Michael Masters serves as the National Director and CEO of the Secure Community Network (SCN), a role in which he is responsible for the overall leadership, operation, and growth of the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America.
Michael is a current appointee of the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to the federal Homeland Security Advisory Council and Faith-Based Security Advisory Council. He previously served on the Department of Homeland Security’s Foreign Fighter Task Force, Faith-Based Security and Communications Committee, Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee, and Grants Review Task Force, and on the executive board of the FBI’s Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Prior to joining SCN, Michael served as the Senior Vice President of The Soufan Group, a strategic advisory firm that assists organizations in the public and private sectors address emergent threats, and as the CEO of CivicScape, an advanced analytics company that provides risk assessments to public and private sector entities.
Michael previously served as executive director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Cook County, Ill., coordinating and maintaining the homeland security and emergency management system across the second largest urban area in the United States. He also served as the chief of staff for the Chicago Police Department and as an assistant to the former mayor of the City of Chicago, the Honorable Richard M. Daley. Michael served as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of captain.
Michael currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago, on the council of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, and as president of The Soufan Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing global security issues. He has held faculty appointments at the John Marshall School of Law and Northeastern University. Certified as a peace officer and a Special Weapons and Tactics operator, Michael continues to serve his community as a part-time police officer.
A Harry S. Truman Scholar and a Gates Cambridge Trust Scholar, Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he served as managing editor for the Harvard International Law Journal.
At the Summit
It is a tragic reality that hateful ideology has found fertile ground online and offline, with consequences affecting not only Americans but people around the world. We cannot stand idle in the face of bias, bigotry, and extremism. Together, at the Eradicate Hate Summit and beyond, the collective will of individuals and organizations is needed to galvanize all people of good will to protect and defend our communities.
