What is bias?

Matt Wagner, a San Diego native, has served since mid-2018 as Associate Director for Law Enforcement Initiatives and Community Security at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)’s San Diego Regional Office. In this role, Matt is responsible for engaging with and training law enforcement on issues of bias, as well as providing regional expertise on bias-motivated crime. He works with institutions around San Diego on issues of public safety, counterterrorism, and inclusivity.

Prior to ADL, Matt had a career in federal law enforcement and diplomacy. He served as a Special Agent with the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, with tours of duty in New York, NY; Algiers, Algeria; Paris, France; and on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in San Francisco. Matt’s experience includes responding to the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, participating in the December 2015 COP21 Paris Climate Summit, and coordinating aspects of the 2017-2018 closures of the Russian Federation’s consulates on the West Coast.

Matt has received the U.S. Department of State’s Superior Honor Award and Meritorious Honor Award, each twice. He is a 2009 alumnus of the David L. Boren Scholar program, which named him its annual Howard S. Baker Award recipient in 2013. He has also received various other awards from the U.S. Departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security.

Matt holds a BSFS with Honors from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He majored in International Politics, concentrated in International Security Studies, and completed a Certificate in Arab Studies. His languages include French and Arabic.