DHS Announces New Members of
Faith-Based Security Advisory Council (FBSAC)
Council members represent diverse faith communities
across the country
WASHINGTON
– Today,
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the appointment
of 25 members to the reinvigorated Faith-Based Security Advisory
Council, in advance of the first meeting on October 6, 2022. Council
members will advise the Secretary on the needs of the faith community
relating to security and preparedness matters across all aspects of
the DHS mission.
“These prominent faith
and law enforcement leaders will help us build and strengthen the
community partnerships that are so vital to our mission success,” said Secretary Alejandro N.
Mayorkas. “We will work together to increase access
to our services, ensure equity, maintain openness and transparency,
and fully restore the trust of the communities we serve.”
The Council will provide
organizationally independent, strategic, timely, specific, and
actionable advice to the Secretary on diverse homeland security
matters. Specifically, the Council’s contributions will enhance
the Department’s work to protect houses of worship; improve
coordination and information sharing of threat information with the
faith community, and through the faith community, within the broader
communities in which they serve; increase access to DHS resources by
building trust and addressing potential barriers; and prevent, protect
against, respond to, and recover from acts of targeted violence,
terrorism, and other threats.
Secretary Mayorkas
has appointed the following individuals to the Council:
- Chandru Acharya, Member, Plymouth
Canton Interfaith Community Outreach
- Imam Mohamed Hagmagid
Ali,
Executive Director, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS)
Center / Co-Founder, Multi-Faith Neighbors Network
- Salam Al-Marayati, Co-Founder and
President, Muslim Public Affairs Council
- Deputy Chief Tracie
Baker,
Arlington Police Department, Texas
- Kimberly Burgo, Vice President,
Disaster Operations, Catholic Charities USA
- Jeffery Cooper, General Secretary
and Chief Information Officer, African Methodist Episcopal
Church
- Dr. Leslie
Copeland-Tune,
Chief Operating Officer, National Council of Churches
- Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director,
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice
President, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of
America
- Commissioner Kenneth
Hodder, National
Commander, The Salvation Army
- Hyepin Im,
President and Founder, Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE)
- Curtis Jones, National Deputy
Sector Chief - Manager Religious Facilities Protection Program
(RFPP), InfraGard National Members Alliance
- Alberto Martinez, Director, Orange
County Intelligence Assessment Center Orange County Sheriff’s
Department
- Michael Masters, National Director
& CEO, Secure Community Network
- Sheriff Garry
McFadden,
45th Sheriff of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
- Rabbi Jonah Dov
Pesner,
Director, Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, Union for
Reform Judaism
- Todd Richins, Church Security
Department, Field Operations Division Director, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Mayya Saab, Executive Director,
Faith Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization
- Gabriel Salguero, President, National
Latino Evangelical Coalition
- Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, CEO Emerita,
Rabbinical Assembly
- Chief Issa Shahin, Dearborn, Michigan
Police Department
- Imam Talib Shareef, Nation's Mosque /
Masjid Muhammed
- Al Sharpton, Founder &
President, National Action Network
- Naomi
Washington-Leapheart,
Director for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs, Mayor’s Office
of Public Engagement, City of Philadelphia
- April Wood, President/CEO,
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters
“This Council is an
important way for the Department to engage formally with critical
partners on issues impacting faith communities, said Brenda Abdelall,
Assistant Secretary for Partnership and Engagement.
“Members of the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council will provide
valuable insight that will benefit our stakeholders nationwide on
important issues within the scope of the Department's mission."
The Council’s membership
reflects President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ priorities on
diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will ensure a wide range of
diverse voices across various faith traditions. The members announced
today represent various faith communities and a diversity of
denominations, including from the Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim,
and Sikh communities, as well as law enforcement.
The first meeting of this
Council will be convened by Secretary Mayorkas and held virtually on October
6, 2022.
To learn more about the
Council, please visit: https://www.dhs.gov/faith-based-security-advisory-council.
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With
honor and integrity, we will safeguard
the American people,
our homeland, and our values.
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