Andrew (Drew) Hanson
Director, DoD and CBRN
Years of Active Duty Service in DoD
Agencies Partnered With
Year Joined
SummitET
The best advice you’ve ever received:
It’s simple: To be a truly successful leader, you must care! Success, the team’s well-being, trust, loyalty, integrity, enthusiasm, initiative… all flow from one simple thing: caring. Caring usually comes from a sense of purpose and feeling that mission accomplishment is paramount. If you don’t feel this in your work, find something else to do.
What do you perceive is the greatest challenge facing the nation or the world today, regarding your subject matter expertise?
We are seeing a remarkable transformation in CBRN threat detection capabilities across the industry. AI integration and detection technologies, medical countermeasures development, enhanced PPE options, along with increased market growth and investment in CBRN protection, but there are key challenges that remain: AI is both a solution and a risk as public safety agencies balance leveraging AI’s benefits while mitigating its potential to accelerate CBRN threat development, and synthetic biology, drone systems, and 3D printing could all be repurposed for CBRN attacks. All of this, coupled with training gaps and ongoing geopolitical tensions, makes it essential for enhanced capabilities and ongoing training efforts.
Education
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – CARSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Master of Business Administration
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
B.A., Law and Criminal Justice
U.S. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE
Affiliations
Vice Chair, Northern Alabama Chapter – ASIS International
Certifications and Awards
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Certified Protection Professional (CPP)
- IFSAC Hazardous Materials Technician
- WMD Incident Commander
- FEMA Emergency Management Professional Development Series
- Operations Security and Anti-Terrorism
- Recipient of numerous awards for operations directly related to time served on the Civil Support Teams, Military Police Corps, and the 40th Infantry Division, including Bronze Star Medal and the Legion of Merit
Specializations
CBRN and Emergency Response
Interagency Coordination and Security
Operations and Strategic Planning
About Andrew
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Andrew H. Hanson served 21 years of active-duty service in the United States Army and Army National Guard as a Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN), Military Police Officer, and Infantry Division Operations Officer. Andrew has led, managed, and trained thousands of personnel in the execution of emergency, exercise, and routine duties worldwide. He is considered an expert in the field of CBRN-specific response, planning and exercises.
Andrew has a proven track record of directing large-scale operations with teams ranging from 20 to 5,000+ personnel across domestic and international locations. His last assignment was serving as Chief Operations Officer and Vice Chief of Staff of the 40th Infantry Division, and he has previously held C-suite equivalent positions including Battalion Commander, Deputy Commander, and Commander of the Northern and Southern California Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams.
He is an expert in developing comprehensive operational plans, conducting threat assessments, and implementing security strategies. Andrew has successfully executed 35+ strategic initiatives with competing priorities while managing multi-million-dollar budgets ($3M-$200M in organizational assets).
Andrew has demonstrated excellence in emergency response operations, which includes responding to every wildfire disaster in California since 2017, COVID-19 pandemic management, civil unrest response, and CBRN threat mitigation. He has led joint task forces and coordinated with federal, state, and local agencies including the FBI, Secret Service, DHS, DOE, and County Sheriff and Fire Departments across the country.