The Russian Cybersecurity Hack

Mark Randol retired from the government in May 2011 after 35 years of military and Federal civil service and moved to Oakmont. 

Following government service, he has taught college courses in domestic terrorism and counterintelligence; lectures at the University of Southern California’s Viterbe School of Engineering on aviation security; and teaches U.S. Coast Guard-certified maritime security courses.  He is also a member of the board of advisors for International Scholar, an international organization of next-generation professionals in international affairs and public policy.  He also provides security consulting services for, among other clients, the Bank of Canada (Ottawa), United Airlines, the Phoenix Department of Aviation, the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center, and several independent schools.

In his last government position, Mark served as the senior specialist in domestic intelligence and counterterrorism at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in Washington, D.C. CRS is a part of the Library of Congress and its mission is to provide Congress with comprehensive and non-partisan research and policy analysis.

Prior to CRS, Mark was the Director of Counterterrorism Policy at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he was responsible for coordinating interagency counterterrorism plans and policies. In that role, he represented DHS at the National Security Council’s Counterterrorism Security Group, charged with overseeing U.S. Government counterterrorism efforts.

Other professional assignments include serving as one of the original cadre of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Federal Security Directors. He has 14 years of experience as a civil aviation security manager, inspector, and intelligence analyst with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. and Brussels, Belgium. He also served as a Senior Aviation Security Officer with the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montréal, Canada.

Mark served for 8-1/2 years in the U.S. Air Force, with assignments in Taipei, Taiwan; Stuttgart, Germany; Osan, Korea; and the National Security Agency, as well as 3-1/2 years as a civilian on the Army Intelligence Staff at the Pentagon.

He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, earned a Master’s degree in Government from Georgetown University, and completed all Ph.D course work and comprehensive exams in World Politics at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. 

While residing in Oakmont, Mark served for six years as the president of the Oakmont Sunday Symposium, a non-sectarian, non-partisan organization which provides weekly intellectually-stimulating and educational presentations to community residents and their guests.  He has also made presentations at Sunday Symposium on homeland security, intelligence, terrorism, cyber, immigration, and historical topics.