Michael G. Masters

Last updated

Michael G. Masters
Michael G. Masters Official Photo.png
Education University of Michigan (B.A., History)
University of Cambridge (MPhil, International Relations)
Harvard Law School (Juris Doctor)
TitleNational Director and CEO of the Secure Community Network

Michael G. Masters is the National Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Secure Community Network. [1] He previously served as Senior Vice President of The Soufan Group and Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Cook County, Illinois. [2] He also serves on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security’s Faith Based Security and Communications Advisory Committee, as the Vice-Chair of the Secretary’s Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Grants Review Task Force and on the Secretary’s Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Foreign Fighter Task Force. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Masters was born on November 14, 1978, in Chicago, Illinois. A Truman and a Gates Cambridge Trust Scholar, [4] [5] Masters received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School where he was managing editor of the Harvard International Law Journal.

Masters holds the rank of captain in the United States Marine Corps. [6]

Career

Early career

He served as an assistant to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley for public safety during which time he oversaw public safety policy and operations for the City of Chicago and as a liaison to the Chicago Police and Fire Departments and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

He then served as the Chief of Staff of the Chicago Police Department, [7] during which time he [8] oversaw enhancements to training and equipment and the implementation of performance management metrics and accountability systems.

He has also worked with the Washington D.C.–based Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan, organization dedicated to revitalizing the federal civil service, and with the United States Attorney’s office, also in Washington, D.C. [9] He has engaged in development work on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. During the 2000 presidential election cycle, Masters was a member of United States Vice President Al Gore’s national advance team.

Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

As Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Cook County, Illinois, Masters was responsible for coordinating and maintaining the homeland security and emergency management system across Cook County, involving both first responder and public sector agencies as well as partners in the private, non-profit and academic sectors.

During his tenure, the department implemented a federally grant funded training and exercise programs, reaching over 9200 first responders annually. [10] [11] The Department also created the Cook County Incident Command Center (CCICC), complete with a 24/7 Duty Desk that gathers and disseminates information, compiles daily situation reports and sends situation awareness updates on a daily basis on everything ranging from international terrorism events to weather updates. [12]

An Emergency Operations Center was established, [13] and investment made in water pumps, generators, light towers and other mobile infrastructure, all of which was made available for deployment across the County and in support of local jurisdictions and other stakeholders in the case of a disaster. [14]

The Soufan Group

Masters served as the Senior Vice President of The Soufan Group, a strategic advisory firm that assists organizations in the public and private sectors with addressing emergent threats. He currently[ when? ] holds an Of Counsel role with The Soufan Group and Soufan Strategies [15] and as of July 2021 serves as the President of the Soufan Center. [16]

Secure Community Network

In December 2017, Masters became National Director and CEO of the Secure Community Network (SCN), the national homeland security initiative of the North American Jewish community, formed under the Jewish Federations of North America and Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Prior to his role as National Director, Masters served as a Senior Advisor to SCN. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Homeland Security</span> United States federal executive department

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, and disaster prevention and management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Emergency Management Agency</span> United States disaster response agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979. The agency's primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the President that FEMA and the federal government respond to the disaster. The only exception to the state's gubernatorial declaration requirement occurs when an emergency or disaster takes place on federal property or to a federal asset—for example, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, or the Space Shuttle Columbia in the 2003 return-flight disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of Homeland Security</span> Head of the United States Department of Homeland Security

The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thad Allen</span> United States Coast Guard admiral (born 1949)

Thad William Allen is a former admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 23rd commandant from 2006 to 2010. Allen is best known for his performance directing the federal response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006, and for his role as National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Robert J. Papp Jr. succeeded him as Commandant on 25 May 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrance W. Gainer</span> Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate

Terrance William Gainer is a former law enforcement officer and was the 38th Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and served in that position from January 4, 2007, to May 2, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard A. Falkenrath</span>

Richard A. Falkenrath Jr. served as deputy commissioner of counter-terrorism of the New York City Police Department from 2006 to 2010. He was the third person to hold this position. His predecessors were Frank Libutti and Michael A. Sheehan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Velasquez</span>

Andrew Velasquez III is the former Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Region V. He coordinated preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities for the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Prior to his appointment as Region V administrator he served as Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Executive Director of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Moskowitz</span> American politician (born 1980)

Jared Evan Moskowitz is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 23rd congressional district since 2023. As a member of the Democratic Party, Moskowitz served on the Broward County Commission from 2022 to 2023 and as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management from 2019 to 2021. Before his appointment to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, he served in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the Coral Springs-Parkland area in northern Broward County from 2012 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Soufan</span> Lebanese-American former FBI agent (born 1971)

Ali H. Soufan is a Lebanese-American former FBI agent who was involved in a number of high-profile anti-terrorism cases both in the United States and around the world. A 2006 New Yorker article described Soufan as coming closer than anyone to preventing the September 11 attacks and implied that he would have succeeded had the CIA been willing to share information with him. He resigned from the FBI in 2005 after publicly chastising the CIA for not sharing intelligence with him which could have prevented the attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Ashkenazi</span> Israeli disaster management expert

Isaac Ashkenazi is an Israeli Professor of Disaster Medicine at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and a consultant to Harvard University. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts in medical preparedness for complex emergencies and disasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Command Consulting Group</span> International security and intelligence consulting firm

Command Group, "CG", founded as Command Consulting Group, is an international security and intelligence consulting firm, founded in 2009, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. CG provides advisory services for governments, corporations, and high net worth individuals.

The National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) is a United States government advisory council, which advises the President of the United States on the security of information systems in banking, finance, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and emergency government services. The George W. Bush Administration's executive order 13231 of October 16, 2001 created the NIAC, and its functioning was last extended until September 30, 2023 by executive order 14048 of the Biden Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul N. Stockton</span>

Dr. Paul N. Stockton is the President of Paul N Stockton LLC, a strategic advisory firm in Santa Fe, NM. From 2009 to 2013, Dr. Stockton served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs, where he helped lead the department's response to Hurricane Sandy. He was responsible for Defense Critical Infrastructure Protection, Western Hemisphere security policy, domestic crisis management, continuity of operations planning, and a range of other responsibilities. While Assistant Secretary, Dr. Stockton also served as executive director of the Council of Governors. After serving as Assistant Secretary, Dr. Stockton was the managing director of Sonecon LLC, an advisory firm in Washington, DC, from 2013 to 2020.

Jarrod Neal Bernstein is former Obama Administration Counter Terrorism and Community Outreach Official. From 2017-2022 he served as the senior counsel to Thomas F Secunda and Secunda Family Foundation (SFF) and Director of the Bloomberg Resilience Team. Currently he is Of Counsel at Morrison Cohen and the Managing Director of 'First Due Advisory'. Bernstein is the former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement responsible for Jewish Outreach From 2014 to 2017, he was the Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Strategy for CarePoint Health, a New Jersey–based patient-focused health care provider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Military Department</span> Branch of state government in Washington, USA

The Washington State Military Department is a branch of the state government of Washington, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alicia Tate-Nadeau</span>

Brigadier General Alicia A. Tate-Nadeau is a senior officer in the United States Army National Guard and the first woman to be promoted to brigadier general in the Illinois Army National Guard. She currently serves as the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency</span> Agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for cybersecurity and infrastructure protection across all levels of government, coordinating cybersecurity programs with U.S. states, and improving the government's cybersecurity protections against private and nation-state hackers. Cybersecurity is now considered as important part of individuals and families, as well as organizations, governments, educational institutions and our business. It is essential for families and parents to protect the children and family members from online fraud. The term cyber attack covers a wide variety of actions ranging from simple probes, to defacing websites, to denial of service, to espionage and destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Gaynor</span> American government official (born 1958)

Peter Thomas Gaynor is an American Certified Emergency Manager who served briefly as acting Secretary of Homeland Security under President Trump. Gaynor previously served as administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He was appointed as Acting Administrator by President Donald Trump on March 8, 2019, and became Administrator on January 16, 2020.

Michael A. Sprayberry is an American emergency manager who served as the Director of Emergency Management in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety from 2013 to 2021. He oversaw the state's emergency response to several major disasters including Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane Florence, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secure Community Network</span> North American Jewish security organization

Secure Community Network (SCN) is the largest Jewish security organization in North America, working with hundreds of synagogues to provide safety guidance and threat intelligence. SCN liaises with law enforcement and other organizations to provide best practices for Jewish communal security. SCN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

References

  1. ↑ "ADL Congratulates Michael Masters on Appointment to Secure Community Network (SCN)". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  2. ↑ New Cook County Security Chief Michael Masters Reviewing Department. (5/10/2011). Fox Chicago News.
  3. ↑ Krashesky, Alan (April 19, 2015). "Newsviews: Foreign Fighter Task Force".
  4. ↑ University of Michigan. Previous Winners Of Major National Scholarships Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . University of Michigan. Retrieved: 6-23-14
  5. ↑ A sense of service. University of Cambridge. (2/11/14). Retrieved: 6-23-14.
  6. ↑ MARADMINS. (8/27/09). Officer Promotions For September 2009 And Projected Officer Promotions For October 2009. The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website. Retrieved: 6-23-14.
  7. ↑ Jacobs, Cheryl. (5/06/2010). Meet Michael Masters, Chief of Staff to the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Oy! Chicago. Retrieved: 8-21-11.
  8. ↑ Dubkin, Pauline. (3/05/2010). Top Cop’s Top Guy Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . The Chicago Jewish News Online. Retrieved: 8-21-11.
  9. ↑ Paré, Jaclyn. (12/13/06). The Partnership for Public Service. New York Social Diary. Retrieved: 6-23-14.
  10. ↑ Coffey, Chris. (2/11/14). Cops, Teachers Train For Active Shooter Scenarios. 5 NBC Chicago. Retrieved: 6-23-14.
  11. ↑ Negovan, Tom. (11/26/13). Behind-the-scenes: First-responders prepare for the unpredictable. WGNTV. Retrieved: 6-23-14.
  12. ↑ "Anatomy of a turnaround: The Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management | Government Security News". gsnmagazine.com. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  13. ↑ Kadner, Phil. "Cook County unveils emergency command center". Daily Southtown. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  14. ↑ Goudie, Chuck. (5/9/2013). I-Team: Cook County Taxpayers Funded $20 Million Secret Warehouse. ABC 7 Eyewitness News. Retrieved: 6-23-14.
  15. ↑ "Team | The Soufan Group". www.soufangroup.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Soufan Center Team". The Soufan Center. March 4, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Meet the Jewish community's new anti-terrorism czar | Jewish Telegraphic Agency". www.jta.org. November 28, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.