The George Washington University's Master of Professional Studies program in Security & Safety…read moreLeadership/Homeland Security was a life changing educational pursuit that shaped my entire future. Taught by Professionals from federal government, military, law enforcement, and other crucial career fields, our Professors shared their wealth of knowledge that gave us a deep understanding of what's at stake for us in Homeland Security preparedness and execution to safeguard American interests at home and abroad. Special thanks to Professor Sean Blochberger, who is a career military officer, Professor and Program Director, Dr. Frederic Lemieux, and my thesis adviser, Dr. Hossein Askari from the Elliott School of International Affairs, who continue to have a positive impact on my life. I loved all of my Professors and remember my time at GW fondly. This valuable Master's degree in Homeland Security also helped me expand my writing skills and my public speaking skills. My studies led to tremendous personal development. After completing the degree, I became a uniformed security officer, worked as a civilian for the U.S. Navy, and I became an FBI applicant. I also became a self-published author on Amazon.com. I am proud and grateful to be a GW alumni.
Professor Sean Blochberger is an adjunct professor in the College of Professional Studies where he instructs in Strategic Change Leadership. A former career military officer, Sean has more than 30 years of service within the Department of Defense. Sean has extensive experience in leadership, organizational behavior, and in the formulation and execution of strategy.
Among his many military assignments, Sean served as a squadron commander, a strategic planner for United States Central Command, and as the director of United States Southern Command's Washington Office.
Academically, Sean was an Assistant Professor of Military Strategy and Logistics at the Eisenhower School (National Defense University) where he also held the Commandant of the Marine Corps Chair and led the Strategic Materials Industry Study.
Dr. Lemieux joined the George Washington University in 2006 and he is jointly appointed at the Department of Sociology and the College of Professional Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Montreal in 2002. Dr. Lemieux's research has focused on policing, homeland security, and cybersecurity. He is currently conducting studies on cyber defense and intelligence sharing on cyber threats. Dr. Lemieux has also published various journal articles examining crime control during major disasters, counter-terrorism, intelligence agencies, and police cooperation. He has published six books; Militarization of the Police Apparatus (2005), Norms and Practices in Criminal Intelligence (2006), Homeland Security Handbook (2007), International Police Cooperation (2010, Crime During Disasters (2010), Economic Development, Crime, and Policing (2014). He is currently working on a new book on Strategic Cyber Operations to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015.
Professor Askari received his B.S. in Civil Engineering, attended the Sloan School of Management and received his Ph.D in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before coming to GW in 1982, he was a Professor of International Business and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Askari served on the Executive Board of the IMF, Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance of Saudi Arabia and as consultant to the OECD, the World Bank, the IFC, the UN, the Government of Saudi Arabia, and a number of multinational corporations. He has acted as a mediator between the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia and Iran and Kuwait.
Special thanks to Professor John G. Perrin, who is a highly accomplished professional and has served as the Assistant Director for the FBI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, where he led the USG law enforcement and domestic intelligence efforts to prevent and neutralize WMD threats against the US homeland and interests abroad.