NAFUSA members Donna Bucella and Joe Whitley have been recognized by Homeland
Security Today as “Trailblazers of DHS,” honoring their long-standing service and
contributions to the Department of Homeland Security and the broader homeland
security mission.

Bucella, a former U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida and NAFUSA’s
2024–2025 president, has held a series of prominent national-security and law-
enforcement roles. In 2003 she became the founding director of the FBI’s Terrorist
Screening Center (TSC), charged with building the new interagency organization from
the ground up. She later served as Assistant Commissioner for Intelligence and
Investigative Liaison at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Her leadership helped
strengthen interagency coordination, terrorist screening, intelligence sharing, and border
security in the years following September 11.

Whitley, a former U. S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia from 1990-1993 and
for the Middle District of Georgia from 1981 to 1987, served as the first General Counsel
of the Department of Homeland Security when the new department was created. In that
role, he helped establish the Office of General Counsel and provided the legal
framework needed to unite 22 agencies and offices with distinct authorities and
regulations. His work touched nearly every aspect of the emerging department, from
regulations, personnel, procurement, and litigation to intelligence sharing, border and
transportation security, emergency response, and congressional engagement.

The recognition reflects the enduring public-service legacy of both NAFUSA members.
Bucella’s operational leadership and Whitley’s foundational legal work helped shape
institutions and practices that continue to support homeland security efforts.