Dr. J. Bennet Waters

Managing Director

Areas of Focus:

• Counterterrorism, with specific focus on aviation and transportation security

• Biometrics and identity verification technologies

• Critical infrastructure vulnerability assessment and mitigation

• Strategic advice on mergers, acquisitions and private equity investments

• Early-stage and post- acquisition management strategy and execution

Previous Government and Academic Service:

• Counselor to the Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
  (2007 – 2009)

• Deputy Assistant Administrator, Transportation Security Administration
  (2008)

• Chief of Staff, Office of Health Affairs, Department of Homeland Security
  (2005 – 2007)

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina
  (2005 – present)

Dr. Waters has a successful record of senior leadership experience in a variety of public, private and federal government settings. He specializes in developing, implementing and optimizing entrepreneurial strategies that balance the need to minimize risks with maintaining the flow of commerce.

“Too much security can bring business to a halt. So can too little,” he says. “The challenge is to assess and mitigate risks effectively while encouraging the legitimate movement of people and goods. In the post 9/11 environment, we must find ways to carry on business almost as usual without sacrificing our safety or security.”

Prior to joining DHS, Dr. Waters spent more than a decade in the private sector, where he held strategic, financial and operations roles in early-stage organizations and turnaround situations. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Piedmont Healthcare Management Group, Inc.; Vice President of Business Operations for the Metrolina Health Initiative; and Administrative Director of the Carolinas Medical Center Emergency Department.

Dr. Waters received a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Medical Ethics from Davidson College; a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Law from the Boston University School of Public Health; and a Doctorate in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he was a Dean’s List graduate and inducted into the MUSC Honor Society. He maintains an active appointment in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and is a frequent speaker and author on counterterrorism, transportation security, emergency preparedness and disaster management.