Staff

Benjamin Spear, Project Coordinator

Ben is a project coordinator at the NCSP working in research and training, and having administrative duties in website and template design. He started at the NCSP as a graduate student in January of 2011.

As a graduate student , Ben researched for and contributed to the critical infrastructure protection project on electric and pipeline security in the Great Lakes. He also assisted with the revision of the Advanced Active Shooter Scenario (A2S2): Tactics and Operations training support package and collected data for the development of the NYS Homeland Security Strategic Training and Exercise Plan (HS-STEP) and the After Action Report on NYS' response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. He is currently working on the development of a pilot course for school districts on the subject of school violence.

Ben also led the development of the 2011 redesign of the NCSP website, and more recently, training announcements for the State Preparedness Training Center. He is currently working on developing enhanced templates for training materials and research products and maintains the NCSP website.

Ben holds a Master of Public Administration degree in Homeland Security and Information Strategy and Management from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany. His graduate studies focused on intelligence analysis, social network analysis, and information policy, with additional coursework in public finance, statistical analysis, and microeconomics. Ben also has his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and European History, Summa cum Laude, from the University at Albany. His undergraduate coursework focused on international relations and the intersection of technology and policy.

Previously, he served as Policy Analyst to New York State Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky of Westchester and worked for three years on the University at Albany's Project on Violent Conflict, collecting data on the networks and structures of various terrorist organizations.