Threat Assessment Manager Ghoston Earns Prestigious Certifications

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Oct. 1, 2024) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s threat assessment manager, Lauren Ghoston, recently earned two prestigious professional certifications.

Ghoston completed the Department of Homeland Security’s National Threat Evaluation and Reporting Program Office’s Master Trainer Program. The program certifies federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners to instruct Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management techniques and best practices. It empowers Homeland Security partners to train their local communities, help mitigate threats and prevent acts of targeted violence.

Ghoston also earned the Certified Threat Manager (CTM) credential from the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP). This certification aims to elevate the professional standards of this field and enhance individual performance by identifying those who strive to be the “best in the business.” CTMs – who number only about 250 nationally – demonstrate a solid knowledge of core competencies and commitment to staying current on new trends, research and policies through continued education.

“With these additional certifications, I can facilitate the training suite developed and maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, which will strengthen our community awareness and buy-in. Providing regular and ongoing education on threat assessment and management is an essential component of developing a robust program,” said Ghoston.

“The CTM is incredibly hard to achieve. ATAP recommends at least a year of study, in addition to several years of work experience, before taking the exam. Many often do not pass the first time, and I am happy to be one of those who did.” 

Ghoston joined N.C. A&T in February 2023 as the university’s first threat assessment manager. Since then, she has developed a threat assessment and management program specifically tailored to proactively address safety and security concerns that affect the university community.

The program includes Aggie CARE (Campus Assessment Response and Education) and the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT), which began in October 2023. The Aggie CARE team is a non-disciplinary team that emphasizes early intervention by identifying students in need of support for academic, personal or transition-related concerns and determining whether the reported concern involves potentially threatening or violent behavior. This multidisciplinary team includes but is not limited to representatives from departments such as Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, the Office of Accessibility Resources, the Alvin V. Blount Jr. Student Health Center and the University Police Department. BIT, also a multidisciplinary team, asseses and mitigates any person of concern (students, employees, and non-affiliated individuals) who may be at risk for committing an act of targeted violence or whose behavior significantly disrupts university operations.

Ghoston’s background in behavioral threat assessment and management encompasses providing protective intelligence for public figures, investigating workplace violence and offering support and advocacy to victims and survivors of stalking, intimate partner violence and other threatening behaviors. She has assessed thousands of inappropriate communications targeting public figures, corporations and Fortune 500 executives representing education, technology and entertainment industries, among others.