Gregory Ducot is the Deputy Director for the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, where he is primarily responsible for ICITAP’s management, administrative, and strategic planning needs. Previously, he was ICITAP’s Deputy Assistant Director for Regional Operations, in which capacity he provided management support and administrative coordination for missions in Europe, Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere. ICITAP focuses heavily on institutions and capacity building within law enforcement, in coordination with OPDAT, which focuses primarily on prosecutors and the judiciary. ICITAP’s work is not operational; rather, they focus on assistance and development, while strengthening host-country institutions, which support USG international operations.
With its funding provided through interagency agreements, ICITAP has what Mr. Ducot describes as a “lean” and “entrepreneurial” culture, which he appreciates for its ability to keep ICITAP relevant. ICITAP receives a majority of its funding from INL but also receives funding from USAID, as well as from DOD for security sector and counter-narcotics programming. ICITAP is currently developing a closer relationship with the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism. Mr. Ducot proudly promotes ICITAP’s contribution to U.S. national security through its international capacity building efforts since 1986.
Mr. Ducot’s 27-year career in international development spans a range of geography and subject matter, with a strong focus on law enforcement development and training. Before joining ICITAP in 2003, he worked as an Associate Director of Development for PH International, an organization funded by the U.S. Department of State and engaged in law enforcement development programs throughout the Former Soviet Union. At PH International, he served as the Program Director for the Community Policing Training Initiative, which facilitated training and partnerships between U.S. police departments and law enforcement agencies from Ukraine and Russia. He also previously served for three years with the United States Peace Corps as a business development volunteer in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Berdyansk. Before going to Ukraine, he served as an advisor at the Fundación Arias para La Paz y el Progreso Humano and as Director of the University of Costa Rica’s English for Business Professionals program.
On a daily basis, Mr. Ducot makes efforts to foster greater interagency communication and coordination on rule of law issues, which he says is “how [he’s] wired.” He regularly engages in information sharing with other DOJ agencies such as ATF, DEA, FBI, the Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as well as with partner agencies from the Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Defense. He regards interagency communication and coordination as a task that requires tracking, responsiveness, and vigilance, as well as innovative and entrepreneurial thinking. In an environment that he characterizes as one that puts a premium on personalities and often maintaining hardline positions, he believes firmly that kindness, a willingness to communicate and cooperate, and a focus on the urgency and criticality of substantive rule of law work will always prevail.
For those reasons, he views JUSTRAC’s work as particularly important. As he describes it, “JUSTRAC has proven to be an ideal community builder of interagency partners and NGOs committed to developing the rule of law overseas.” He values the quality of experts that JUSTRAC involves in its activities, as well as the opportunities for learning and meeting others in the interagency that JUSTRAC provides. JUSTRAC appreciates the contributions of experienced professionals like Mr. Ducot, who help make those opportunities possible.