WASHINGTON— Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson today announced the appointment of four new members to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). The HSAC is comprised of experts from state, local and tribal governments, emergency and first responder communities, academia and the private sector who provide recommendations and advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security on a variety of homeland security issues.
The new members announced today include: Former U.S. Representative from Arizona Ron Barber; Kayyem Solutions, LLC Founder Juliette Kayyem; Tohono O'odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr.; and Council on Foreign Relations Adjunct Senior Fellow Farah Pandith.
For more information about HSAC, visit www.dhs.gov/hsac.
Ron Barber is a former U.S. Representative from Arizona. Mr. Barber served as district director for U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords from 2007 to 2012 before Giffords resigned her seat due to the severe injuries she sustained in an assassination attempt; Barber was also shot alongside Giffords. After the shooting, he and his family established the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding. He won a special election to finish Gifford's term and was sworn into office on June 19, 2012. Mr. Barber served as Regional Administrator and State Director of the Arizona Development Disabilities Department, from 1974 to 2006.
Juliette Kayyem is founder of Kayyem Solutions, LLC, a firm providing strategic advice on risk management, mega-event planning and venture capital investments to global clients. A member of President Obama's transition team, she then served as DHS Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs until 2010, where she played pivotal roles in the H1N1 pandemic, the BP Oil Spill, and major policy issues such as immigration reform and grant funding. Before that, she was appointed as Massachusetts' first Undersecretary for Homeland Security by Governor Deval L. Patrick. Kayyem is on the faculty at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where she teaches new leaders in crisis management. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her commentary in the Boston Globe, she is a national security analyst for CNN, a contributor to NPR's WGBH in Boston, and also hosts the podcast "Security Mom." She serves as Chair of the Safety and Security Committee of the Boston 2024 Summer Olympic Bid.
Ned Norris Jr., Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, has served as the Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation in southern Arizona since May 2007. He also served as the Vice Chairman from 2003 to 2007. Chairman Norris served as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Southwest Border Task Force, a subcommittee of the National Congress of American Indians in 2009. Chairman Norris worked for the government of the Tohono O'odham Nation for over three decades and for six years (1988 - 1993) served as a (non-attorney) tribal Judge. Chairman Norris was inducted to the Sunnyside Unified School District Hall of Fame. He is also a former Commissioner for the Tohono O'odham Nation’s Tribal Employment Rights Office. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters from the University of Arizona in 2009.
Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Senior Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and strategic advisor to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, currently leads numerous efforts designed to counter violent extremism through new organizations, programs, and initiatives. She is a CVE pioneer and built first of its kind programs including Sisters Against Violent Extremism and Generation Change. Ms. Pandith was appointed the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities at the Department of State in June 2009. From 2004 to 2007, she was the Director for Middle East Initiatives at the National Security Council (NSC). Prior to the NSC, Ms. Pandith was Chief of Staff at the Bureau for Asia and the Near East at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Ms. Pandith also served at USAID from 1990-1993 and was Vice President for International Business at ML Strategies from 1997-2003. She was a key architect of the Women in Public Service Project. She serves on the Board of Overseers at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and on the Smith College President’s Council.
The full list of the Homeland Security Advisory Council members can be found here.
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