Auburn University's Burgess named to Center for Cyber and Homeland Security board of directors

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The Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, or CCHS, at The George Washington University has named retired Army Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr. to its board of directors. Burgess, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, is senior counsel for National Security Programs, Cyber Programs and Military Affairs at Auburn University.

The center's board members provide high-level guidance and support to the center's leadership team and help to sustain and grow its policy and research activities.

The center's board is chaired by J. Richard Knop, the founder and co-manager of FedCap Partners and a member of The George Washington University's board of trustees. The membership of the board includes former senior government officials, private sector executives and other national leaders with expertise in cybersecurity, counterterrorism and homeland security.

"I am pleased to chair this board of directors, which will shape and inform the center's policy and research agenda for the coming years," said Knop. "The Board will also assist with identifying new research opportunities and partnerships for the center."

"Our new board of directors includes individuals who have provided decades of service to our nation in support of U.S. national security," said Frank Cilluffo, director of CCHS. "I am honored to be able to draw on their advice and counsel as the center contributes to the policy dialogue on a variety of national security issues."

The GW Center for Cyber and Homeland Security was established in January to integrate the activities of two existing policy centers within the university: the Homeland Security Policy Institute, or HSPI, which was established in 2003; and the GW Cybersecurity Initiative, which was established in 2012.

Building on the longstanding track record of these two entities, CCHS convenes leading experts and policy practitioners at dozens of senior-level events, both on and off the record, each year. Past speakers at events include senior U.S. government officials, members of Congress, private sector executives and foreign leaders. CCHS also regularly publishes policy-relevant research and analysis and provides expert testimony to Congress on critical issues and challenges related to cybersecurity, counterterrorism and homeland security.

The center is led by Frank Cilluffo, a former special assistant to the president for Homeland Security, and by Christian Beckner, a former associate staff director with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The center also recently established a new Program on Extremism to focus on issues related to radicalization and countering violent extremism, led by noted experts Lorenzo Vidino and Seamus Hughes.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.