Shanna Devine, Office of Whistleblower Ombuds in the U.S. House of Representatives
From the recent Twitter data privacy breakdowns to the role of Big Brother, whistleblowers are society’s eyes and ears to abuses of power that betray the public trust. Likewise, Congress relies on these courageous individuals to sound the alarm around threats to our civil liberties and conduct effective oversight.
The Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds, an independent and nonpartisan support office for the House of Representatives, will discuss the ways in which it advises Congress on best practices for working with whistleblowers from the public and private sectors – and how whistleblowers can also take precautions to protect their communications.
Shanna Devine, Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds, U.S. House of Representatives
Shanna Devine serves as the inaugural Director of the Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds. In that capacity, she is responsible for advising the House community on best practices for working with whistleblowers from the public and private sectors.
Prior to joining the House, Shanna was already partnering with Congress in a bipartisan capacity to strengthen working relationships with whistleblowers. Her experience began in 2008 with the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit whistleblower support organization. As legislative director, she led campaigns that resulted in bipartisan passage of landmark whistleblower laws, including Congress’ unanimous passage of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. As an investigator, she worked with whistleblowers to safely verify their allegations and channel their knowledge to Congress for effective oversight. She routinely conducted trainings on best practices for working with whistleblowers, and in 2015 and 2016 she played a strategic role in the establishment of the bipartisan Senate and House Whistleblower Protection Caucuses.
Shanna earned her Master of Public Management degree from the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Critical Theory and Social Justice from Occidental College.
Open Access Media
USENIX is committed to Open Access to the research presented at our events. Papers and proceedings are freely available to everyone once the event begins. Any video, audio, and/or slides that are posted after the event are also free and open to everyone. Support USENIX and our commitment to Open Access.
author = {Shanna Devine},
title = {Protecting Whistleblower Information},
year = {2023},
address = {Santa Clara, CA},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = jan
}