David H. Schanzer

David H. Schanzer is a Professor of the Practice at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. He teaches courses, conducts research, and writes about national security issues, with a focus on domestic terrorism, counterterrorism, Middle East policy, and the intersection of technology and security. Schanzer is a frequent commentator on domestic and national security issues. He is the author of over 70 op-ed columns and the Substack newsletter – Perilous Times. Schanzer is a frequent guest on local, national, and international television and radio. Schanzer is the lead author of three National Institute of Justice funded studies on preventing terrorism: “Engaging Communities to Prevent Violent Extremism: A Review of the Obama Administration’s CVE Initiative,” (2019), “The Challenge and Promise of Using Community Policing Strategies to Prevent Violent Extremism” (2015) and “Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim Americans” (2010). Schanzer is also the creator of two free massive online courses – Understanding 9/11 and Responding to 9/11 – on the Coursera platform that have been used by approximately 20,000 people around the globe. Prior to his academic appointment, Schanzer was the Democratic Staff Director for the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security from 2003-2005. He previously served as the legislative director for Senator Jean Carnahan (2001-2002), counsel to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (1996-1998), and counsel to Senator William S. Cohen (1994-1996). His positions in the executive branch include Special Counsel, Office of General Counsel, Department of Defense (1998-2001) and Trial Attorney, United States Department of Justice (1992-94). Schanzer was a clerk for United States District Judge Norma L. Shapiro and in the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States. Schanzer is a graduate of Harvard College, where he received a B.A. cum laude in Government in 1985 and the Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review from 1987-1989.