Seth Stodder blogs on global/homeland security and counterterrorism issues generally, with a particular emphasis on legal issues, surveillance and data privacy matters, borders, immigration policy, and supply chain security. He is President and CEO of Palindrome Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm advising public and private-sector clients on such issues, and, before founding Palindrome, was a lawyer at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, practicing appellate and constitutional law. Mr. Stodder also teaches Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Law and Policy at the University of Southern California Law School, and regularly lectures on such issues at Georgetown University.
From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Stodder served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as Director of Policy and Planning for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Counselor / Senior Policy Advisor to CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. Through Palindrome, Mr. Stodder continues to advise the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CBP, and the White House on various matters related to homeland security and counterterrorism. Among other things, Mr. Stodder served on the Steering Committee for the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR), was the Lead Outside Facilitator for the QHSR’s review of U.S. border policy and strategy, and helped write the section of the QHSR Final Report dealing with securing and managing our borders. More recently, Mr. Stodder has assisted CBP in crafting its International Strategy and related implementation and governance frameworks, assisted DHS and the White House in developing the National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security and in working with the global private sector on its implementation. Prior to serving in the government, Mr. Stodder was a lawyer at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, practicing appellate and constitutional law, media and First Amendment law, and white collar criminal defense.
Mr. Stodder also is a Senior Fellow with the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI), a Senior Associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Hometown Security (NIHS). He is a 1991 graduate of Haverford College, a 1995 graduate of the University of Southern California Law School, and is a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. He is a frequent commentator on national/homeland security, border security, immigration, and legal issues, and has published articles in a variety of media and scholarly journals.
