John Terpinas

About

John Terpinas, JD, MMS

John Terpinas is a Professor of the Practice and Faculty Lead at Northeastern University, College of Professional Studies, Security Domain. He combines extensive experience in leadership, academia, law enforcement, intelligence, and international diplomacy in teaching in the national security studies field.

John retired from the FBI in 2016 following a 21-year career in the Intelligence Community as a Supervisory Special Agent. From 2011 until 2016, John served as the Director of the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest, Hungary. Prior to his ILEA Director appointment, John served three years as the FBI Chair and Assistant Professor of National Security Studies at the Eisenhower School of National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

During his FBI career, John held numerous managerial positions within the FBI’s National Security Division and Counterterrorism programs both in the field and at FBI headquarters including serving as Director of Law Enforcement and Investigations in the White House, Executive Office of the President, Homeland Security Council, Counterterrorism Directorate. Prior to serving at FBI headquarters, John was a counterterrorism specialist in the FBI Chicago Division where he was a member of the FBI enhanced SWAT Team and an FBI certified Special Agent Bomb Technician.  Before joining the FBI, John was an Assistant State’s Attorney in Criminal Division of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office in Chicago.

John completed his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, his MA from the Marine Corps University, and his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law.