The college welcomes Edward Lengel and Lt. Col. Suzanne Devlin to the 2017 degree celebrations

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the May 2017 degree celebrations will be led by two outstanding alumni: chief historian for the White House Historical Association, Edward Lengel, and Lt. Col. Suzanne Devlin, a former acting chief of police for the Fairfax County Police Department and the current supervisor of safety and security for Loudoun County Public Schools.  

Humanities and Interdisciplinary Programs Speaker, May 18

Edward G. Lengel, BA History ‘91
Chief Historian, The White House Historical Association

Edward G. Lengel is Chief Historian of the White House Historical Association. He received his BA in history from George Mason University in 1991, and his PhD in history from the University of Virginia in 1998. For many years he was Professor and Director of the Washington Papers project. Lengel has written several award-winning books, including First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His—and the Nation’s—Prosperity (2016); Thunder and Flames: Americans in the Crucible of Combat, 1917-1918 (2015); To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918 (Henry Holt, 2008); and General George Washington: A Military Life (2005). He writes regularly for Military History Quarterly, American History and other periodicals, and has made television and radio appearances on The History Channel, Fox News, and National Public Radio.

Social Sciences Speaker, May 19 

Lieutenant Colonel Suzanne G. Devlin, Retired, Fairfax County Police Department, BA Sociology ’82, MSCM ‘85
Supervisor, Safety and Security, Loudoun County Public Schools 

Lt. Col. Suzanne G. Devlin is in her fifth year as the Supervisor of Safety and Security for Loudoun County Public Schools. Her primary duties are to oversee emergency planning and the physical infrastructure supporting safety and security in schools, which includes cameras, DVRs, fire and security systems, technical support, security patrols, emergency management, and liaison with law enforcement, fire, and rescue agencies.

Prior to her work with Loudoun County, Devlin was a Senior Principal Intelligence Analyst in the Global Analysis Division of BAE Systems and worked as a Senior Law Enforcement Advisor at the Department of Homeland Security.

Devlin spent 33 years with the Fairfax County Police Department, in Fairfax, Virginia, rising up through the ranks. In her final years she had the opportunity to serve as the Acting Chief of Police, joining only seven women in the country to be Chiefs of Police of major cities. She retired in 2009 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, having served as the Deputy Chief of Police in charge of Special Operations, Major Crimes and the Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center.

Devlin earned a bachelor of science degree in sociology and a master of science degree in conflict management, both from Mason. Most recently she was selected by FEMA to attend the Emergency Management Institute to work with senior leaders in emergency management. She spent 15 years as an adjunct instructor for Mason and has published numerous articles, most recently with the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing. In 2016, she was noted for her contributions in community oriented policing in NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten’s A Nation of Nations, A Great American Immigration Story (Simon & Schuster, 2016).