David Hickton, the founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve a three-year term on the Public Interest Declassification Board. 

The board, which is comprised of leaders in the fields of national security, foreign policy, law and archival science, advises and provides recommendations to the president and other executive branch officials on potential declassification and release of historical documents and archives to Congress or other public agencies. 

Members — five appointed by the president and one each by the four leaders of Congress — serve three-year terms and may be reappointed to serve for two additional terms.

This marks Hickton’s third presidential appointment by three different presidents. Former President Bill Clinton appointed Hickton to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts in 1998, and former President Barack Obama appointed Hickton as a U.S. attorney from 2010-16.  

“It is an honor to be selected for this important position and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve,” Hickton said about his appointment.