•  Ph.D., University of Georgia 2010, Adult Education
• M.A., University of Georgia 2000, Religion
• B.A., University of Georgia 1997, Religion

In addition to his time at the University of Georgia Police Department, Dan previously worked as a captain with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, and served on the first permanent staff at the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan after 9/11 as a special agent with the US State Department.

Dan completed three degrees at UGA, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the Institute of Applied Social Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK, where his research focused on police outreach with Muslim communities. Dan has a courtesy faculty appointment in UGA’s Department of Political Science, and he teaches in UGA’s Criminal Justice Studies Program. He has consulted or taught for a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, primarily focusing on projects connected to applications of community policing. He was the lead editor of the book Preventing Ideological Violence: Communities, Police, and Case Studies of Success, and he continues to publish articles and book chapters that focus on innovations in policing, and create and deliver related training.

Dan is married to Monira Silk, a local business owner and non-profit executive in Athens, and they have two daughters, Miriam and Nadine.

• Community Policing
• Police-community Relations
• Counter-terrorism

UGA Student Government Association Outstanding Professor Award; Fulbright Police Research Fellowship; UGA College of Education Learning, Leadership, & Organization Development Circle of 50 [50 notable alumni over 50 years]; Federal Law Enforcement Training Center’s Director’s Award; United States State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award

• Cook, D.A., LePere-Schloop, M., Silk, D., & Williams, B. N. (2023). Relational Policing at an Inflection Point: A Need for Police Leaders as Thinkers. In Police Leaders as Thinkers (pp. 79-103). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Williams, B.N., Silk, P.D., Nobles, H., & Harper, J. (2018). Case study -The blue and you police-community forum: Co-production of a community conversation, in Brandsen, T., Verschuere, B., & Steen, T. (Eds.), Co-Production and Co-Creation: Engaging Citizens in Public Services. Oxford, UK: Routledge.
• LePere-Schloop, M., Williams, B. N., Christensen, R. K., & Silk, P. D. (2016).  Appraising the appraisal process: Manager and patrol officer perspectives.  The Police Journal, 88 (3), 231-250.
• Williams, B. N., LePere-Schloop, M., Silk, P. D., & Hebdon, A. (2015). The co-production of campus safety and security: A case study at the University of Georgia. The International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82 (1), 110-130.
• McDonald, L. Z., Spalek, B., Silk, P. D., Da Silva, R., & Limbada, Z. (2015). Counter-terrorism as conflict transformation.  In Jarvis, L., & Lister, M. (Eds.), Critical Perspectives on Counter-terrorism.  Oxford, UK: Routledge.
• Silk, P. D., O’Rawe, M., & Spalek, B. (Eds.). (2013). Preventing Ideological Violence: Communities, Police, and Case Studies of “Success.” New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Silk, P. D. (2012). Community policing to prevent violent extremism. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 81 (10), 1-6.
• Silk, P. D. (2012). The complexity of police-Muslim community relations in the shadow of 9/11. Arches Quarterly, 5 (9), 73-82.
• Spalek, B., Limbada, Z., McDonald, L. Z., Silk, D., & DaSilva, R. (2012). Impact of Counter-Terrorism on Communities: Methodology Report. London:  Institute for Strategic Dialogue.