Dr. Daniel Ostergaard has worked closely with Artis for ten years. His research is focused on national security, terrorism, critical infrastructure and international business. In addition, he serves as a Clinical Associate Professor of International Business at the University of South Carolina’s (USC) Darla Moore School of Business. Ostergaard has developed and taught a range of classes including economic globalization, risk, strategy, security, crises leadership and international business. He is also engaged in corporate executive education blending international business and security.
Prior to joining the faculty at USC, Ostergaard’s career spanned 20 years in government, national security and the private sector. Immediately prior to USC, Ostergaard led a regional economic development think-tank and served as an Associate Professor of Management and International Business and as an Adjunct Professor of Applied Criminology, teaching both international business and homeland security-related courses, at Western Carolina University.
While in Washington, D.C., Ostergaard was the Founder and President of Pelorus Enterprises, LLC, providing business development and governmental relations services for public and private, domestic and international clients.
Prior to this, he was appointed as the Executive Director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) where his duties included serving as a senior policy advisor (SES rank) to both Honorable Secretaries of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff.
After 9/11, he served the Executive Office of Governor Jeb Bush (Florida) as the Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Liaison in Washington, D.C., for the Governor’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Focusing on a host of security-related issues relating to the role of state, local and tribal governments, Ostergaard worked closely with both White House, Congress and various public and private sector partners to develop and share best practices. Additionally, he was also elected to a municipal office to serve as an ANC Commissioner for the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Prior to his service with Governor Bush, Ostergaard served on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. A seagoing officer, Ostergaard served aboard several cutters in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans including command of a patrol boat and a shore-based rescue station. He led numerous homeland security, search and rescue, counter narcotics, and environmental protection operations. He also served as the Federal and State Liaison for the Coast Guard’s Office of Governmental and Public Affairs and was the Budget and Fiscal Manager for the Atlantic Major Cutter Fleet.
Ostergaard graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelors of Science in Government. He holds two Masters Degrees: a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (where he was also the student body President) and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He earned a Doctorate in Business Administration (concentration: International Business) at the University of South Carolina in December 2016 with a dissertation entitled Business and Security in the Age of Terrorism: The Long-Term Effects of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks on Seaport Governance and Control.
With his family, Ostergaard also founded Smoky Mountain Heritage Farm and raised organic heritage breeds of livestock and heirloom fruit. He has volunteered as a soccer coach for his children’s various teams first in Asheville, NC, and then Columbia, SC, for 11 seasons. He served on the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Board of Directors and now serves as a Board Member on the Irmo High School Education Foundation. He is an Assistant Scout Master with the Boy Scouts of America.
