The Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s 2026 Alumni Service Awards ceremony, held in February during the CHDS APEX Conference at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, recognized two leaders for their commitment to homeland security education and public service.
The ceremony opened with the Dr. Christopher Bellavita Educator Award, presented to Retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel, formerly Michigan’s first Homeland Security Advisor and now Distinguished Emeritus Professor at Cooley Law School. McDaniel, an alumnus of the CHDS Master’s Program (Cohort 0503/0504), was selected for his extraordinary contributions to homeland security education, mentorship, and institutional capacity-building—work that consistently translated CHDS education into action.
McDaniel was recognized for modeling Bellavita’s core teaching ideals: metacognition, mentorship, innovation, and impact. As a public servant, he helped establish Michigan’s trust-based public–private partnerships for critical infrastructure protection. As an educator, he designed and launched Cooley’s fully online LL.M. in Homeland and National Security Law, expanding access for working professionals and second-career students while implementing evidence-based learning methods into legal education.
Drawing on Bellavita’s wisdom, McDaniel reminded the audience that after 9/11, the rapid expansion of security risked turning fear into policy—trading civil liberties for the comfort of the “absence of fear.” Public servants, he said, have a responsibility to ensure fear does not drive decision-making.
“That sense of duty should never subside,” he said. “Our duty will continue, no matter the circumstances—and that duty is to the Constitution and our fellow man, and no one else.”
The CHDS Alumni Service Award was presented to Donalyn Dela Cruz, Owner and Principal of DDC Consulting LLC, for consistently putting CHDS education to work in service of Pacific and Hawai’i communities. Dela Cruz is a graduate of the Pacific Executive Leadership Program (Cohort 1501) and the CHDS Master’s Program (1505/1506), she continues that commitment as a PELP faculty, mentoring the next generation of Pacific leaders.
She was recognized for her leadership in Hawaiʻi and across the U.S. Pacific, where she focuses on national defense priorities, state governance, and Native Hawaiian community concerns. Her work addresses high-stakes, culturally sensitive issues involving land use, defense infrastructure, and community trust. Dela Cruz was celebrated for her ability to remain transparent, build trust, and sustain communication during crises.
In her remarks, Dela Cruz acknowledged her community and her CHDS experience.
“It’s an honor to represent my cohort for CHDS and represent my cohort for PELP,” she said. “I started in CHDS as a Pacific Executive Leadership Program participant—and that’s where this journey began. I’m really proud to represent the people in the Pacific and Hawaiʻi and make sure their voices are part of the conversation.”
She continued to stress the impact of homeland security leadership in the Pacific.
“In the Pacific, if something happens, it’s going to take a while to get to where the disaster is. That’s why community resilience is so important. What we do in Hawaiʻi is about making sure our island communities are resilient,” she said.
Together, the 2026 CHDS alumni award recipients reaffirmed a core CHDS principle: homeland security leadership is rooted in trust earned, resilience built, and communities served.
