Former Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Joins the Batten School’s National Security Policy Center

By Erin Tor

The Honorable George W. Foresman will serve as a senior advisor as part of a partnership between the Batten School and UVA’s Applied Research Institute

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the University of Virginia’s Applied Research Institute (ARI) announced today that the Honorable George W. Foresman will join the Batten School’s National Security Policy Center (NSPC) as a senior advisor. In this new role, Foresman will support U.S. national security leadership and engagement activities. Foresman’s hiring is part of a larger partnership between the Batten School and ARI to elevate UVA as a leader in national security education, research, and outreach.

“George Foresman will be a huge asset to UVA, the Batten School, and the National Security Policy Center,” NSPC Director Philip Potter said. “His experience will help us to continue to generate solutions to difficult national security challenges.”

“We are thrilled to have George join the Batten School and the Applied Research Institute through this joint partnership,” ARI Senior Executive Director Joan Bienvenue said. “A statesman with George’s expertise and reach will have an immediate, far-reaching and positive impact on research and scholarship at UVA, as well as our relationship with industry and government partners.”

In additional to his role with the NSPC, Foresman continues to hold a series of top formal roles across government and business, where he guides leadership development, national security, and risk activities. Foresman was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2005 to serve as the Department of Homeland Security’s first under secretary of preparedness and then national protection and programs. Over a 35-year career, Foresman has held more than 11 top strategic leadership roles, chaired more than 25 national initiatives, co-chaired a five year long congressionally established commission on U.S. security, served as Virginia’s homeland security secretary after the 9/11 attacks and overseen seven “start-ups” in government and business. Foresman has unprecedented insight to virtually every national security crises of the past three decades. During his bipartisan career, he has held positions with five Democratic and Republican Governors of Virginia and a U.S. President. A proven exceptional communicator, executive leader and trusted facilitator, Foresman has repeatedly been called upon to build long-term relationships by establishing and maintaining confidence and trust among broad constituencies and under trying circumstances.

“I am humbled and excited to be given the chance to contribute to UVA’s leadership on issues of national and global security,” Foresman said. “UVA is Virginia’s flagship university and I have always admired its rich history of being an incubator of innovative academic and research solutions, and producing truly great leaders for government and business. I know what UVA is capable of delivering. I also understand the scope and scale of what is needed. I am confident that NSPC and ARI are poised to be catalyst for the University-wide efforts that enrich UVA’s contributions of policy, technology, and thought leadership that will advance security and stability in the coming decades.”

The Batten School’s centers are an essential point of convergence for interdisciplinary research at UVA. Batten staff, faculty, and students understand that today’s complex issues require cross-sector relationships to create meaningful exchanges and mobilize innovation. This partnership between the Batten School and ARI is another example of the School’s collaborative work and efforts to create meaningful exchanges beyond the walls of Garrett Hall.

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About the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy: The University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is authoring a new model of public policy education. Of the 250-plus schools of public policy and administration in the U.S., the Batten School has the distinction of being the only one explicitly committed to teaching leadership—how it works, why context matters in decision-making and which actions lead to tangible results. The School’s programs inspire students to act vigorously, effectively and ethically on behalf of the common good. Learn more at www.batten.virginia.edu.

About the National Security Policy Center: The National Security Policy Center (NSPC) at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is the hub for training, research, and engagement on pressing issues in security policy at the University of Virginia. The NSPC generates solutions to difficult national security challenges. We seek to increase knowledge, build capability, develop relationships, and improve communication, both within the US Government, between the US Government and academics, and between the US and foreign powers. Find out more about NSPC and how to connect by visiting www.nspcbatten.org.

About the University of Virginia’s Applied Research Institute: The University of Virginia’s Applied Research Institute (ARI) was chartered to serve as a conduit between the university and the nation’s defense and intelligence communities. The Applied Research Institute represents a single point of access to the broader University’s human and capital assets to support applied research, education, and training programs focused on homeland security, national intelligence and defense objectives. ARI provides an array of services for our partners in academia, private industry and federal, state and local government.