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Homeland Security Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center Taps Top Security Experts as Inaugural Fellows

Feb. 07, 2017

Lisa Monaco, Alan Bersin, and John Carlin Served in White House, Departments of Justice and Homeland Security

The Homeland Security Project, a new initiative of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, has announced the appointment of the Project’s three inaugural fellows, all of whom held top positions in the Obama and previous administrations:

  • Lisa O. Monaco, former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.
  • Alan D. Bersin, former Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
  • John P. Carlin, former Assistant Attorney General for National Security and currently Chair, Global Risk and Crisis Management, Morrison & Foerster LLP. Carlin will also work with the Belfer Center’s Cyber Security Project.

Led by Belfer Lecturer in International Security and former DHS Assistant Secretary Juliette Kayyem, the Homeland Security Project focuses on the unique challenges and choices around protecting the American homeland. The new team will work with the project to address the following strategic questions:

  • What should DHS look like in the years to come? 
  • What are the operational and strategic challenges of border management as seen through the lens of homeland security?
  • How can the government drive more resilient behavior by states, cities, and individuals in response to increasing incidences of natural and manmade disasters?

“From terror to natural disaster to pandemics, homeland security is at the intersection of all evolving threats and hazards with the traditional governmental and civil responsibilities of emergency response, law enforcement, customs, border control, and immigration,” Kayyem said. “These talented individuals, who have been working at the center of our nation’s security, will provide experience and insight into exploring the challenges connected with keeping our nation safe. I look forward to their contributions as we tackle these issues with our faculty, staff, and students.”

Lisa O. Monaco served as Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism between 2013 and 2017. As the President’s Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor, she was responsible for advising the President on all aspects of counterterrorism policy and strategy and coordinating homeland security-related activities on issues ranging from terrorist attacks at home and abroad to cybersecurity, pandemics, and natural disasters. Monaco also chaired the Cabinet-level Homeland Security Principals’ Committee which advises the President on homeland security policy issues and crises. She will be a senior fellow with the Belfer Center’s Homeland Security Program.

Alan D. Bersin served in the Obama administration as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Policy. In those capacities, Bersin was responsible for DHS’s international engagement, leading the Department’s strategic planning and policy formulation functions and serving as the principal advisor to the DHS Secretary. Earlier, he served as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection where he oversaw the operations of CBP’s 58,000-employee work force. Additionally, he is a former Vice President of INTERPOL for the Americas. Bersin will serve as a senior fellow with the Belfer Center’s Homeland Security Project.

John P. Carlin chairs the Global Risk and Crisis Management practice at Morrison & Foerster LLP, and was until recently Assistant Attorney General for National Security, the Department of Justice’s top national security attorney. Carlin was responsible for nearly 400 employees charged with protecting the country against international and domestic terrorism, espionage, cyber, and other national security threats. Under his leadership, the National Security Division (NSD) worked with U.S. Attorneys’ offices on a number of high-profile cases and issues including prosecution of the Boston Marathon bombing cases and disruption of multiple terrorist plots and national security threats. Carlin will serve as a fellow with the Belfer Center’s Homeland Security Project and the Center’s Cyber Security Project, led by Michael Sulmeyer.

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:Homeland Security Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center Taps Top Security Experts as Inaugural Fellows .” News, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, February 7, 2017.