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Alan Bersin

Senior Advisor

Washington +1 202 662 5115

  • About
  • Credentials
  • About

    Alan Bersin served between 2012 and 2017 as Assistant Secretary in the Office of Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Alan was responsible for overseeing the Department’s policy formulation function in the areas of border security and trade, cyber, critical infrastructure and resilience, threat prevention and security policy and strategy, and plans and risk assessments.

    As Chief Diplomatic Officer for DHS, Alan led the Department’s international engagement and served as the principal advisor to the Secretary on all international affairs and functions; oversaw the strategic development and execution of the Department’s international policies and plans; facilitated DHS multilateral, regional, and bilateral relations with foreign governments, law enforcement agencies, and international organizations to ensure an integrated transnational affairs program for the Department; served as the lead Departmental representative in interagency policy deliberations affecting foreign relations; and served as the Departmental interlocutor with the Department of State and the foreign affairs community, including foreign governments and international organizations.

    Alan served in 2010-2011 as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a position in which he oversaw the operations of CBP’s 58,000 employee workforce and guided its efforts to secure the nation’s borders while expediting lawful trade and travel.

    Between 2012 and 2015, Alan served as Vice President of INTERPOL for the Americas Region and as a lead Member of the INTERPOL Executive Committee. He was Chair of the Advisory Committee for the International Policing Division Steering Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

    In 2009, Alan was Assistant Secretary and Special Representative for Border Affairs in the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California and for nearly five years as the Attorney General’s Southwest Border Representative responsible for coordinating federal border law enforcement from South Texas to Southern California.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Credentials
    Education
    • Yale Law School, J.D., 1974
    • Harvard University, A.B., 1968
        • magna cum laude
    Bar Admissions
    • District of Columbia
    • California
    • Alaska
    Government Experience
    • U.S. Department of Justice
    • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
    Languages
    • Spanish
    Memberships and Affiliations
    • Senior Fellow, The Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (2017-present)
    • Global Fellow and Inaugural North America Fellow, The Woodrow Wilson Center (2017-present)
    • Policy Fellow, Aspen Institute - Mexico
    • Member, Council on Foreign Relations (1999-Present)
    • Member, Board of Overseers, Harvard University (2004-2010)
    • Senior Fellow, School of Education, University of California at Davis (2009)
    • Member and Chair, Board of Overseers Visiting Committee, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University (2003-2006); Chair (2006-2009)
    • Co-Chair of Mexico/U.S. Task Force – Rethinking the Mexico-U.S. Border: From Nagging Problems to Cooperative Solutions (2008-2009)
    • Member, Statewide Leadership Council, Public Policy Institute of California (2008-2009)
    • Member, Council of Visitors, California Western School of Law (2002-2009)
    • Lecturer at Law, Boalt Hall, University of California, Berkeley (2006-2007)
    • Lecturer, Stanford University Graduate School of Education (2005-2006)
    • Chair, Southwest Border (Federal Law Enforcement) Council (1996-1998)
    • Member, Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys (1995-1998)
    Previous Experience
    • San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, Member and Board Chairman
    • Secretary of Education, Office of the Governor, State of California
    • California State Board of Education, Member
    • Superintendent of Public Education, San Diego
    • United States Attorney, Southern District of California

    Areas of Expertise

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