Jason M. Blazakis

• Professor of Practice and Director of Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism, Middlebury College

Jason Blazakis is a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) where he focuses on threat financing, sanctions, violent extremism, and terrorism. He is also the Executive Director of MIIS's Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism.

From 2008-2018, he served as the Director of the Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State. In his former role, Jason was responsible for directing efforts to designate countries, organizations, and individuals as terrorists, also known as State Sponsors of Terrorism, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Jason previously held positions in the Department of State's Political-Military Affairs, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Intelligence and Research Bureaus, and at U.S. Embassy Kabul.

Prior to working at the Department of State, Jason served as a domestic intelligence analyst at the Congressional Research Service. In addition, he was the national security adviser to a United States Congressional Representative. He also has worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration.

Jason is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland.

He has published articles in the LA Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Hill, the Philadelphia Inquirer, War on the Rocks, Lawfare, and many other publications. He regularly is quoted by the media (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, ABC, CBS, NBC, amongst others) on a wide-range of terrorism and sanctions related matters.

His books include, "Terror Disrupted: Countering the Financing of Terrorism" with Cambridge University Press, and "The Mediterranean Connection: Criminal Economies and Illicit Networks in North Africa."

He holds degrees from the University of Mississippi, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins University.

• –present Director of Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

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