Jim Christy is a retired special agent that has specialized in cyber crime investigations and digital forensics for over 26 years with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation and over 40 years of federal service. Jim returned to the federal government first as an IPA and now as an HQE and is the Director of Futures Exploration (FX) for the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3). FX the DC3 innovation incubator is responsible for outreach/marketing, and strategic relationships with other government organizations, private sector, and academia for DC3. He was profiled in Wired Magazine in January 2007.

Jim consulted with David Marconi (writer of Enemy of the State, Mission Impossible 2 & Live Free or Die Hard) and contributed technical advice on critical infrastructure attacks used in the movie Live Free or Die Hard.

In May 2011, the Air Force graduated the first NCO’s for a new AF career field, Cyber Defense Operations at Keesler AFB, MS. The staff of the course honored Jim by presenting the top graduate of the class with the “Jim Christy Award”. In 2006, Christy created the DC3 Digital Forensics Challenge an international competition that in 2011 had 1,800 participants spanning all 50 states and 53 countries. The exercises are designed to develop, hone, and engage participants in the fields of cyber investigation, digital forensics, and cyber security. It is one of the first venues to employ crowd sourcing in “real world” mission focused solution development.

In Oct 2003, the Association of Information Technology Professionals awarded Jim the 2003 Distinguished Information Science Award winner for his outstanding contribution through distinguished services in the field of information management. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Admiral Grace Hopper, Gene Amdahl, H. Ross Perot, General Emmett Paige, Bill Gates, Lawrence Ellison, David Packard and Mitch Kapor.

From 17 Sep 01 – 1 Nov 03, Jim was the Deputy Director/Director of Operations, Defense Computer Forensics Lab, DC3. As the Dir of Ops for the DCFL he managed four sections with over 40 computer forensic examiners that supported Major Crimes & Safety, Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism, as well as Intrusions and Information Assurance cases for the Department of Defense.