Emerging Threats in Domestic Violent Extremism Conference

Emerging Threats in Domestic Violent Extremism Conference: Building and Empowering

Community Resilience

ACTRI Virtual Conference

Friday, October 30, 2020 – 12:00-5:15 PM, ET

Welcome to the American Counterterrorism Targeting and Resilience Institute (ACTRI)!

We are delighted to have you join us for this Conference that is focused on exploring and

discussing the current threats in domestic violent extremism.

The American Counterterrorism Targeting and Resilience Institute (ACTRI) is a 501c(3)

nonprofit, action based, interdisciplinary research institute focused on studying both domestic and

international aspects of violent extremism.

ACTRI conducts research and research-driven activities focused on the broad spectrum of

extreme-right, extreme-left, and militant jihadi forms of political extremism and violence, with a

specific focus on the United States. ACTRI produces research that informs global responses to

violent extremism and terrorism, empowering law enforcement, intelligence, academia, and

civilian communities worldwide.

We hope you will find this Conference informative and rewarding for your professional growth.

Sincerely,

Ardian Shajkovci, Ph.D. Allison McDowell-Smith, Ph.D.

ACTRI, Director ACTRI, Deputy Director Ardian Shajkovci Allison McDowell-Smith

Conference Highlights

The American Counterterrorism Targeting and Resilience Institute (ACTRI) virtual conference

will examine current approaches to confronting the threat of violent extremism and terrorism

domestically to inform future policy and response measures. ACTRI will bring leaders and

stakeholders from the U.S. government, academia, civil society, religious institutions, community

organizations, and law enforcement together to explore the processes of radicalization leading to

mobilization and violence, the impact of violent extremism on higher education institutions, the

impact of violent extremism on minority religious groups, efforts to building community

resilience, and opportunities to expanding initiatives and partnerships to address hate crime and

other acts of violent extremism in the United States.

Conference Program

Friday, October 30, 2020

12:00-12:05 PM

12:05-1:00 PM

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Department of Homeland Security: Community Awareness Briefing (CAB)

This training will serve to educate and raise awareness among the community

members on the challenges of radicalization and domestic violent extremist

recruitment and violent extremist movements. The Community Awareness

Briefing (CAB) uses a series of case studies to illustrate the radicalization and

recruitment process, but more importantly, to identify vulnerabilities and possible

points of intervention. This training will build awareness and catalyze community

efforts on prevention to help create and sustain a more inclusive and safer climate.

Presenters:

• Michael Brown, M.P.A., M.A., Department of Homeland Security

(OTVTP)

• Cindy Cipriani, J.D., U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District CA

Moderator: Mohamed Ahmed, Director of Strategic Initiatives, ACTRI

1:00-2:15 PM

The current State of P/CVE: What Works? Prevention Strategies

Panelists will discuss domestic progress in P/CVE agenda both from a policy and

programmatic perspective. Drawing from local and global P/CVE experiences and

policies, social media campaigns, and community-level engagement efforts, among

others, panelists will also discuss productive means of preventing and addressing

hate crimes and other acts of violent extremism in the United States.

Presenters:

• Brett Jacobson, Program Coordinator, EXIT USA, Life After Hate

• Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Ph.D., Director, PERIL

• Eric Rosand, LLM, Director, “Prevention Project”

• Leanne Erdberg Steadman, J.D., CVE Director, USIP

• Brette Steele, J.D., Director of Prevention and National Security, McCain

Institute

Moderator: Ardian Shajkovci, Ph.D., Director, ACTRI

2:15-2:45 PM

2:45-4:00 PM

4:00-5:15 PM

5:15-5:20 PM

BREAK

Higher Education Implications & Opportunities

This session will explore the manifestations and impacts of violent extremism in

higher education institutions in the United States. The focus will be placed on

preparing educators and their institutions to curb violent extremism and hate

through academic engagement that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Presenters:

• Mohamed Ahmed, Director of Strategic Initiatives, ACTRI

• William Braniff, Director, University of Maryland START Center

• John Broderick, President, Old Dominion University

• Aaron Bruce, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Art

Center College of Design

• Kelsey Greenberg Young, Education Director, ADL San Diego


Religious Bias & Discrimination

This session is designed to educate the community about the dangers of violent extremist groups and how they target and impact minority religious groups, such

as the Muslim and the Jewish community. During the panel discussion, you will

hear from interfaith leaders about the rise of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and best practices on how to build a more resilient, safer, and inclusive community.

Presenters:

• Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah, Chabad House SDSU

• Bishop Cornelius-Tshombe Bowser, Charity Apostolic Church

• Imam Zia Makhdoom, Executive Director, MAKESPACE

• Rabbi Scott Melzer, OHR Shalom, SDSU


Closing Remarks

Presenter Biographies

Mohamed Ahmed is Director of Strategic Initiatives at ACTRI. He also

serves as the Associate Chief Diversity Officer at San Diego State

University and an Adjunct Professor of Preventing and Countering Violent

Extremism in the San Diego State University’s Homeland Security

Graduate Program. He received his bachelor’s in International Security and

Conflict Resolution and a master’s in Post-secondary Educational

Leadership from San Diego State University. He is currently pursuing his

Ph.D. in Higher Education at Old Dominion University. Mohamed has led

the university’s development and implementation of a strategic plan for

community outreach to underserved, underrepresented student populations

and the larger San Diego community. In his career, Mohamed has worked

with diverse communities on issues ranging from education, civic

engagement, public safety, and diplomacy. Previously, Mohamed has

served as the Senior Community Engagement Officer for the Department

of Homeland Security – Office of Targeted Violence and Terrorism

Prevention, where he led the development and implementation of the

strategic framework to counter violent extremism in San Diego county.

Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah was born in Paris, France, and moved to

California in 1999. He is currently the rabbi at the “Chabad House of the

College Areas,” where he heads a program for college students at San

Diego State University (SDSU). Rabbi Chalom also runs “YJP San

Diego,” a program geared toward young Jewish professionals, among the

many programs taking place at the Chabad House near SDSU.

Bishop Cornelius-Tshombe Bowser is the founding pastor of Charity

Apostolic Church (1995). In 1999 he was elevated to the office of Bishop

and served as the Diocesan Bishop of California in the Jesus Christ

Apostolic Churches and Christ Apostolic Temple Incorporated

Fellowship. He took his elevation serious and led the charge in building a

local fellowship in San Diego and a state council. He was also the

international representative for the young people that included churches in

India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Cornelius Bowser

was appointed as a commissioner to the City of San Diego Commission on

Gang Prevention and Intervention (2012). He is also a volunteer for the

San Diego Compassion Project who tends to and is an aide to homicide

victims’ families. He is one of the founding members of the Community

Assistance Support Team (C.A.S.T.) which has helped reduce gang

violence in the City of San Diego. Equipped with methods to prevent

retaliatory violence, C.A.S.T especially engages, empowers, and educates

residents who experience violence. Their innovative approach to

confronting community fears of violence has set them apart, enabling

residents to be a vibrant part of their community. Cornelius Bowser is a

gang expert witness for state and federal courts. He is certified as a drug

prevention specialist, trained in the fields of suicide prevention, family and

marriage counseling, anger management, gang prevention and

intervention. He has also been trained to provide initial help to those

experiencing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety

disorders, psychosis, and substance use disorders. His expertise also

extends to the training of new police cadets in community engagement.

By employing the techniques of de-escalation support, conflict resolution,

retaliation prevention, in-hospital spiritual care, in-home support and

advocacy, Cornelius Bowser has brought quality community service to

many individuals and families impacted by violence.

William Braniff is the Director of the National Consortium for the Study

of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and a Professor of the

Practice at the University of Maryland. He previously served as the director

of practitioner education at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center

(CTC) and an instructor in the Department of Social Sciences. Braniff is a

graduate of the United States Military Academy. Following his Company

Command in the U.S. Army, Braniff attended the Johns Hopkins

University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where he

received a master’s degree in international relations. Braniff then served as

a foreign affairs specialist for the National Nuclear Security Agency. He

lectures frequently for counterterrorism audiences including the Federal

Bureau of Investigation, Joint Special Operations University, National

Defense University, the Foreign Service Institute, the Defense Intelligence

Agency, the Diplomatic Security Service Antiterrorism Assistance

Program, the United States Attorneys’ Office and for DHS Homeland

Security Investigators. Braniff has also taken a keen interest in the field of

countering violent extremism (CVE), and his input has been sought out by

the Department of Justice, the Department of State, the FBI and the

National Security Staff, and the National Counterterrorism Center. He

spoke at the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism in

February 2015. Braniff has testified before Congress on four occasions and

appears regularly in national and international news media. His research

focuses on domestic and international terrorism, counterterrorism and

countering violent extremism (CVE). He is a member of the Editorial

Board of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism-The Hague

(ICCT), the RESOLVE Network Research Advisory Board, the

Prosecution Project Advisory Board, and the Global Internet Forum to

Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) Independent Advisory Committee (IAC).

John R. Broderick is Old Dominion University's eighth and longest-

serving president, is a constant presence on campus, whether it's to escort

a visitor, ride his bike or attend athletic and cultural events. Under his

leadership since 2008, Old Dominion has emerged as a research leader in

fields from cybersecurity to bioelectrics, where the University is

pioneering advances in cancer treatment and cardiac procedures. President

Broderick has also led the University's response to the coronavirus

outbreak, navigating a successful conclusion to the spring semester and

guiding plans for the fall. In the spring, Old Dominion transferred more

than 2,880 courses online and helped more than 3,000 employees’

transition to telework. The University also launched the Rise to the

Challenge Fund to help students and employees with unexpected financial

challenges. He is past chairman of the Council of Presidents of the

Southeastern Universities Research Association and the Virginia Council

of Presidents of colleges and universities. He was the only college

president to serve as a member of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight

Authority board for eight years.

Michael A. Brown, M.P.A., M.A. is the Associate Director for Field

Operations (West) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Office for Targeted Violence & Terrorism Prevention (OTVTP). Michael

helps localities establish and expand local prevention frameworks that

prevent individuals from radicalizing to violence, through technical,

financial, and educational assistance. Prior to settling into his new role in

Southern California, Michael most recently led the onboarding and

education of Regional Prevention Coordinators across the United States,

as OTVTP’s Acting Deputy Director for Field Operations. He has worked

in prevention since 2016, managing cross-functional initiatives to inform

and advance policy, strategy, research, and program activities and

processes. Michael joined DHS in 2007 and has served in several

collaborative roles with industry, interagency, international, intelligence,

and law enforcement partners, as a research fellow at the RAND

Corporation, branch chief for the Air Domain Intelligence-Integration &

Analysis Center pilot, Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Representative and dual hat Attaché for DHS at U.S. Embassy Singapore,

liaison officer, regional desk officer, inspector, and analyst. Before

joining the federal government, Michael worked in the consulting

industry, as well as state and city government, and began his professional

career as a financial management officer with MBNA America Bank.

Michael is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate

School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security Master's Program,

and also holds an M.P.A. from Rutgers University and a B.B.A. from

George Washington University. In 2011, he was the recipient of the

Intelligence & National Security Alliance John W. Warner Homeland

Security Award, which recognizes the performance of first responders and

domestic government employees.

Aaron Bruce, Ph.D. is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

at ArtCenter College of Design. With more than 20 years of experience

leading initiatives focused on campus diversity, inclusion and

international engagement, Bruce joined ArtCenter in 2018 to lead the

establishment of a new Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in

Art and Design. Since 2008, Bruce served as the chief diversity officer

at San Diego State University where he led the implementation of that

University’s diversity strategic plan. Bruce holds a PhD from the

University of Rhode Island and a Master of International Business

Administration from United States International University (Alliant).

Cindy Cipriani, J.D. is a Senior Management Counsel and Director of

Outreach/Engagement, Office of the U.S. Attorney, Southern District of

California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cipriani develops partnerships and

programs that further the U.S. Department of Justice’s mission to prevent

crime and enforce federal laws. She co-chairs San Diego’s multi-

disciplinary opioid coalition, which works across sectors to raise public

awareness and end the vicious cycle of addiction and overdose deaths. Ms.

Cipriani also leads the Juvenile Smuggling Prevention team, a

collaboration that Attorney General William Barr selected as 2019’s

Outstanding Contribution to Community Partnerships for Public Safety. In

addition, she has organized numerous events and efforts to address hate

incidents, earning ADL’s Sherwood Prize for community engagement

work combatting hate. Ms. Cipriani obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Journalism at The Ohio State University and held staff positions in the

Ohio Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. She received her

law degree from Georgetown Law Center and litigated for nearly a decade

at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (now DLA Piper) before becoming an

Assistant United States Attorney in 1999. Ms. Cipriani has since held

several senior management positions, including Deputy Chief of the Civil

Division, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, and First Assistant U.S.

Attorney.

Brett Jacobson is the Program Coordinator for Exit USA, Life After Hate.

He is a licensed social worker in Illinois with case management and

mental health counseling experience in the prison system. His desire to

help people springs from his time in the Illinois Army National Guard

while on a deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom. After witnessing the

aftermath of sectarian violence and small children begging for food and

water in the harsh Iraqi desert, Brett knew his purpose was to help ease

suffering in the world. When he returned home after that 12-month

deployment, Brett went back to Northern Illinois University where he

worked on organizing several events around religious dialogue. He went

on to earn bachelor’s degrees in psychology, sociology, and philosophy.

In order start his family, Brett spent three years working in the

manufacturing sector and as a stay-at-home dad before going back to get

his master’s degree in social work. For the last five years, he has worked

in Illinois Department of Corrections at the Sheridan Correctional Center

as a case manager and then supervisor for Treatment Alternatives for Safe

Communities (TASC). With TASC he helped inmates prepare for reentry

back into society. Currently, Brett has just taken a position with Wexford

Health Systems as a Mental Health Professional providing both group and

individual psychotherapy inside the Sheridan Correctional Center.

Imam Zia Makhdoom serves as founder and executive director of

MakeSpace, an Islamic cultural hub and learning center in Washington,

D.C. The main focus of his work has been to make the message of Islam

relevant and practical to youth, young professionals, and others in the

community. Makhdoom has served the Muslim community of the

Washington metropolitan area as an imam, khatib, teacher, community

organizer, and youth counselor for more than a decade. Prior to this,

Makhdoom studied Islam and the Qur’an in Pakistan and received a

degree in computer science from George Mason University.

Rabbi Scott Meltzer is a Lecturer in Religious Studies at San Diego

State University and also serves as rabbi of Ohr Shalom Synagogue in

San Diego. He is currently the President of the San Diego Rabbinical

Association and chairperson of San Diego’s Joint Synagogue—United

Jewish Federation Committee. Rabbi Meltzer served as Dean of Students

and Residential Life at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro,

North Carolina and was Director of Education of The Brandeis-Bardin

Institute (BBI) and its renowned program, the Brandeis Collegiate

Institute (BCI), where he was responsible for programs in residential and

experiential Jewish education. He has also served congregations in Santa

Maria, California, San Diego, and Butte, Montana, as well as a hospital

chaplaincy in New York. Rabbi Meltzer graduated and was ordained

through the Hebrew Union College. He earned a B.A. with honors in

Chemistry from Harvard University before attending rabbinic school and

holds a Master’s Degree in Religion and Social Ethics from the

University of Southern California.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss. Ph.D. is a Professor of in the School of Public

Affairs and in the School of Education and runs the Polarization and

Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) in the Center for

University Excellence (CUE). Before her move into the School of Public

Affairs in fall 2020, she was Professor of Education and Sociology at

American University. In addition to her primary faculty appointments, Dr.

Miller-Idriss is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Justice,

Law and Criminology in the School of Public Affairs. She is also Director

of Strategy and Partnerships at the U.K.-based Centre for Analysis of the

Radical Right and serves on the international advisory board of the Center

for Research on Extremism (C-REX) in Oslo, Norway. She has spent two

decades researching radical and extreme youth culture in Europe and the

U.S., most recently through a focus on how clothing, style and symbols

act as a gateway into white supremacist extremism. Dr. Miller-Idriss has

testified before the U.S. Congress and frequently serves as a keynote

speaker and expert panelist on trends in white supremacist extremism to

global academic and policy communities as well as staff and

representatives in U.S. and international government agencies and

embassies. Dr. Miller-Idriss is the author, co-author, or co-editor of six

academic books, including Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far

Right, forthcoming from Princeton University Press in fall 2020. In

addition to her academic work, Dr. Miller-Idriss writes frequently for the

mainstream press on youth radicalization, white supremacist extremism,

and education, with recent by-lines at CNN Style, The Guardian, Le

Monde, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, and Fortune.

Dr. Miller-Idriss appears regularly in the U.S. and European print and

broadcast media as an expert source and political commentator, including

recent appearances on NBC Evening News, MSNBC, BBC World News,

Deutsche Welle, Sky News, France 24, and more. Prior to her arrival at

American University in August 2013, Dr. Miller-Idriss served on the

faculty of New York University for a decade, and also taught previously

at the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan. She holds

a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology and a Master’s in Public Policy from the

University of Michigan, and a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Sociology and

German Area Studies from Cornell University.

Eric Rosand, J.D., LLM is the Director of the Prevention Project:

Organizing Against Violent Extremism and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow

at the Brookings Institution’s Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic

World. From January 2010 to March 2016 he was a senior official in the

U.S. Department of State working on counterterrorism and countering

violent extremism (CVE). He served as CVE Counsellor to the

Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human

Rights, during which time he was the Department’s policy coordinator for

the White House CVE Summit and follow-on process. Previously, he was

a Senior Advisor to the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, where he helped

spearhead efforts to develop and launch the Global Counterterrorism

Forum and other multilateral CT and CVE platforms, including Hedayah,

the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, and the Global

Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). From 2006 to

2010, he co-directed the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation

(now the Global Center on Cooperative Security) and served as a Non-

Resident Fellow at NYU’s Center for International Cooperation. Prior to

that he served in the State Department’s Office of the Legal Advisor and

the United States Mission to the United Nations. He is the author of a

number of reports and articles on international CT and CVE cooperation

and co-author (Alistair Millar) of Allied Against Terrorism: What’s

Needed to Strengthen Worldwide Commitment (Century; 2006). He holds

a B.A (History) from Haverford College, a J.D. from Columbia University

School of Law, and an LL.M. (Hons.) in international law from Cambridge

University.

Leanne Erdberg Steadman, J.D. is the Director of Violent Extremism at

the U.S. Institute of Peace, where she leads work on preventing and

countering violent extremism, including overseeing the RESOLVE

Network, a global research consortium, as well as a senior advisor to the

Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States. Prior to joining the Institute,

Leanne served in the U.S. government at the National Security Council

staff at the White House, the Department of State, and at the Department

of Homeland Security. Leanne has also worked in the private sector with

Accenture Federal Services; and she began her public service career with

positions in state government and international organizations. Before her

work in foreign and public policy, Leanne co-founded an independent

record label. Leanne holds a J.D. with honors in the concentration of

international law and a B.S., magna cum laude in mass communication

studies, both from Boston University.

Brette Steele, J.D. serves as the Director of Prevention and National

Security at the McCain Institute for International Leadership. Prior to

joining the McCain Institute, Steele served as the Regional Director of

Strategic Engagement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Office of Terrorism Prevention Partnerships. In that role she advised the

State of California in the development of a statewide Preventing Violent

Extremism Strategy and partnered with counties, cities, and nonprofit

organizations to develop and implement Preventing Violent Extremism

programs. Steele established and served as Deputy Director of the U.S.

Countering Violent Extremism Task Force, which coordinated all federal

efforts to prevent violent extremism in the United States. Prior to

establishing the Countering Violent Extremism Task Force, Steele served

as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General and coordinated the

U.S. Department of Justice’s terrorism prevention and forensic science

reform initiatives. Steele also chaired the U.S. Department of Justice Arab-

and Muslim-American Engagement Advisory Committee and vice chaired

the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on the Employment of People

with Disabilities. Steele graduated with a B.A. from University of

California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Kelsey Greenberg Young is the Education Director for ADL San Diego.

Kelsey coordinates ADL’s partnerships with schools in the San Diego

region, assisting schools in the creation and implementation of No Place

for Hate™ programs to enhance and sustain inclusive school campus

climates. She also facilitates ADL’s A World of Difference® Institute

education programming. She leads teams of students, educators, and

community members in customizable, interactive trainings to combat

prejudice and develop skills to effectively respond to issues faced by

schools. Kelsey comes to ADL with her BA in Communication from

University of California, Santa Barbara. She has extensive experience in

the start-up tech world and brings knowledge of the social media landscape

to her work in the community.

Documents

Emerging Threats in Domestic Violent Extremism Conference