Shane Barney

CISO, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

“I need to be mindful of the day when a new person will take over where I leave off,” Barney says about his role at USCIS. “This means that I need to provide the tools and environment my employees need to succeed, offering praise when things go right and, perhaps more importantly, taking responsibility when things go wrong while providing them an opportunity to learn without fear.” For him, leadership isn’t about being “in charge,” as much as it is about encouraging innovation and creativity “at all levels by questioning assumptions, reframing problems, and approaching old situations in new ways.”