Claire Lopez

Profile: Senior level consultant for Middle East issues, strategic policy analyst, and program manager with 29 years experience in government, the Intelligence Community, and the private sector. University lecturer, public events speaker, and published author on Middle East, Iran, Arab and Islamic culture, WMD, and transnational terrorism issues. M.A. in International Relations from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. Non-profit and think tank executive experience.

Professional Summary

Counterintelligence Role Player/Trainer                                                           2008-present

EKS Group LLC

Tampa, FL

Provide intelligence and counterintelligence training to Department of Defense for military intelligence personnel.

Vice President                                                                                             2007-present

Intelligence Summit Educational Forum

www.intelligencesummit.org 

Serve the Executive Leadership of this non-profit educational forum with intelligence and Middle East expertise, fundraising, and administrative support. Speaker and panel moderator at the Intelligence Summit’s annual conference event. Liaison to intelligence, law enforcement, and media.

Professor/Lecturer                                                                                                2007-present

CI Centre (www.cicentre.com )

Staff Professor for this private firm that provides tailored multi-day courses to U.S. and foreign government, intelligence, and law enforcement clients. Core class offerings are provided in counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and security. Have developed and presented original curriculum on the influence of Jihad and Sharia in Europe and the U.S., and also a full-day course on the Iranian intelligence and security service.

Executive Director & Consultant, Iran Policy Committee                      2005-2006

Washington, D.C.

Member of the Iran Policy Committee (www.iranpolicy.org), a leading WDC think tank dedicated to bringing policy issues related to Iran to public and federal government attention.  Served as Executive Director and Director for Research to conduct and direct extensive research/ analysis on the Iranian Revolution, expansionist ideology, regime leadership, terrorist support, nuclear program, & opposition groups, which has been produced in four major white papers and two published books that were briefed to Congress, the Executive Branch, and WDC academic, think tank, diplomatic, and media communities. 

Senior Scientific Researcher                                                                      2005-2006

Battelle Memorial Institute                                                                        Arlington, VA

Supported a major DIA contract as a senior level analyst, researcher and subject matter expert for this global science and technology enterprise. Project work focused on WMD and Middle East issues. Wrote a white paper proposal to conduct research and analysis on the phenomenon of suicide bombing as a tactic of asymmetric warfare.  Battelle is a non-profit organization, a research firm with some of the characteristics of a think tank, and a partner at the federal, state and local levels of government.  

Senior Intelligence Analyst                                                                   2002-2005

HawkEye Systems, LLC                                                                   Alexandria, VA

As a senior intelligence analyst for a medium-sized high-tech strategic management consulting firm in the WDC area, I served as project manager and provided intelligence analyst, counterterrorism and Middle East subject matter expertise to a small technology company for development of an ONI-funded decision-making intelligence fusion and uncertainty management system.  I also contributed substantive subject matter expertise to a successful proposal for the same firm for the validation of a related DARPA-funded software system that features a forecasting and prediction model.

In support of another small technology firm’s software development program, I directed the creation of Red Cell terrorist attack scenarios related to homeland security. During a year-long DARPA contract, I was integrated at the DIAC with the JITF-CT at DIA Hqs., Bolling AFB and performed in-depth, all-source research and analysis of national and transnational terrorism groups and counterterrorism operations for the Wargaming the Asymmetric Environment (WAE) Program.  A principal focus of the WAE Program was the creation and analytic exploitation of a massive database of significant events related to the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Arab-Israeli conflict.  I also conducted analytical tool validation related to predictive analysis, established processes and procedures for analytical methodology and produced Middle East group profiles and leadership behavior analysis.  

Senior Intelligence Analyst                                                                         2000-2002

Chugach Systems Integration                                                                  Arlington, VA

Working in the Countermeasures Program Division (DS/CMP) of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Department of State, I reviewed the Technical Threat environment for U.S. Posts worldwide and produced Technical Threat Analysis and Threat Level Recommendations for the InterAgency Technical Threat Working Group.  My all-source research and analysis included consideration of the CI threat from Foreign Intelligence Services, terrorist and organized crime groups worldwide and contributed significantly to an upward revision in the Threat Level for one key Latin American country.

Senior Operations Officer                                                                           1980-2000

Central Intelligence Agency                                                                      Langley, VA

As a DO case officer, I served 4 PCS tours, multiple TDY assignments worldwide including Africa, Central/South America and the Balkans, with a focus on the USSR/Russia. Primary responsibilities included production, implementation of operational plans to fulfill national-level HUMINT requirements in CI, CN, Counterproliferation, WMD, and Advanced Conventional Weapons threat arenas. 

Key success was development and management of a highly productive operations unit to target WMD programs of critical national security concern to the U.S.  I supervised and performed research/analysis of target programs; directed, produced detailed targeting studies, managed complex intelligence operations to implement the targeting objectives.

Military Experience                                                                                 Oct-Dec 1979

Completed U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS)

Quantico, VA

Education

M.A., International Relations

Maxwell School, Syracuse University

Syracuse, New York

B.A., Communications and French

Notre Dame College of Ohio        

South Euclid, Ohio

Guest Lectures

National Defense Intelligence College                                                       Apr 2009

FBI Academy, Quantico, VA                                                                         Jan 2009

Beachwood High School, Beachwood, OH                                               2008-09

Georgetown University, WDC                                                                       2004-2006

Visiting Researcher, Georgetown, University                                          2004-2005

Government Dept., School of Foreign Service

Board Memberships

Member of the Board of Advisors                                                                         2009-present

International Free Press Society                                      

Information Committee Member                                                                2008-present

Medal of Honor Society

Member of the Board of Directors                                                                        2007-present

Institute for World Affairs

Member of the Advisory Board & Guest Lecturer                            2006-present

Intelligence Analysis and Research Program

Notre Dame College of Ohio

Languages: Spanish, Bulgarian, French, German, Russian; studying Farsi