Matthew Vaccaro - Institute for Security Governance

Matthew Vaccaro is Program Manager of the Prevention, Relief & Recovery (PR&R) program within the Center for Civil-Military Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. The PR&R program features engagement and teaching activities focused on mixed groups of practitioners who deploy or live in fragile and insecure environments.

He joined the faculty of the University in 2003. From 2004 until 2013 he led the Center for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies at the Naval Postgraduate School. In 2013 this program was reconfigued as the Prevention, Relief & Recovery program at CCMR in order to generate synergies throughout the Center. His experience and interests are in conflict management and peace operations, the U.S. interagency process, political-military planning, and humanitarian affairs and post-conflict recovery.

Previously Mr. Vaccaro served as Director for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs on the National Security Council Staff at the White House and as Director of the Office for Peace Operations in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In these positions he participated in the U.S. Government decision-making process and managed the implementation of numerous complex contingencies. Previous to this he served in positions at a research think tank and as an officer in the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army (with service in Somalia). His BA and MA are from Stanford University in international relations and international policy studies, respectively. He and his wife, Jenise, have two school-age children.