Frank Emerson, J.D.
Gov. John C. West Chair of International Politics and American Government
Frank Emerson is a senior policy consultant and accomplished leader with 27 years of experience in U.S. national security, intelligence, and foreign policy matters. He served overseas with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Department of State, driving worldwide operations, conducting diplomacy, and building diverse multi-agency international programs.
As an intelligence officer, Emerson led an Intelligence Center in South America where he forged 14 federal agencies to disrupt and dismantle terrorist and drug trafficking organizations. As a U.S. diplomat and international lawyer in Europe, he led legal and policy engagements to enhance international criminal prosecutions.
Emerson mastered the intelligence process to support Presidential policy making, bridging CIA operational planning and White House decision making and writing for the President’s Daily Brief. As a briefer to the National Security Council and advisor to the White House’s Atrocities Prevention Board, Emerson advanced strategic objectives to prevent world-wide mass atrocities. Following 9/11, he served on the leadership team that established the National Counterterrorism Center.
Emerson enjoys teaching America’s future leaders. Through experiential and participatory learning methods, he brings the real world to the classroom to build professional skills and enable students to become leaders. He has a Juris Doctor, Master of Public Policy, B.A. in Government and Politics, and professional competency in Spanish.
Degrees
J.D. International Law (Penn State Dickinson Law)
M.P.P. International Policy (American University)
B.A. Government and Politics (University of Maryland)