Contributor:
Erroll Southers
Dr. Erroll G. Southers writes about homegrown violent extremism, radicalization, and aviation and transportation security. He is the Director of Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies at the University of Southern California (USC) Safe Communities Institute. He is also a Professor of the Practice of Governance at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, and he is the Managing Director of the Counter-Terrorism and Infrastructure Protection Division of the international security consulting firm TAL Global Corporation.
Southers is a former FBI Special Agent, President Barack Obama’s first nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Deputy Director for Critical Infrastructure of the California Office of Homeland Security.
Southers was the Assistant Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence at the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department, the nation’s largest. He began his law enforcement career with the Santa Monica Police Department and was appointed to the faculty and tactical staff of the Rio Hondo Police Academy. In the FBI, he investigated foreign counterintelligence and terrorism matters and served as a member of SWAT. He has testified as a subject matter expert before the full Congressional Committee on Homeland Security and lectures at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Antiterrorism Seminars.
Southers earned his BA degree at Brown University, and his MPA and doctorate at USC. He is a Senior Fellow of the UCLA School of Public Affairs and Visiting Fellow of the International Institute of Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel. He lectures widely on terrorism and international security and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR and a host of other media outlets. Read more about Southers’ work and writing on his website.
