Dr. Erroll Southers
Professor of the Practice in National & Homeland Security, University of Southern California
2021, 2022, 2023
Dr. Erroll G. Southers is a former FBI Special Agent, Professor of the Practice in National and Homeland Security, Director of the Safe Communities Institute, and Director of Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies at the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy. He is also an adjunct subject matter expert for the RAND Corporation. Southers was President Barack Obama’s first nominee for Transportation Security Administration Assistant Secretary and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Deputy Director for Critical Infrastructure of the California Office of Homeland Security. He served as Assistant Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence at the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department, police officer and gang expert with the Santa Monica Police Department and enjoyed the distinction of being a member of FBI SWAT. Southers has testified before the full Congressional Committee on Homeland Security as a subject matter expert. As the author of Homegrown Violent Extremism, he is a noted counterterrorism expert and security analyst to a variety of media networks, lectures, and consults around the world. Southers earned his undergraduate degree from Brown University, and he holds masters and doctoral degrees in public policy from USC.
At the Summit
The catalytic power of this Summit in bringing together those who are devoting their lives to pushing back and working to confront, understand and work towards solutions around hate in our society is a noble and difficult task. The Summit not only energized those who attended but led to connecting the dots in a global network of those doing this work. The stories of the victims of hate were painful to witness but their courage in coming forward was inspirational. Those who attended left energized with the hope that by working together solutions can be forged.
