Roy Balleste
Professor of Law, Director of International Initiatives, and Director of the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library
B.A., Jacksonville University
JD, St. Thomas University School of Law
MLIS, University of South Florida
LLM, Intercultural Human Rights, St. Thomas University School of Law
LLM, Air and Space Law, McGill University
M.S., Cybersecurity, Norwich University
J.S.D., Intercultural Human Rights (Internet Governance), St Thomas University School of Law
PhD, Space Cybersecurity, Capitol Technology University
Phone: 727-562-7836
Email: [email protected]
Office: CR-108 (Gulfport)
Courses
Cyberlaw and Space Law
Dr. Roy Balleste, MRAeS is a tenured full professor of law at Stetson University College of Law, where he serves as Director of International Initiatives and Director of the Law Library.
International Leadership
As Director of International Initiatives, Dr. Balleste leads Stetson Law’s global engagement strategy. He develops international partnerships, fosters student and faculty exchanges, and represents the College at leading global forums. His international work includes presentations at the United Nations High-Level Forum on Space, McGill University’s Strategic Space Law Course, and the International Astronautical Congress. He also contributes as a core expert to the MILAMOS Project, which produced the manual on international law applicable to military uses of outer space. In recognition of his contributions to global space law, Dr. Balleste is a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (MRAeS) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), affiliations that highlight his leadership in advancing international legal norms for space exploration and security.
In addition to his space law expertise, Dr. Balleste has been a longstanding voice in global internet governance. He served for more than a decade with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), including as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Noncommercial Users Constituency. Through this work, he helped shape international policy on issues such as Whois regulation, ensuring civil society representation in the global governance of the internet.
Academic & Scholarly Recognition
In recognition of his outstanding scholarly contributions, Dr. Balleste received the 2025 Homer and Dolly Hand Award for Excellence in Faculty Research, the highest award for scholarship at Stetson University. His achievements have also been honored internationally: in 2017, he received the Nicolas Mateesco Matte Space Law Prize from McGill University’s Institute of Air and Space Law, awarded annually to the student with the highest distinction in Space Law and Institutions. In 2016, he was recognized with the Jean Key Gates Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of South Florida School of Information, given to alumni whose professional career achievements serve as a model for the information science community.
His research spans space law, cybersecurity, internet governance, and the legal dimensions of emerging technologies, and he has authored books, book chapters and twenty law review articles. He is currently pursuing a Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) credential at the National Defense University.
Director of the Law Library
As Director of the Law Library, Dr. Balleste oversees legal research services and technological innovation that support faculty, students, and alumni. His leadership integrates his expertise in information science, cybersecurity, and law, ensuring that Stetson’s law library remains a hub for research and professional development.