A Middle Tennessee State University professor has been named to the United States Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas swore in Lynda Williams, a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Administration, to the panel along with 32 other new members at the reconstituted panel’s first meeting March 23.

Lynda Williams

“I am humbled to have been selected and am honored to serve,” Williams said. “I applaud Secretary Mayorkas in selecting a council that truly represents the diversity and inclusiveness of our country — a myriad of backgrounds, ethnicities and experiences to address the ever-evolving needs of our country.”

The council’s purpose is to help “develop strategies in the domestic and international domains,” according to a DHS release. “The members will provide independent advice and recommendations to the secretary.”

Homeland Security officials say the advisory council members include people from nonprofit organizations, nonpartisan policy institutes, law enforcement organizations, private businesses and former Cabinet secretaries from both Democratic and Republican administrations.

“National security issues have become indistinguishable from homeland security issues, placing the Department of Homeland Security at the center of tackling many of the most pressing challenges of our time,” Mayorkas said.

Alejandro Mayorkas

“I am proud to officially welcome and swear in new members of this distinguished council, who are leaders of tremendous prominence, not only in their respective fields of expertise, industry and profession, but also on the national and international stage. Together, we will address some of the most fundamental issues facing our nation today, which impact millions of people’s lives daily.”

Williams, who has taught at MTSU since 2017, counts foreign and domestic terrorism studies, criminal justice processes, community and public service engagement and executive law enforcement leadership speaker symposia among her areas of expertise.

From 1988 until her 2017 retirement as deputy assistant director, Williams served in the U.S. Secret Service. She also is immediate past president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

During her leadership of NOBLE, Williams established the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force/Report to provide solutions of public safety and community engagement and to give voice to inequities in policing.

For more information about the council, go to https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-advisory-council. To contact Williams, send an email to lynda.williams@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)