English was also selected to receive the NPS' Zimbardo Award, which

is presented to the student "whose outstanding analyses and keen insights

exemplify the best in academic scholarship as applied to the solution of

emergency national challenges."

"I want to express my appreciation for the contributions you will make

to securing freedom around the globe, and my gratitude to your families for

their shared sacrifices in making your services possible. You have worked

hard to earn the right to receive your degree," said ODP Director Sue

Mencer, in remarks to the NPS' 208th graduating class, which included

the homeland security graduates.

The masters program is designed to help the United States develop a generation

of leadership needed to defeat terrorism. The accredited curriculum provides

students with the knowledge and skills to:

- Develop strategies, plans and programs to prevent terrorist attacks

within the United States, and reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism.

- Build the organization arrangements needed to strengthen homeland

security, including local, state, federal, civil-military and interagency

cooperation.

- Help local officials and governors to make immediate, and long-term

improvements in homeland security preparedness.

ODP officials selected English and his 12 colleagues on the basis of their

proven expertise in homeland security-related fields, objectively measured

leadership potential, and academic skills essential for the rigorous coursework.

English joined GEMA in February 1996, as a part of the Olympic planning

team. He has coordinated the state's response to five presidentially

declared disasters and numerous states of emergency issued by the Governor,

and has been GEMA's director of operations since 1999.

A veteran of two decades in public safety, he was responsible or the management

of Georgia's ten regional police academies during his tenure as director

of training for regional police academy operations for the Peace Officers

Standards and Training (POST) Council. Prior to that, he worked with a Clayton

County law enforcement agency for eight years, and served as a regional police

academy director.

English noted that the graduation coincided with the annual G-8 Conference

that was held at Sea Island this year, creating a valuable link between the

academic and the practical.

"The coursework provided a good framework for the conference planning,

while the conference preparations offered a context for the classes I was

taking," said English.

The comprehensive 18-month curriculum is structured around key policy and

organization design problems that future homeland security leaders are likely

to confront, and the analytic skills they will need to meet those challenges.

Courses included: Policy Analysis and Research Methods, Comparative Government

and Homeland Security; Critical Infrastructure � Vulnerability Analysis and

Protection, Civil-Military Relations for Homeland Defense and Security, and

Strategic Planning and Budgeting for Homeland Security.

Among the electives were: Fear Management, Public Health for Homeland Security,

and Agroterrorism.