The Security Foundation

Two Northeastern University (NU) rising graduate students and emerging security leaders attended the 2023 TSF Dinner, the 2023 Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Annual Briefing (AB) on November 15 and 16 and several other events during what is known as OSAC Week. Olivia Chislett and Jada Howard are the first students funded by The Security Foundation (TSF) to attend OSAC Week.

In addition to attending various sessions during the OSAC Annual Briefing, Olivia and Jada attended the OSAC Women in Security luncheon, a Meet and Greet for students and U.S. Department of State officials and OSAC Council members and the 12^th Annual TSF Dinner Celebrating OSAC.

They were joined at OSAC events by several other students, undergraduate and graduate, interested in the security profession; these students were selected through the OSAC AB student scholarship program. In addition, 16 members of the United States Naval Academy Glee Club performed the National Anthem at the annual TSF Dinner and were guests of the ISF for the dinner, exposing these future leaders to the public-private security partnership.

Olivia and Jada are mentored at NU by Khushal Safi, NU’s Global Security Head, who serves on the Steering Committee for the OSAC Middle East North Africa (MENA) Regional Committee.  “Sponsoring and mentoring young people builds a stronger bench for the future of the security industry,” says Safi, who is also the OSAC administrator for NU and grants select students access to the OSAC Portal for students to gain industry experience. His office employs one NU Global Safety Office co-op student per semester, who works full time for four to eight months and has attended several OSAC events.

The current NU Global Safety Office co-op student, Zoe Dahl, also attended the OSAC AB. She shared with Safi that the people she encountered only emboldened her desire to enter the industry after graduation. “The academic sector is a key ally to help bring in a diversity of the next generation of young people and thought leaders into the industry,” Safi adds. As an example of success of the NU co-op program, co-ops who participated in OSAC’s AB or other CIC events have been hired as security professionals by the State Department, the academic sector, technology sector and the financial sector.

Learn more about the NU Global Security co-op.

Watch Olivia and Jada on their experience:

Click for the PHOTO GALLERY of Students at the 2023 OSAC AB or TSF Dinner

Impact of TSF-Funded OSAC Week Scholarships

Providing funding for Jada and Olivia to attend OSAC Week and experience one of the world’s premier public-private partnerships is at the core of the TSF’s diversity, equity and inclusion objectives of its strategic plan – and of the joint goals from the ISF DEI Summit, where a group of leading security organizations convened to promote DEI in the security industry and encourage young people to enter the field.

Read more about the collaborative DEI efforts of ASIS, the Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC), TSF, the International Security Management Association (ISMA) and OSAC.

About Olivia Chislett

“As a graduate student looking to join the workforce in a handful of months, the Meet and Greet for students and young professionals was perhaps the most beneficial part of the Annual Briefing to someone like me, who came into the OSAC conference not having a narrowed focus in security.  Speaking with leaders in the industry I quickly learned just how expansive the field is and how, I too, could utilize my unique combination of interests and thus find my niche within security. I could not be more grateful for such an opportunity or feel as inspired as I am about the future of security.” – Olivia

Graduate student, M.S. in Media Advocacy, Northeastern University, May 2024

B.S., Criminal Justice and Political Science, Minor: Law and Public Policy, Northeastern University, 2023

Certificate, Legal Education Program, The Global Institute of Human Rights, University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law, 2021

Experience includes:

• Student researcher, Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, Boston
• Policy and Communications Coordinator, Massachusetts High technology Council
• Executive Team for District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Homicide Unit Intern, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office

About Jada Howard

“As I am concluding my undergraduate degree in a few weeks, the OSAC Annual Briefing was extremely instrumental in solidifying my interest in the security field, and that there is a place for me in this space. The Women in Security luncheon was truly inspiring as I met an abundance of women who have succeeded in this field and was able to gain insights from them as to how I could begin my career in a matter of weeks. Leaving the OSAC Annual Briefing not only did I feel inspired, but I was given confidence given the plethora of career opportunities I could explore in the future.” – Jada

B.A., International Affairs; Minor: Arabic, International Security Studies, Northeastern University, December 2023

M.S., Security and Resilience Studies, Northeastern University, December 2024

Dialogue of Civilizations Program, Jordan and Egypt, 2020

Experience includes:

• Crisis and Resilience Consulting Intern, Control Risks
• Human Smuggling/Trafficking Unit Assistant, Department of Homeland Security Investigations
• International Security Assistant, Harvard Global Support Services
• X-Force Fellow with Massachusetts National Guard, National Security Innovation Network

Interested in learning how you can help TSF and its DEI partners broaden the security pipeline? Contact Carly Coaty, TSF Director of Programs, at [email protected].