McLean, Virginia, March 8, 2021—Emily Frye, director for cyber integration for homeland security and the civilian enterprise at MITRE, has been named to FCW’s 2021 Federal 100 for her leadership in identifying and addressing cyber needs and demands across multiple federal civilian agencies. She also serves as co-director of MITRE’s election integrity initiative and pioneered the nationwide Social See Something, Say Something (SQUINT™) program and reporting tool to track election misinformation.
The Federal 100 awards recognize leaders who have gone above and beyond to show how government can leverage technology to better serve the public and federal employees. This year’s list, chosen by a select panel of government and industry leaders, includes winners from private industry, academia, and the federal government.
“MITRE is fortunate to have leaders like Frye,” said Yosry Barsoum, vice president, Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute™. “Being named a Fed100 award recipient is further recognition of her leadership in election security and the federal IT community, and her commitment to the collaboration between government and industry. I know I speak for the entire company when I congratulate her on receiving this prestigious award.”
Frye and her team developed and deployed the SQUINT program in less than a year. More than 250 jurisdictions, including 13 state governments, used the free application during the 2020 elections. SQUINT helps election officials counter misinformation that could keep registered voters from the polls. It provides a fast, reliable way to report and correct inaccurate information that appears on social media. Now, SQUINT-C is being built for crowds across the medical community to counter misinformation about COVID-19, treatment, and vaccines.
In addition to creating and promulgating SQUINT, Frye was responsible for establishing the National Election Security Lab (NESL), which produces election analyses to help states manage risk in their election ecosystems.
Following the November presidential election and the preparation for the Georgia runoff elections, the NESL produced a body of work that was actively used by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office to describe and support the integrity of the Georgia election process.
Frye is a fellow at the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security and an adviser to the National Governors Association States’ Role in National Defense initiative.
FCW will honor the Federal 100 winners at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on August 27. This year will mark the awards’ 32nd anniversary of celebrating government, industry, and academic leaders who are transforming government and its ability to deliver on critical missions.
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