John Picarelli Ph.D
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2022, 2023
Dr. John T. Picarelli is the Director for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention for the Counterterrorism Directorate of the National Security Council (NSC). In that role, Dr. Picarelli is responsible for leading the federal government’s efforts to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. He also co-chairs efforts addressing hate-based violence, antisemitism and related forms of bias and discrimination, and protections for houses of worship.
Prior to joining the NSC, Dr. Picarelli served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention and the Director of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As DAS, Dr. Picarelli supervised three teams—CP3, the Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems team and the Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats team. As CP3 Director, Dr. Picarelli oversaw five major initiatives driving the Department’s mission to prevent all forms of terrorism and targeted violence in America and was responsible for coordinating the prevention mission among a dozen offices and components of the Department.
Prior to joining DHS, Dr. Picarelli served two roles for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) of the U.S. Department of Justice. As a Division Director, Dr. Picarelli oversaw research portfolios addressing violence and victimization, including violence against women, elder abuse, children exposed to violence, bias crimes and tribal justice issues. As the Program Manager for Transnational Issues, he built and ran an integrated research and evaluation program examining transnational organized crime, human trafficking and violent extremism.
Dr. Picarelli has published over two dozen journal articles and book chapters, and serves as an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University. He received his PhD in international relations from American University in 2007. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.
My network of professionals working on countering hate in all its forms grew exponentially after attending Eradicate Hate in 2021. The myriad voices represented at Eradicate Hate, from big tech companies to academic researchers to those with lived experience, reinforced to me the importance of cross-cutting and collaborative approaches to counter hate and its devastating impacts on society. I’ve been fortunate to sustain and build those networks with many of those I met at Eradicate Hate in 2021.
