HSRD Fellows
Department of Homeland Security
Each year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and RAND select a small number of senior DHS personnel to work and study at the RAND Corporation. The DHS-RAND Fellowship seeks to:
Develop Leadership: Develop emerging government leaders with the strategic analysis and planning skills needed to meet the challenges of an organization with a complex mission set
Achieve DHS Missions: Help achieve DHS's missions and evidence-based decisionmaking by integrating applicable operational concepts into cutting-edge research, analysis, and evaluation with renowned RAND researchers on critical homeland and national security issues
Build Partnerships with Expert Communities: Strengthen partnerships with leading researchers in homeland security
Foster Innovation: Support the innovation needed to better manage DHS resources
The Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation administers the selection process for DHS. The selection committee, which is composed of representatives from the offices of Program Analysis and Evaluation and RAND, makes the final decision based on the application package and weighs each item equally.
Contact the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security at randfellowship@hq.dhs.gov for more information on the process.
Coast Guard
In addition to the general DHS fellows, each year the U.S. Coast Guard selects officers in the grade of O-5/O-6 to attend Senior Service Schools, of which RAND is one. The Coast Guard sends officers to these programs to develop senior leaders with the strategic thinking and planning skills needed to meet the challenges of USCG missions and to prepare the Coast Guard for the future, to provide superior public service across all missions, to form effective partnerships inside and outside the service, and to support the innovation needed to more effectively manage Coast Guard resources.
Current Fellow
As the Deputy Program Manager for the Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program Management Office, Commander Doug Graul was responsible for a Department of Homeland Security $1.4B, Level I, acquisition program to replace the Coast Guard's aging fleet of river tenders, construction tenders, and inland buoy tenders. Prior to his assignment to the WCC program, Commander Graul was the Implementation Lead for the Surfaces Forces Logistics Center's National Industrial Enterprise where he oversaw a 21 site, 400+ member, $330M business process reengineering initiative to enhance the delivery of organic industrial repair capabilities for the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support.
Commander Graul is a cutterman with tours afloat as a student engineer aboard USCGC RELIANCE, homeported in Kittery, Maine, and as Engineer Officer aboard USCGC VIGOROUS, homeported in Cape May, New Jersey. Both USCGC RELIANCE and USCGC VIGOROUS are 210-foot Reliance-class medium endurance cutters. Commander Graul also completed a tour as a Port Engineer in the First Coast Guard District, where he supported depot maintenance for more than 19 different cutters ranging in size from 65-foot icebreaking harbor tugs to 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutters.
Commander Graul's awards include a Meritorious Service Medal, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, a Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and a variety of other unit awards and service ribbons. He is authorized to wear the permanent Cutterman's Insignia.
A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy class of 2004, Commander Graul holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Masters of Business Administration from Naval Postgraduate School. Commander Graul is a Project Management Professional and DHS Program Manager Level III.