August 4, 2017

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Thank you for being a strong partner in our work to empower

communities to prevent terrorism. I wanted to let you know that, after
significant deliberation, I have submitted my resignation and today,
Friday August 4th, is my last day at the Department of Homeland
Security.

I will leave here proud of all that we have accomplished and

hopeful for all that can be achieved with dedicated partnerships. It is a
testament to all of the work we have done together that I can be assured
that my departure will provide minimal disruption to our mission, and I
am heartened that my colleagues David Gersten and Erin Wilson will be
filling my roles as Acting Directors for the Office for Community
Partnerships and the interagency Countering Violent Extremism (CVE)
Task Force, respectively. David, as you may know, has been with DHS
since 2006 and was the Director for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Programs when trust-building and community partnership were in their
infancy, and Erin has been a key ally at the National Counterterrorism
Center since 2005, working on analysis and policy issues pertaining to
preventing and countering violent extremism worldwide, as well as a Task
Force Member from the beginning.

It has been an honor to work for three Presidents and four

Secretaries of Homeland Security. I have served at the Department of
Justice, DHS, and on the National Security Council staff at the White
House. My work in government received bipartisan support in Congress,
interagency support in the Executive, and impassioned partnership from
non-federal partners like you, whose honor and integrity has helped us
create the nations first whole-of-society endeavor to increase community
resilience to violent extremism and make all our communities safer.

In the Office for Community Partnerships, we stood up an office

and a grant program in record time, expanded a field staff presence
throughout the United States, and supported university students whose
online campaigns to counter violent extremism reached over 4.5 million
people just this past semester. Through the CVE Task Force, we built a
multi-agency team whose mission was to synchronize efforts across the
government, which launched the governments first public one-stop-shop
information portal, reformed and expanded our Community Awareness
Brief on violent extremism to include domestic terrorism, held regular
engagements with federal stakeholders across the country, and supported
federal interagency initiatives with the latest research and analysis to
ensure our efforts were evidence-based.

I should note that it was my decision to leave. Our teams missions

will continue to confront the serious threats we face from terrorist groups
and violent extremistsand partnering closely with communities in the
process. With the DHS grant program launched and myriad of Task Force
projects ongoing, I can leave knowing that, with your unbridled support,
the mission will live on.

Thank you for your partnership and friendship. It has been the
honor of my life to work with you, bending the arc of history toward
justice, defending freedoms and promoting liberties, and demonstrating
that, as the DHS motto states, With honor and integrity, we will safeguard
the American people, our homeland, and our values.

Very Respectfully,

George Selim
Director, Office for Community Partnerships
Director, Countering Violent Extremism Task Force
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
O: 202-344-1054
george.selim@hq.dhs.gov