George Powell

George Powell began his federal career in 2003 as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, Detroit Field Office, leading complex investigations into cybercrime, electronic and financial fraud, and document fraud, resulting in successful federal and state prosecutions. As a group leader, he directed agents within the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, focusing on financial crimes linked to drug trafficking.

In 2010, George became an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan through a Secret Service-academia partnership, developing and instructing the university’s first Cyber Investigation Course. He later was selected and served on the Presidential Protection Detail in Washington, D.C., safeguarding President Barack Obama and other U.S. and foreign dignitaries, and contributed to the White House Operations Division.

In 2015, George joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as a Senior Special Agent, leading administrative and criminal misconduct investigations. He established CBP’s Executive Security Program, later expanding it as Assistant Special Agent in Charge into a comprehensive protective division encompassing physical security, training, technical security, and protective intelligence. As Assistant Director and subsequently Director, he oversaw special operations, tactical teams, and criminal investigators, ensuring the safety of CBP leadership and workforce. He was appointed Director of Operations for C-Suite leadership at CBP, overseeing the optimization of business operations across a workforce of over 60,000 employees and multiple operational divisions, leveraging innovative technologies and strategic management to enhance organizational effectiveness.

Currently, George serves as Founder and CEO of Sentinel Security Solutions, LLC, providing executive protection, risk management, and security consulting services to government and private-sector clients. George holds an MBA and is a graduate of the CBP Leadership Institute, sponsored by Darden University.