Chappell Lawson Session Overview

CHAPPELL LAWSON is an Associate Professor of Political Science at MIT. Lawson’s recent work has focused on homeland security policy, Mexican politics, the effect of candidates’ physical appearance on their electoral success, and political leadership. From September2009 through February 2011, Lawson served in government as Executive Director and Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Lawson was a National Fellow at The Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies at the University of California, San Diego. His recent publications includeBeyond 9/11: Homeland Security for the 21st Century andMexico’s Democratic Evolution: A Comparative Study of the 2012 Elections.