Georgetown has named a former member of the United States Secret Service and the Homeland Security Department as its first vice president for University safety on Tuesday. The position was created to address the University’s response to a variety of emergency situations.
After a yearlong search, Senior Vice President Spiros Dimolitsas announced Tuesday that David Morrell will fill the position starting November 1. Morrell comes to Georgetown with over 20 years of experience in domestic and international security.
Through his career, Morrell has overseen the security of the White House, the Naval Observatory, Washington’s foreign embassies and the Smithsonian’s properties along the National Mall. Morrell is currently working as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Transportation Security Administration, a federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security.
According to University spokesperson Julie Green Bataille, the University decided to create Morrell’s position in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Morrell will be responsible for the strategy, planning and execution of all safety and security functions on all of Georgetown’s campuses. While security measures already exist to protect the university community in the case of an emergency, Morrell will ensure that the safety-net is as effective as possible.
“Among the first things Morrell will do once he arrives on campus is to meet the personnel at the university, such as DPS, members of the emergency response team and student affairs leadership, who are already working to keep the campus safe,” Bataille said.
“We have made substantial progress in our emergency planning efforts at Georgetown over the last two years and I know that David’s broad understanding of these complex issues will help us build on our progress,” Dimolitsas said in a University press release.
Although Morrell was not available for comment, he was quoted in a press release. “I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve at such a prestigious university. I look forward to continuing the extensive and successful efforts of the past two years keeping the Georgetown community safe.”
In the past two years, Georgetown has implemented several measures to increase security. Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, the University temporarily hired a consultant to assess the preparedness of the campus. At the end of his six-month tenure, Jones suggested that a permanent University safety post be created.
Since then the University has formed several Emergency Support Teams assigned to specific tasks. In addition, it has established a procedure for the creation of an Emergency Operations Center should a “Code Red” situation arise.
