Thursday, October 20, 2011
Starr Forum: Border Security in the 21st Century
Alan Bersin and Chappell Lawson will speak on border security in the 21st century. Q&A will follow the discussion.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Alan Bersin serves as the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Commissioner Bersin was placed by President Barack Obama on March 27, 2010. As Commissioner, Mr. Bersin oversees the operations of CBP's 57,000- employee work force and manages an operating budget of more than $11 billion. Bersin formerly served as the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs.
Chappell Lawson is an Associate Professor of Political Science at MIT and Director of MISTI. His major interests are Latin American politics, Mexican politics, democratization, political communication, political behavior, and U.S. foreign policy. From September 2009 through February 2011, Professor Lawson was on leave from MIT as a political appointee in the Obama Administration , serving as Executive Director and Senior Adviser to the Commissioner at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
