Date: Tuesday, September 15th, 2026

Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm

Location: Kerwin Hall, Room 301

Guest speakers to include:

Nawar Shora - Department of Homeland Security, Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Chris O'Leary - Former FBI NYC Counterterrorism Lead, and Hostage Rescue Team Director

Trace Lasley - Senior Executive in Residence and Program Director of MS Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy and MS Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Patricia Cogswell - Partner at Guidehouse, Former Deputy Administrator for TSA, Former Assistant Director of ICE

Terrorism is a complex thing involving criminality, politics, geography, individual psychology and social movements. To mitigate the harm caused by terrorism, governments have invested to varying degrees in diplomatic, law enforcement, military and public health solutions. They have sought to prevent people from ever joining terrorism movements, disrupt terrorist networks once they have formed through intelligence led military and law enforcement actions, protect targets from attacks through layered defenses, and help communities recover in the aftermath of attacks. Furthermore, the way terrorism manifests changes over time in terms of enabling factors, salient ideologies, tactics, and targets. Given the multifaceted nature of both terrorism and the manifold responses to terrorism, the counterterrorism community is comprised of a diverse array of professionals and organizations. Over the past twenty-five years, this multifaceted community has experienced tremendous growth, maturation and change.  In this panel, we will hear first-person accounts of the professional journeys of several counterterrorism practitioners as they have navigated this complicate landscape.