Dwight M. Williams is the Chief Security Officer (CSO) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). His career spans over 30 years of experience in law enforcement, crisis management, investigations, and security. Prior to his assignment to FEMA, Williams served five years as the Vice President of Security for DynCorp International where he created their first global corporate security program and led Worldwide Protective Services operations in the Middle East.
In 2005, Williams was appointed as the CSO for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As the CSO for DHS, he directed and provided oversight to security activities for 32 components and over 200,000 employees. He developed security policies and directed the following Divisions: Personnel Security, Special Security Programs, Administrative Security, Physical Security, Counterintelligence, Investigations and Security Training. As CSO, Williams established the DHS CSO Council to provide a forum for senior DHS security officials to work together to create world-class security performance within the Department. He was the Chairman of the Interagency Security Council charged with establishing security standards for all Federal non-DOD facilities and served as the DHS representative on the National Counterintelligence Policy Board within the Directorate of National Intelligence.
Before serving as the DHS CSO, Williams was the Security Programs Director for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2000 to 2004. As Division Director, he led an effort which vastly expanded the background investigation capabilities of the agency and earned the 2002 Commissioner’s Award. He managed the agency’s personnel, physical, classified and industrial security programs, and directed emergency preparedness and continuity of operations planning for an organization of more than 40,000 members.
Furthermore, Williams worked for the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department where he held investigative and leadership positions culminating as the Inspector/Director of the Office of Professional Responsibility. In this role, he managed the Office of Internal Affairs, the Management Inspections Division, served as the Department’s Ethics Officer, and created the Force Investigation Unit.
Williams holds a Master’s Degree in Management from Johns Hopkins University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law Enforcement from the University of Maryland, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.