Bios: Dr. John D. Occhipinti is Professor of Political Science and Department Chair at Canisius College in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. He earned his B.A. in International Relations and German Literature from Colgate University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in government and politics from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Dr. Occhipinti was a Fulbright Scholar in Tübingen, Germany in 1989-1990, when the Berlin Wall was opened and conducted his Ph.D. field research in Berlin in 1994-1995 on the transformation of the East German police after German unity.

At Canisius College, Dr. Occhipinti teaches courses on comparative government, transnational crime, and the European Union. He is also an adjunct professor at the George Washington University in its master’s degree program in Homeland Security.

In this capacity, he has taught on Interagency Cooperation since 2011, and has led a hybrid course on Globalization of Threats and International Security, which entailed classroom sessions in Limassol, Cyprus, as well as online learning.

Dr. Occhipinti has spoken at several college and universities, lectured for the U.S. Foreign Service Institute and presented his research at conferences in North America and Europe, as well as at the U.S. State Department and for the National Intelligence Council. In 2005 and 2009, Dr. Occhipinti briefed newly appointed U.S. ambassadors to the European Union regarding transatlantic relations on internal security.