The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad F. Wolf, approved the appointment of 17 members to the newly created Faith-Based Security Advisory Council (FBSAC) on Friday, December 11. The 17 individuals were designated as either Special Government Employees or Representatives for their expertise in the following categories: houses of worship and faith-based organization security, faith-based leaders, faith-based organization leaders, and the faith-based news media. The candidates selected for membership and their respective category are listed below.
Experts in Houses of Worship and Faith-Based Organization Security * Mr. Chandru Acharya * Mr. Todd Richins * Ms. Cassandra Bledsoe * Mr. Randy Spivey * Mr. Kenneth Berkowitz Faith-Based Leaders * Mr. Hugh Daniel Smith * Mr. Stavros Zografos * Mr. Dino Teppara Faith-Based Organization Leaders * Mr. Abba Cohen * Ms. Dana Harris * Mr. John Pinna * Ms. Kimberly Burgo * Mr. Kenneth Hodder * Ms. Shannon Fariel-Mureithi Faith-Based News Media * Ms. Jacqueline Isaac * Mr. Jack Hibbs * Mr. Paul Batura The FBSAC was established on July 28, 2020 in order to provide the Secretary with timely recommendations for prevention of and response to attacks on houses of worship, as well as ways to increase information-sharing between the Department and the faith community Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
