distinguished career in New York state government, spanning 24 years wherein he served in both houses of the State Legislature and served as a cabinet officer for two governors.<br /> <br /> In 2006, he was appointed as New York’s deputy secretary of Public Safety. In this role, he had day-to-day responsibility for managing homeland security affairs, emergency preparedness and response and law enforcement, and oversaw 63,000 employees and a budget of $5 billion.<br /> <br /> Mr. Balboni, an 18-year veteran of both houses of the State Legislature, has extensive experience in security and law enforcement matters. Prior to his service as deputy secretary of Public Safety, he was the chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs. As chair of the committee, he wrote every major homeland security law in New York, including the state’s Anti-Terrorism Law of 2001 that mandates severe penalties for those who commit terror acts, make terror threats, or render assistance to terrorists. Mr. Balboni also authored a 2002 law that helps protect the state’s water supply from terror attacks. In 2005, he authored the Chemical Plant Security Act, the first of its kind in the nation. Over the years, Mr. Balboni has also been appointed to various federal and national homeland security positions. Most recently, he was appointed as an outside advisor to President Obama’s homeland security transition team, the Homeland Security Quadrennial Review Commission, and the Homeland Security Advisory Council.<br /> <br /> In 2004, Mr. Balboni was appointed to serve on a national task force reviewing allocation of federal money for homeland security measures. In 2005, he was named senior fellow at the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University. In addition, he co-chaired the National Conference of State Legislatures Executive Task Force on Homeland Security. <br /> <br /> Mr. Balboni, a graduate of St. John’s University Law School, was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1989. He was elected to the State Senate in 1997.