Matthew R. Bettenhausen

Bio

Matthew R. Bettenhausen was appointed on March 24, 2005 to serve as the Homeland Security Advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Director of the California Office of Homeland Security.

Prior to his appointment in California, Matt served at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as its first Director of State and Territorial Coordination. There, Matt was responsible for coordinating the efforts of the Department as they relate to state, territorial and tribal governments. He served on a number of White House Senior Policy Coordinating Committees and working groups concerning Homeland Security issues, including work on implementing Homeland Security Presidential Directives. He was also a member of the Department's Emergency Response Group (ERG) and the Interagency Incident Management Group (IIMG).

From January 2000 to January 2003, Matt served as the Deputy Governor of Illinois and its Homeland Security Director. As Deputy Governor, Matt was responsible for coordinating the law enforcement and public safety functions and agencies of the State of Illinois. The agencies reporting to him included among others: the Illinois State Police, the Department of Corrections, Fire Marshal's Office, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Department of Nuclear Safety and the Department of Military Affairs.

Matt also served twelve years as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice. He investigated and prosecuted all manner of federal offenses from drug cases to complex financial fraud matters and long-term undercover investigations. He held various supervisory positions with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, including Chief of Appeals and Associate Chief of the entire criminal division. Matt graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Accountancy. Matt continued his education at the University's Law School and received his law degree with honors.

Matt's family has a long and extensive history in the fire service and law enforcement. His father has spent 50 years in the fire service and currently is the Fire Marshal for Tinley Park, Illinois. His brother is an officer with the Lemont Fire Protection District.