Mark Dorfman is the EVP, GC and Secretary of DRS Technologies, a supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. Soon after joining DRS in 2005, Mark handled the legal aspects of DRS's $1.9B acquisition of Engineered Support Systems. In 2008, he once again provided M&A counsel to DRS in a complex transaction that returned over $5.2B to the DRS public shareholders and resulted in DRS becoming a subsidiary of the Italian company Finmeccanica SpA. Mark worked with DoD to implement security arrangements that preserved the company's operational autonomy while permitting collaboration and transparency with its foreign parent. To address the increased compliance demands arising from the company's complex security structure and allay any concerns regarding the company's foreign ownership, Mark prioritized DRS' industrial security program; it is recognized as one of the strongest in the country. DRS routinely receives the highest security ratings at its cleared sites and recently received the Defense Security Service Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence for the second time in three years, chosen from a pool of 10,000 cleared companies.

What you didn't know about Mark:

• His deal-making started long before he became a transactional lawyer. While in high school, Mark negotiated the procurement of a large quantity of glow sticks, which he and his friends later sold at a greater than 500% mark-up at outdoor concerts, festivals and events.

• He majored in political science at Emory before heading up the East Coast for law school at NYU.