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About the Speakers

Jim Lee

James (Jim) Lee serves as the Chief, Criminal Investigation. In this position, he oversees a worldwide staff of approximately 3,000 employees, including 2,100 special agents in 20 Field Offices and 11 foreign countries. He leads and oversees some of the most significant investigations of financial crimes involving tax, money laundering, public corruption, cyber, ID theft, narcotics and terrorist-financing. Prior to this assignment, Jim’s executive positions included serving as the Deputy Chief of CI, Director of Field Operations-North, Director of Field Operations-South, Director of Strategy and Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office. Jim has a Bachelor’s
degree from Tiffin University."

Oleg Pobereyko

Senior Analyst Oleg Pobereyko began working for IRS Criminal Investigation in 2010 and is currently leading Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) Cyber Group which consist of IRS Criminal Investigation, Australian Tax Office (ATO), Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), and Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD). Prior to that he was leading the Western Cyber Crime Unit. Oleg Pobereyko’ s formal education includes a master’s degree in Business Administration from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.

Kirsten Gillibrand

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand does not shy away from a big fight. She’s currently leading the fights to provide every working person in America with paid leave and to reform the military justice system to make it worthy of the sacrifice our service members make. When she first joined the Senate she took on the fight to provide 9/11 first responders with health care and compensation and won. She led the effort to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, and she wrote the STOCK Act, which made it illegal for members of Congress to trade stocks on insider information. And as the mother of two school-age sons, Senator Gillibrand continues to put the challenges that working families face front and center. Born and raised in upstate New York, Senator Gillibrand's home is in Albany, New York with her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, and their two sons, Theo and Henry.

Cynthia Lummis

Cynthia Lummis is the junior senator from Wyoming, and the first female Senator ever elected to represent the Equality State. Born and raised on a ranch outside of Cheyenne, Senator Lummis has dedicated her career to defending Wyoming’s agriculture, mineral and energy resources. She first served the state in the state House and Senate, as the state treasurer, and as the at-large member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2008 to 2016, where she was an original member of the House Freedom Caucus. Now in the “upper chamber” of Congress, Senator Lummis serves on the Senate Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee; the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee; and the Environment & Public Works Committee, where she is focused on everything from lands, energy and natural resources issues, to finance and technology issues including digital assets. She is the cofounder of the Senate Financial Innovation Caucus. Senator Lummis and her late husband have one daughter, and two grandsons.

Miller Whitehouse-Levine

Miller has overall strategic and operational responsibility for the execution of the DeFi Education Fund's mission and goals. Prior to joining the fund, Miller led the Blockchain Association’s policy operation and worked at Goldstein Policy Solutions on a range of public policy issues, including crypto. He holds a B.S. in international politics and a minor in Mandarin Chinese from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service.

Rebecca Rettig

Rebecca Rettig is the General Counsel of the Aave Companies, a group of software development companies that build blockchain-based software for the web3 world. In addition to handling legal matters, Rebecca works with policymakers across the globe on regulatory matters relating to decentralized finance (“DeFi”) and cryptoassets. Rebecca began her legal career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York, litigating complex commercial disputes and defending regulatory enforcement matters; for more than a decade, she’s been representing clients on the cutting edge of technology, and, over the last 5+ years, in the crypto and DeFi sector. Immediately prior to joining the Aave Companies in March 2021, Rebecca was a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP in the financial services group, serving these types of client. In 2019, Rebecca was recognized as one of the top 100 women lawyers in New York by Crain’s New York Business. Rebecca currently serves on the Board of Directors of Silvergate Bank, a public company, and the Board of the DeFi Education Fund, a 501(c)(4) promoting education about DeFi for regulators and policymakers.

Matt Price

Binance keeps growing its Audit and Investigations team with the hire of Matthew Price where he will help to secure and protect Binance and the larger crypto ecosystem from bad actors. His focus will be on leading internal and external investigations with the purpose of detecting and mitigating attempts to commit crimes on the Binance platform as well as proactively supporting investigations conducted by law enforcement agencies. His appointment further strengthens an already strong security team to ensure Binance remains at the forefront of securing crypto for the whole industry and every user.

Before his role at Binance, Matthew served as a Special Agent with the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Cyber Crimes Unit, where he led international cyber investigations targeting bad actors who sought to exploit cryptocurrency for illicit purposes. Matthew has 15 years of law enforcement and intelligence experience, including leading cyber, money laundering and financial crimes investigations and working to dismantle counterterrorism and counterintelligence threats.

Tigran Gambaryan

Tigran joins Binance as VP of Global Intelligence and Investigations after a decade at the IRS-CI. As a Special Agent, Tigran investigated cases involving national security, terrorism financing, identity theft, distribution of child pornography, tax evasion, and bank secrecy act violations during his award-winning career. Tigran led several multi-billion dollar cyber investigations, including the Silk Road corruption investigations, BTC-e bitcoin exchange, and the Mt. Gox hack.

Iranga Kahangama

Iranga Kahangama is the Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience at the Department of Homeland Security. In this role he leads policy development, coordination, and implementation across all DHS components regarding cybersecurity and critical infrastructure. Previously, he served at the White House in the National Security Council as Director for Cyber Incident Response. In that role, he was the principal author of President Biden’s Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. He also oversaw the Federal Government’s response to a wide range of malicious cyber activity, including the Russia attributed SolarWinds incident, China’s exploitation of Microsoft Exchange servers, and ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline, JBS Foods, and Kaseya Software. Prior to the NSC, he served as a senior policy advisor at the FBI, working on an array of cyber, internet, and technology policy issues. This included leading the FBI’s program on internet governance, where he was part of the US delegation to various internet governance forums including the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). He earned a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

William Frentzen

William Frentzen is a partner in Morrison & Foerster’s Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White Collar Defense group and is the former chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California (NDCA). He represents companies and their executives in internal and government investigations, white-collar criminal defense matters, and parallel civil litigation related to allegations of corporate fraud, securities fraud, public corruption, intellectual property crimes, crisis response related to cyber breaches, money laundering, healthcare fraud, digital currency crimes, tax crimes, cybercrime, and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act violations, among others. William also has significant experience in cross-border matters, having led a variety of prosecutions with extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) elements and joint investigations with non-U.S. government authorities. He also serves as an advisor for Haun Ventures, an investment firm focused on web3 ventures, tokens, and projects related to blockchain technology, digital currency, and crypto assets.

Before joining MoFo, William spent over 20 years at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) where he most recently served as chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Unit for NDCA. Prior to that he also served as chief of the Corporate Fraud Strike Force, as Senior Trial Counsel, and as chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force for that office, and he also developed the country’s first Cryptocurrency Crime Coordinator position within a U.S. Attorney’s Office. William has also served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Columbia and the Southern District of Georgia and as Associate Independent Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel.

Robert Silvers

Robert Silvers was confirmed by the Senate as the Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans on August 5, 2021. He is responsible for driving policy and implementation plans across all of DHS’s missions, including counterterrorism; cybersecurity, infrastructure security, and resilience; border security and immigration; international affairs; and trade and economic security.

Mr. Silvers previously served in the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama-Biden Administration as Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy. In that role he oversaw private sector engagement, federal government incident response, and diplomatic outreach pertaining to cybersecurity and emerging technology. Mr. Silvers also previously served as DHS’s Deputy Chief of Staff, managing execution of policy and operational priorities across the entire Department.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Silvers was a partner at the law firm Paul Hastings LLP, where his practice focused on cybersecurity and data privacy, government security review of foreign investments, and investigations and litigation at the intersection of law and national security. After graduating law school, he clerked for Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Mr. Silvers holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He taught as an adjunct professor in the M.S. in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy Program co-offered by the NYU Law School and NYU Tandon School of Engineering. A New York City native, Mr. Silvers lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and their two children.

GT Thompson

Ranking Member Thompson is the descendant of a long line of dairy farmers and lifelong resident of Howard Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, Thompson represents Pennsylvania’s Fifteenth District.

As a proud and active Member of the House Agriculture Committee for more than a decade, Thompson served as Vice Chairman of the full House Agriculture Committee during the 116th Congress. He’s also served as Chairman of the Subcommittees on Conservation and Forestry and Nutrition, and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.

Thompson is also a senior member of the House Education and Labor Committee.

Prior to being elected to Pennsylvania’s geographically largest congressional district, Thompson spent 28 years as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator.

Thompson is a proud graduate of Penn State and Temple University, where he earned a B.S. and a Master of Education, respectively. He and his wife, Penny Ammerman-Thompson, have three adult sons; Parker, Logan, and Kale, and two grandchildren; Noem and Gabriel.

Michael Gronager

Michael Gronager is Co-founder and CEO of Chainalysis, the blockchain analysis company. As CEO, Michael is responsible for running all facets of the business in order to provide leading anti-money laundering and investigative services for government agencies, cryptocurrency businesses, and financial institutions. Prior to founding Chainalysis, Michael was the Co-founder and COO of Kraken, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Michael also holds a PhD in Quantum Mechanics from the Technical University of Denmark. Michael serves on the Board of a Top500 Supercomputer Center and is a founding member of the Working Group for the 5th European AML Directive (5MLD).

Jonathan Levin

Jonathan Levin is Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Chainalysis, the blockchain analysis company. In his role as CSO, he is responsible for designing long-term strategic initiatives that help government agencies, cryptocurrency businesses, and financial institutions investigate illicit activity, comply with regulations, and mitigate risk through anti-money laundering technology and education. Jonathan is regularly called upon to testify for the U.S. Congress and other government hearings on the emerging risks and opportunities in cryptocurrencies. He is also a mentor for the Techstars Alchemist Blockchain accelerator.

Prior to Chainalysis, he was the CEO of Coinometrics, which provided the first dashboard of blockchain intelligence. He was also a postgraduate economist at the University of Oxford, where he researched cryptocurrencies.

Jonathan holds a BSC in Economics from Bristol University and Master of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Oxford. He lives in New York.

Thomas Stanley

Thomas has over 30 years of technology experience. He is a passionate and disruptive force in building loyal teams that make revolutionary impact. Thomas brings the skills to build and scale Chainalysis to being the world leader in building trust in cryptocurrency for both public and private sector organizations. Prior to Chainalysis, he held global roles at NetApp and Tanium. Thomas is a board director for NC A&T State University, Sprout Social, Nasuni and Boys Hope Girls Hope International.

Clark Flynt-Barr

Clark Flynt-Barr is a Senior Policy Advisor with Chainalysis, where she advises on legislative and regulatory developments related to cryptocurrency. Prior to joining Chainalysis, she worked as an intelligence analyst with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, focusing on transnational organized crime and Darknet markets; a program officer for the American Bar Association, where she managed international development projects in Latin America; and legislative aide for the Senate Judiciary Committee, concentrating on criminal justice and government oversight. She holds an MA in International Affairs and Transnational Security from the George Washington University, and a BA in Political Science from Williams College.

Dalia Kandeil

Dalia is a Senior Product Manager on Chainalysis Reactor. She gathers product feedback from investigators and analysts—who use Reactor daily—and then works with talented developers and designers to ensure the tool remains the most trusted in the industry for following the money. Prior to joining Chainalysis, Dalia worked as a consultant and product manager in the data analytics space.

Erin Plante

Erin Plante is the Senior Director of Investigations at Chainalysis, where she leads the efforts of investigations globally alongside our public and private sector customers. Prior to joining Chainalysis, Erin spent 17 years investigating cybercrimes, with over a decade based between China and the Middle East focused on nation state threat actors in those regions. Erin is a Certified Ethical Hacker, a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist, and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Kunal Kothari

Kunal Kothari is a Senior Product Manager on the Investigations team, where he is responsible for Reactor On-Premise and Investigations Data (Investigations API and Data Subscription). Prior to Chainalysis, Kunal led product teams building AI/ML-based products for federal agencies at Percipient, helped lead election cybersecurity and counter-information operations research at the Belfer Center, and led early stage products at Google. Based in the DC area, Kunal is passionate about applying emerging technologies to national security and law enforcement work, and holds a BS EE from UCLA and an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Matt Wilson

Matthew Wilson is the Investigations Group Product Manager where he is responsible for the delivery of Chainalysis' investigation software and solutions. At Chainalysis he oversees Reactor, Reactor On-Premises, Investigations APIs and the new Storyline defi explorer. Prior to his current role at Chainalysis, Matthew led financial compliance engagements at Palantir Technologies, and was a US Navy Submarine Officer. Matthew holds a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Tali Shousterman

Tali Shousterman is the Head of Special Programs at Chainalysis, where she leads a team of cryptocurrency investigators and financial intelligence analysts that tackle some of the most difficult crypto-related investigations facing U.S. government customers. Prior to joining Chainalysis, Tali served in various national security positions in the U.S. government. Tali began her career as an attorney and also served as a U.S. Naval officer in the reserves.

Valeria Kennedy

Valerie Kennedy is currently a Manager of Investigations on the Investigations and Special Programs team at Chainalysis. Valerie's team focuses on emerging threats and provides public sector partners with timely and actionable insights. Prior to joining Chainalysis, Val worked on issues related to the cyber threat landscape in academia, and most recently, for a prominent US-based cryptocurrency exchange.

Youli Lee

Currently, Youli Lee serves as the Senior Legal Director over Global Investigations, Litigation, and Governance. In her capacity as global head, Ms. Lee and her team regularly advise the company on matters relating to criminal investigations, civil and criminal litigation, compliance, corporate compliance, and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Chainalysis, Ms. Lee was an Associate General Counsel with the Strategic Advocacy section at Coinbase; Legal Counsel to the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Team in the Office of Legal Policy, and the Chief of the Policy and Legislation Division within the Office of the Chief Counsel for the Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce. Ms. Lee also served with distinction as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Ms. Lee received her J.D. in 2001 from Boston University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 1996.

Sarah Ward

Sarah is passionate about helping companies navigate novel business challenges and execute on innovative growth strategies. She has extensive in-house and law firm experience, and has helped scale the legal departments for several technology companies. Prior to joining Chainalysis, Sarah was General Counsel at Sisense, where she advised on all aspects of their growing business. Before Sisense, Sarah was the Assistant General Counsel at MongoDB where she guided the company through its hyper-growth phase and successful IPO and led the drafting and adoption of the SSPL, a new open source license. Sarah started her legal career at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York.

Derek Claiborne

Derek works with Chainalysis’ national security customers to build resilient blockchain solutions into our nation’s defense ecosystem. Before joining Chainalysis, Derek was a member of KPMG’s Federal Risk Strategy practice where he assisted DoD leadership in advancing their strategic goals while mitigating risk. Before KPMG, Derek was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, serving multiple tours overseas. Derek holds an M.B.A from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and does a killer rendition of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”.

Beth Bisbee

Elizabeth (Beth) Bisbee is currently the US Head of Investigations at Chainalysis, Inc where she leads a team of best-in-class cryptocurrency investigators. Prior to that, she was an Intelligence Research Specialist at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
where she served as a nationally-recognized subject matter expert (SME) on cryptocurrencies, tracing the flow of illicit funds in criminal cases, and identifying transactional behavior occurring on the blockchain. As DEA's leaded SME, Beth trained
hundreds of agents and analysts at DEA and other law enforcement agencies, assisted in more than 400 investigations involving cryptocurrencies, assisted in the seizure of cryptocurrency, and served as a testifying witness. She has been researching cryptocurrencies and their illicit use, and actively working cases in that area, since 2014.

... and more to come!

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