WASHINGTON, D.C. – The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation announced today that it has named national security and counterterrorism expert Ali Soufan to its board of directors. Soufan is a former FBI agent and was the lead investigator on some of the world’s most complex international terrorism cases.
“Ali’s vast experience in the area of counterterrorism adds great expertise to our board that will be invaluable as the foundation works to improve safety for journalists working in dangerous areas,” said Diane Foley, mother of James and founder and president of the foundation. “He will also be a great resource for another aspect of our work – advocating for the release of Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad.”
The Foley Foundation was created in 2014 to honor the legacy of James Foley, a freelance journalist who was captured and beheaded by ISIS in Syria in 2014. The foundation is dedicated to improving the safety and treatment of independent journalists working in dangerous areas, advocating for the freedom of all Americans kidnapped and wrongfully detained abroad, and improving U.S. hostage policy.
Soufan is the chairman and CEO of The Soufan Group, founder of The Soufan Center and has been featured in books, films, television series, newspaper articles, and documentaries across the globe. The Soufan Center is a nonpartisan strategy center dedicated to increasing awareness of global security issues in the United States and around the world.
As a supervisory special agent for the FBI, Soufan investigated and supervised complex international terrorism cases, including the East Africa embassy bombings, the attack on the USS Cole, and the events surrounding 9/11.
“In this troubled and complex world, the Foley Foundation has shone a bright light on the need to recover Americans held abroad and protect journalists who operate in dangerous areas,” Soufan said. “I’m very pleased to join this distinguished group brought together by the foundation to work on these two urgent causes.”
For more information about the foundation, or to learn how you can make an impact, please contact Amy Coyne at amy.coyne@jamesfoleyfoundation.org.
