Dr. Roy Balleste (roy@abhaerospace.com) is a tenured Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law, where he is also director of the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library. He teaches cyberlaw and space law and has concentrated his scholarship on the areas of internet governance, cybersecurity law, space law, space cybersecurity, and astronautical ethics. Balleste holds a J.S.D. in Intercultural Human Rights (St. Thomas University); M.S. in Cybersecurity (Norwich University); LL.M. in Air and Space Law (McGill University); LL.M. in Intercultural Human Rights (St. Thomas University); and a J.D. (St. Thomas University). He is a doctoral candidate (PhD) in space cybersecurity at Capitol Technology University (expected summer 2024). Balleste holds a certificate in cybersecurity (in policy and technology) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Most recently, Balleste was accepted at the National Defense University College of Information and Cyberspace to earn the prestigious Chief Information Security Officer Graduate Certificate.
Professor Balleste is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, the Space Force Association, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association (the only National Honor Society for the computing and information disciplines). Balleste has participated in discussions at the United Nations on internet governance and space law matters. He is a core expert and editorial board member of the Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS). Balleste was the 2017 recipient of the Nicolas Mateesco Matte Space Law Prize at McGill University and the 2016 Jean Key Gates Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of South Florida, School of Information.
Professor Balleste served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (ICANN GNSO) as the Representative for North America (December 2013 – December 2015) and a member of ICAAN’s ‘Thick’ Whois Policy Development Process Working Group (November 2012- November 2013). The Policy Development Process (PDP) Working Group (WG) was chartered to provide the Council of the Generic Names Supporting Organization with a policy recommendation regarding the use of ‘thick’ Whois by all gTLD Registries, both existing and future. Balleste was an active NCUC member until November 2017. He also served as Assistant Editor of the Annals of Air and Space Law (2016-2017) at the Center for Research in Air and Space Law, McGill University.
In November of 2017, Balleste participated at the United Nations High-level Forum on Space as a driver for sustainable socio-economic development. Balleste also participated in the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (UN IGF) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007 and in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2010. In October of 2012, Balleste participated—at the invitation of the U.S. Air Force Research Institute—in the second cyber power conference at Maxwell’s Officer Training School. From 2006 to 2009, Professor Balleste was head of IT at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and library director, where he collaborated with the university’s CIO and CFO. From 2009 to May 2020, Balleste supervised the law library and media department at St. Thomas University College of Law.
