Dr. Mason has extensive experience in security and emergency management. A retired US Army officer, he served in worldwide assignments including South Korea, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Post-Army, he served as Director of the Personnel Recovery Center – Ecuador at the American Embassy in Quito, and as Microsoft Corporation's Americas Region Resilience Manager. He has consulted on security and emergency management for schools, universities, and the mining and oil sectors, and is a board member of the University of Florida's Spanish and Portuguese Studies Department External Advisory Board.

He holds a BA from Wake Forest University, an MA in Latin American Studies and Political Science from the University of Florida, a graduate certificate in Homeland Security and Defense from Penn State, and a Doctorate in Education in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University.

Representative programs and topics: policy and plans for drills (lockdowns and evacuations); risk analysis and mitigation; crisis management and decision-making; individual, family, and school preparedness; communications plans and planning; physical security assessments, plans, policies, and recommendations; family reunification policy and procedures for after an emergency; and active shooter drills.