Glenn S. Gerstell

Glenn S. Gerstell is an American lawyer currently serving as the General Counsel of the United States National Security Agency (NSA). He previously was a member of the US National Infrastructure Advisory Council and a Commissioner of the Washington, D.C. Homeland Security Commission.

After earning his BA cum laude in political science and government at the New York University Gerstell went to the Columbia University in the City of New York and earned his law degree in 1976. Gerstell practiced law for nearly 40 years at the international law firm of Milbank LLP, where he served for 18 years (1976 - 2015) as the managing partner of the Milbank's Washington, D.C., office. He previously led the firm's Singapore and Hong Kong offices.

Gerstell served as the Chairman of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority from 2001 to 2007),a member of the U.S National infrastructure Advisory Council appointed by President Obama from 2011 to 2015 and a Commissioner of the Washington, D.C. Homeland Security Commission Homeland Security Commission from 2013 to 2015.Gerstell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an elected member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.He was also an adjunct law professor at the Georgetown University school of Law and the New York Law school.

In August 2015 Gerstell was appointed as the General Counsel of the NSA, in which capacity he serves as the principal lawyer for the agency and legal advisor to the Director of the National Security Agency. Gerstell occasionally serves as a spokesperson for the NSA in legal and policy areas, especially on technology and privacy topics.