Joan Neuhaus

Joan Neuhaus was the Fellow for Homeland Security and Terrorism at the Baker Institute and the coordinator of the Texas Security Forum.  From 2004 to 2009 she served as the Executive Director of the Houston-Harris County Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council, a joint effort of Harris County, the City of Houston and Rice University. She also served on the board of directors for Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc.  From 2002 to 2004, Neuhaus was mobilized to active duty for Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom and was deployed to Northern Command's 24 Operational Intelligence Watch in Cheyenne Mountain. At the conclusion of her tour, she was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and authorized to wear the Joint Chiefs of Staff insignia. Prior to mobilization, Neuhaus served as the project coordinator for the Houston Task Force on Terrorism and led the assessment of Houston's terrorism response mechanisms. Upon completion, Neuhaus was chaired as the Thomas Cook and Mary Elizabeth Edwards Fellow for Terrorism at Rice University. Her first involvement in the field of terrorism and homeland security came as an officer with the United States Naval Reserve, where she became an anti-terrorism training officer for her squadron and was responsible for the force protection briefings for deployments to the Americas and Pacific. She was appointed to the Texas Commission on Private Security by Gov. George W. Bush in 1999, and later reappointed by Gov. Rick Perry.

Neuhaus received her B.A. from Williams College and her M.B.A. from the Jesse Jones Graduate School at Rice University.