Darrell Darnell

Director, District of Columbia, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency

Darrell Darnell is responsible for directing the coordination, development and management of safety and security at the University. He oversees the GW Police Department, and Health and Emergency Management Services. He is also responsible for medical school safety, bio-security and emergency management, including laboratory safety.

Prior to joining the University in 2010 he served as the Director, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Policy, White House National Security Staff. As the Director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency from 2007 to 2009, Darrell Darnell lead development of an overall public safety strategy to assure the readiness and operational capability of the District to prevent, or respond to and recover from, natural hazards, intentional acts of destruction, or accidental emergencies; and established a Homeland Security Program. He directed the planning and inter-agency coordination for District of Columbia support to special events and National Security Special Events such as the Pope Benedict XVI visit to the United States, and the Inauguration of Barack Obama.

Mr. Darnell served as Director, Preparedness Division for the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Operational Integration Staff (I-Staff) where he oversaw DHS and interagency operational planning and execution of national exercise, evaluation and preparedness assessment programs.

Prior to his assignment to the I-Staff, Mr. Darnell served as the Local Programs Division Director within the State and Local Program Management Division at the US Department of Justice, where he oversaw the development and implementation of anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism preparedness programs for the Urban Areas Security Initiative.

Mr. Darnell was a Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), US Department of Justice. He assisted the Office of the Director in the administration and management of the COPS Office, as well as serving as a liaison for the Director to state and local law enforcement officials.

Mr. Darnell has served as an adjunct professor at Prince George’s Community College, and at the University of Maryland, University College-Asian Division. He served honorably as a member of the United States Air Force, retiring in November 1997.

Mr. Darnell was profiled in the textbook, Contemporary Organizational Behavior: From ideas to Action, Elsbach, Kayes and Kayes, page 274-275. Pearson Education, Inc. 2016.

Darrell Darnell is a Senior Fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. He is the Chairperson of the District of Columbia Homeland Security Commission. He is a graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health and Kennedy School of Government’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leaders Program. He holds a World Executive Masters of Business Administration, Cybersecurity degree from George Washington University.