James Gagliano, Director
Independent voting member March 2020- Present
Mr. Gagliano serves an adjunct professor and doctoral candidate at St. John’s University (SJU) in Jamaica, Queens, New York. A staunch believer in elected term limits, he recently concluded his second term serving as the 29th mayor of the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, stepping aside to continue his academic and police-advocacy pursuits. He continues to appear as a law enforcement analyst and policing methodology subject matter expert in media circles, where he is often asked to provide on-air analyses of complex law enforcement and counterterror matters. He remains a sought-after speaker on criminal justice, homeland security, police use of force, and organizational leadership matters, delivering keynote addresses for corporate clients, non-profit organizations, and in academic settings.
A 1987 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he was commissioned as a light infantry platoon leader and company executive officer in the 2-14th Infantry Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, while stationed at Fort Benning, GA, and Fort Drum, NY, between 1988 and 1991. His awards include the Airborne, Air Assault, Expert Infantryman Badge, Jungle Expert, and Ranger Tab.
During his FBI career (1991-2016), he was appointed to a variety of investigative, tactical resolution, crisis management, undercover, mid-level and senior management positions, including assignment to the FBI’s elite counterterror unit, the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) between 1997-2001, and as Senior Team Leader of FBI New York Field Division’s 45-man SWAT Team (2002-2005). During the Global War on Terrorism, between 2002 and 2003, he deployed to Afghanistan three times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). He was awarded the FBI’s second highest award for valor, the Medal of Bravery, for his SWAT Team’s actions in June of 1993. He was also selected as the deputy legal attaché and acting legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in México City between 2013 and 2014. He earned an M.P.S. in Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Leadership from St. John’s University in 2017 and is working towards a doctorate at SJU, with a focus on police use of force – analyzing NYPD officer involved shootings and police involved deaths (2000-2022).
He is an author and opinion writer and member of the FBI Agents Association, Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Hostage Rescue Team Association. James and his wife, Tiffany, a private practice attorney, have five children between them, sharing custody of rescue dog, Dansby.