Don Hough has joined the PASS board of directors following leadership roles in national school safety initiatives and public sector security strategy.
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools appointed Don Hough to its board of directors in April.
Hough serves as vice president of COSECURE, a national consulting practice focused on physical security, cybersecurity and emergency preparedness. He brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in safety, security and technology integration.
Most recently, Hough served as deputy associate director for school safety at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and as managing director of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse.
During his time at DHS, Hough led the nation’s school safety strategy and coordinated efforts involving the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services. He also oversaw federal program portfolios and multidisciplinary teams supporting K-12 safety initiatives.
According to PASS, Hough guided the development and nationwide rollout of several school safety resources and programs, including SchoolSafety.gov, the K-12 School Security Guide Suite, the Anonymized Threat Response Guidance, the K-12 Bystander Reporting Toolkit, the K-12 Digital Infrastructure Brief: Defensible and Resilient, the Bombing Prevention Assistance for K-12 Schools program, the National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security and the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board.
Before joining federal service, Hough was a senior manager at Grant Thornton, where he directed federal portfolios supporting national security and education initiatives. His work included collaboration with school districts, colleges and universities to address safety challenges and emerging threats.
At COSECURE, Hough leads the firm’s public sector practice, overseeing strategic growth across federal, state and local markets and expanding support for public institutions managing security and resilience challenges.
PASS said Hough is recognized nationally for his work integrating physical security, cybersecurity and emergency management for schools and public institutions. The organization also noted his efforts building partnerships among state agencies, school districts, national associations, technology providers and industry partners.
Hough has received multiple honors for his work, including the DHS Secretary’s Award for Excellence in 2024 and the DHS Secretary’s Award for Innovation in 2023. PASS said it is honored to welcome him to the board.