WASHINGTON – Today, Jonathan Thompson, Executive Director and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association, was appointed by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Thompson joins 32 other new members on the Council, the principal external advisory body to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“I am honored to be a part of this important group of homeland security leaders. The work of the committee is critical to supporting sheriffs and law enforcement in keeping our communities safe,” he said.

“These distinguished leaders have agreed to serve our country as members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council at a critically important time not only for our nation, but also for the world,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “Together, we will ensure that the Department is best positioned to meet the challenges we confront today, foresee and be ready for the challenges of tomorrow, capitalize on the power of technological innovation, and serve our country by living up to our highest ideals. Our Department is privileged to benefit from the experience, vision, and creativity of these incredibly accomplished individuals.”

As a member of the Council, Thompson and other Council members will provide strategic advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Homeland Security, a member of the President’s Cabinet. DHS is the third-largest Cabinet department, responsible for a broad portfolio of domestic security matters from cybersecurity and emergency management, to aviation and border security, to countering child exploitation and the provision of the legal immigration system. Through the Council, Thompson will help define DHS’s strategic vision, strengthen the Department to better meet the increasingly dynamic and rapidly evolving threat landscape, and harness technology and innovation to modernize the programs it administers.

The Council was originally established in 2003 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a federal law that governs the establishment and operation of committees that provide consensus advice to a federal government agency. Secretary Mayorkas has reimagined the Council to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities that an evolving homeland security landscape presents.

The Council will convene for its first meeting on March 21, 2022. For more information about the Council, visit here.