Michael Duffin
Twelve years at the U.S. Department of State building coalitions around the world to counter terrorism and other forms of transnational crime, and translating complex threats into clear policy and public understanding.
Available for consulting, full-time opportunities, and media commentary.
Michael Duffin spent over a decade at the State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism, designing and leading programs to prevent radicalization and violent extremism around the world.
His work took him to 25 countries, where he built lasting partnerships with governments, civil society organizations, and international bodies including the United Nations and the OSCE. He advised national and local officials across Europe and Asia on deradicalization and the rehabilitation of foreign terrorist fighters and their families.
For a decade, he led the growth of the State Department's Strong Cities Network, a coalition of mayors and local leaders spanning the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, working across ideological lines to keep communities safe.
Earlier in his career, Duffin served as a Presidential Management Fellow, drafting policy on Pakistan, contributing to the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, and monitoring international exchange programs. He has published research on far-right extremism in Europe for West Point's Counterterrorism Center, and has written and spoken publicly on terrorism, extremism, and national security for outlets including MSNBC, NPR, and the Baltimore Sun.
He holds master's degrees in international public policy from Johns Hopkins SAIS (2015), public diplomacy from the University of Southern California (2013), and journalism from Northwestern University (2001), and began his career as a working journalist with bylines in the Chicago Tribune and the Associated Press.
Senior Policy Advisor
- Led U.S. government initiatives to prevent terrorism, working with foreign governments, international organizations, and civil society partners.
- Built extensive partnerships with national and local government officials across Europe and Asia, advising on deradicalization and the reintegration of foreign terrorist fighters and their families; coordinated closely with U.S. embassies to align programming with country-team priorities.
- Designed, implemented, and evaluated counter-radicalization programs, including monitoring and evaluation efforts across Europe and Asia.
- Led intergovernmental engagement with mayors and municipal leaders through the U.S. Conference of Mayors and National League of Cities.
- Represented the United States at the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on counterterrorism issues.
Public Diplomacy Advisor
- Coordinated interagency strategy on counterterrorism across U.S. government agencies and international partners.
- Led interagency working groups and organized public diplomacy forums.
Presidential Management Fellow
- Office of Pakistan Affairs — drafted policy papers and coordinated senior official meetings, including a Vice President–level meeting with Pakistan's prime minister at the UN.
- Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons — drafted country chapters for the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report.
- Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs — monitored J-1 exchange programs and conducted compliance site visits.
Open to conversations on counterterrorism, national security, and public affairs roles in Washington and beyond.