Neel Mehta
Michael Chertoff serves as co-founder and managing principal of Chertoff Group. In March 2010, he joined the board of directors at BAE Systems.
From 2005 to 2009, Chertoff was secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and led the nation in blocking would-be terrorists from crossing the borders or implementing their plans if they were already in the country. He also transformed FEMA into an effective organization following Hurricane Katrina.
At Chertoff Group, Chertoff provides high-level strategic counsel to corporate and government leaders on a broad range of security issues, from risk identification and prevention to preparedness, response and recovery.
Before his tenure at the Department of Homeland Security, Chertoff served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Earlier, during more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted cases of political corruption, organized crime, corporate fraud and terrorism, including the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In addition to his role at Chertoff Group, Chertoff is also senior of counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, and a member of the firm“™s White Collar Defense and Investigations practice group.
Chertoff has received numerous awards, including the 2006 Department of Justice Henry E. Petersen Memorial Award; the 1987 Department of Justice John Marshall Award for Trial of Litigation; the 2007 NAACP Benjamin L. Hooks Award for Distinguished Service; the 2008 European Institute Transatlantic Leadership Award; and two honorary doctorates.
Chertoff is a 1975 magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College and 1978 graduate of Harvard Law School.
