ABOUT | The Academy

The Premier Academy for Cutting-Edge Programs in:

Cognitive & Influence Warfare, OSINT, and Intelligence Tradecraft

The Academy delivers university-caliber education through a more responsive, practitioner-driven model.

And we don't just teach knowledge, we cultivate depth — knowledge is the foundation, understanding is the journey, and wisdom is the destination.

Learn Deeply

Think Clearly

Act Wisely

Ideal for Individuals Interested In:

- Intelligence & Counterintelligence

- National Security & Defense

- Government & Policy

- Corporate Strategy

- Business Intelligence

- Technology & Cyberspace

- Media & Communications

MORE THAN ANOTHER CREDENTIAL

The Academy’s programs are designed to help you develop specialized expertise, analytical capabilities, and practical knowledge that you can carry into your academic and professional career.

Convenient Live-Online Format

Learn from scholar-practitioners across intelligence, defense, etc.

1 to 2-month programs in cutting-edge fields

MASTER YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The Academy takes an interdisciplinary, practitioner-focused approach to education, bringing together intelligence, defense, technology, psychology, information, policy, and strategy to examine the challenges shaping today’s security environment. Rather than keeping these disciplines in separate academic silos, our programs encourage participants to understand how they intersect in real-world situations.

With instruction from experienced scholar-practitioners across intelligence, government, defense, business, policy, and academia, participants gain perspectives that extend beyond traditional classroom learning and prepare them to operate in complex, high-stakes environments.

LEARN FROM SEASONED EXPERTS IN INTELLIGENCE, DEFENSE, TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS & MORE!

Our faculty are active leaders and seasoned experts from the front lines of intelligence, defense, policy, technology, and the private sector. Our students learn from those who have shaped national strategy, led in complex global environments, and driven innovation across disciplines.

This unmatched blend of academic depth and real-world experience ensures that every lesson bridges theory and practice — equipping students not just with knowledge, but with the insight and judgment needed to lead.

Beyond the classroom, our faculty provide personalized career guidance and résumé support to help students advance confidently into the next stage of their professional journey.

Dr. Elena T. Bailey

Dr. Bailey brings a wealth of expertise spanning intelligence, policy, defense, and academia, as well as the nonprofit and private sectors.

In academia, Dr. Bailey serves as the President of The Academy, and serves as the Program Director of the Media Effects and Cyberpsychology program. Additionally, Dr. Bailey is a professor at the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC), where she teaches courses on influence warfare, cyberspace, national security, and strategic communication. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, within the Master of Professional Studies in Applied Intelligence program.

Dr. Bailey is the co-founder and CEO of Glocal, the world’s public Open-Source Superintelligence platform (OSSINT), which combines human collective intelligence and AI to elevate the information environment.

Counterintelligence & Intelligence:
Dr. Bailey served as a senior counterintelligence (CI) specialist at the Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), where she focused on CI and worldwide cyber threat analysis. DTRA enables the DoD and the U.S. Government to prepare for and combat WMDs and improvised threats and to ensure nuclear deterrence. The agency’s legacy extends back to the Manhattan Engineering Project that was created to develop the world’s first atomic bomb during World War II.

Prior to DTRA, Dr. Bailey served as a senior CI analyst at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), where she supported joint CI operations and led a program that drove intelligence integration and collaboration across the intelligence community (IC). During this time, Dr. Bailey also served as a Regional Subject Matter Expert (SME) to the DoD, Department of the Army, focusing on geographic, economic, industry, political, security, and geopolitical issues in Ukraine. Before her tenure at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Dr. Bailey served as an Intelligence Analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she collaborated closely with operations on counterterrorism initiatives. Additionally, Dr. Bailey successfully completed a rotation with the U.S. Department of State’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications where she specialized in developing and executing overt counterterrorism messaging operations.

Foreign Governments:
Between 2006 and 2007, Dr. Bailey provided political and media analysis, as well as, conducted public relations and strategic communication at the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, and the Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco.

Local Government & Politics:
In 2009, Dr. Bailey served as a Legislative Deputy Assistant to Councilman Greig Smith, at the Los Angeles City Hall, Council District 12, representing the San Fernando Valley. More specifically, Dr. Bailey developed and maintained relationships between the district office and the diverse constituents in District 12. She also managed public relations with local, state and federal bodies, organizations, and the LA Joint Terrorism Taskforce (JTTF)—a partnership between the FBI and other law enforcement agencies charged with countering terrorism.

Between 2004 and 2005, Dr. Bailey worked as a Presidential Campaign Coordinator in Fremont, CA. Then in 2007, she went on to serve as the Field Manager of California Region 3, for a presidential candidate.

Education:
Dr. Bailey completed a Ph.D. in Strategic Communication from George Mason University. She received a Masters Degree in Psychology from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business with a focus in marketing, strategy and management.

She had also received a Masters Degree in Politics with a focus in International Relations and American Government from New York University (NYU).

Additionally, Dr. Bailey holds a Certificate in Intelligence Analysis from the Sherman Kent school for Intelligence Analysis, which is a training school for CIA intelligence analysts, a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Marketing Management from Georgetown University, and a Graduate Certificate in Messianic Jewish Studies from the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute.

Dr. Bailey had pursued her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and UCLA where she graduated with honors and earned a B.A. in Political Science with a focus in International Relations and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies.

Fluent in English, Russian, Ukrainian, and conversational Hebrew, Dr. Bailey resides in the Washington Metropolitan Area with her husband.

Dr. Howard Gambrill Clark

Dr. Gambrill Clark has specialized in influence strategies and psychological warfare for 27 years.

He graduated from Yale University with a degree in international relations focusing on the Middle East. While a student, Dr. Clark was a writer for U.S. Information Agency's Middle East / South Asia Division; served on the staff of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee; and studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo via a Department of Defense grant.

After Yale, Dr. Clark served as policy analyst in the Executive Office of the President for the President’s Chief Economic Adviser, focusing on counterterrorism. Following the White House, Dr. Clark served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an intelligence officer and multi-national / special-unit commander with multiple deployments to Iraq as well as Afghanistan and the Philippines.

After military service, Dr. Clark was presidentially appointed as Department of Homeland Security Chief Intelligence Officer's Special Assistant. Then, as Senior Intelligence Analyst for Homeland Security Counter-Radicalization, Dr. Clark helped lead the Intelligence Community in intelligence support to countering violent extremism. He was then promoted to Senior Intelligence Officer for Homeland Security Operations Intelligence (headquarters) before acting as consultant (contracted Senior Intelligence Analyst) to Special Operations Command's Counter-Radicalization Branch.

While earning his Ph.D. from King's College London War Studies, he served as senior counter-violent-extremism adviser and trainer for USAID, USSOCOM, USDA, DOS, Special Forces, USMC, NATO, and partner governments in southwest Asia and Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation.

Recent Positions Include:
CEO, Stability Institute (non-profit) - training and advising special operators and stabilization professionals on defeating extremist groups throughout five continents.
Faculty, National Defense College (UAE) - director and coordinator for 'Countering-Violent-Extremism,' 'Information and Cyberwarfare,' 'Media and National Security,' and 'International Security' programs (sponsored by the U.S. National Defense University)
Lecturer, Civil and Political School (Ukraine)
He is now the president of Narrative Strategies, where he teaches and researches the fields of strategic influence, psychological warfare, counterterrorism, and countering violent extremism. He is also an associate professor of influence strategy and psychological warfare in Washington, DC.

Select Books / Theses:
Influence Warfare Volume I: A Blueprint, Narrative Strategies Ink, Washington, DC, 2021
Information Warfare: The Lost Tradecraft, Narrative Strategies, LLC, Washington, DC, 2017
Information as an Instrument of State Power: A Primer, UAE National Defense College, UAE General Headquarters, 2017
Countering Violent Extremism: A Primer, UAE National Defense College, UAE General Headquarters, 2017
Defeating Violent Extremists: The Tradecraft, UAE National Defense College, UAE General Headquarters, 2016
Village Stability Operations, U.S. Army Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute, 2015 (coauthor)
Lions of Marjah: Why Marjah’s Militia Combats Violent Extremists, King’s College London thesis, 2014
Revolt Against Al-Qa`ida: A Strategy to Empower Muslims and Collapse International Insurgency, Light of New Orleans Publishing, New Orleans, 2010
Narrative Analysis: Taliban, Special Operations Command, Tampa, 2010 (coauthor)
Kill Al Qaeda, Light of New Orleans Publishing, New Orleans, 2009
Select articles and chapters:

"War and Narrative," chapter in Dangerous Narratives: Warfare, Strategy, Statecraft, Narrative Strategies Ink, 2020.
"How to Teach Influence: Thoughts on a New Discipline," article in Teaching Public Diplomacy and the Information Instruments of Power in a Complex Media Environment, National War College and U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Washington, DC 2020.
“Money and Stabilization,” National Defense Journal, National Defense College, UAE, June 2017
“The Responsibility to Protect in the Context of State-Sponsored Terror,” Defense and Intelligence Norway,” July 2016 (coauthor)
“Go Local,” American Interest, July/August 2015
“Regimental Effects Operations Center: Enhancing Situational Awareness and Achieving Unity of Effort in Nonkinetics,” The Marine Corps Gazette, Volume 96, Issue 8, 2012 (supporting author)
“Ending Al Qaeda,” American Interest, Volume 6, Number 6, July/August 2011 (coauthor)
“The Accidental Ideologue,” Jane's Terrorism and Security Monitor, 2010
Twenty-eight classified or official-use-only cross-Intelligence-Community strategic assessments on countering al-Qa`ida for cabinet-level leaders and White House, 2007 – 2009
Three National Economic Council damage assessments for potential biological terrorist attacks, 2001
Six articles on Middle East leadership and Iraqi resistance for Department of State, 1999.

Dr. Shane McNeil

Dr. McNeil is a national security scholar and practitioner specializing in strategy, counterintelligence, and the philosophical foundations of American statecraft. He completed his Doctor of Statecraft and National Security at the Institute of World Politics, where his research focused on strategic competition, counterintelligence as a warfighting function, and the defense of the “Idea of America” in an era of great-power rivalry.

He is the Founding Director of the Sentinel Research & Policy Institute (SRPI), a nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing innovative, non-governmental solutions to contemporary national security challenges. At SRPI, Dr. McNeil leads strategic research initiatives, mentors graduate and undergraduate researchers, hosts the Common Ground podcast, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Sentinel Journal. His work emphasizes whole-of-society approaches to counterintelligence, strategic competition with China, and the preservation of American legitimacy and moral leadership in global affairs.

Dr. McNeil previously served in senior counterintelligence and policy roles within the defense and intelligence community, including as Counterintelligence Policy Advisor on the Joint Staff. During his government service, he contributed to the development of national counterintelligence strategy, authored foundational policy guidance, and helped integrate counterintelligence into joint operational planning. His career also included operational assignments overseas and leadership positions in counterintelligence instruction, policy reform, and strategic planning.

Dr. McNeil is also an active lecturer and public speaker on counterintelligence, data privacy, national security strategy, and applied statecraft. He has delivered guest lectures at universities and professional forums, translating complex strategic concepts into practical insights for academic, private sector, and policy audiences.

He holds a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from the University of North Dakota and a Graduate Certificate in Executive Public Policy from Liberty University. His academic and professional publications appear in outlets including the American Intelligence Journal, the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, and other national security forums.

Professor of Practice, Tiffany Ceasor

Tiffany A. Ceasor is not your average technologist — she is a force of nature who has been redefining what’s possible since she enrolled in college at 13, graduated at 17, and completed her Master’s degree at 19. Handpicked by Bill Gates himself as part of an elite intern class and featured in a documentary as a future leader of Microsoft, Tiffany’s trajectory has never followed a conventional path — because she was never built for one.

People focused, and a servant leader at heart, Tiffany travels the world conducting community service and disaster relief work with nonprofits, driven by the belief that technology must serve humanity. That mission gave birth to TSAR — the Technological Society of Applied Research — a nonprofit she founded to conduct cutting-edge research on society’s most complex and high-stakes problems.

At Microsoft, Tiffany’s career spanned the full depth of applied intelligence. She began as an AI Applied Research Data Scientist, then evolved into a Full Stack Engineer + AI practitioner — designing, building, and implementing the algorithms and intelligent systems she architected end-to-end for enterprise customers. She was a core member of the team that built and architected one of the largest intelligence data analytics cloud platforms in the world. Her fingerprints are on infrastructure that operates at global scale.

Before joining RiVidium Inc. as Vice President of Growth and Technical Mission Strategy (Cyber + AI), Tiffany architected the data and AI strategy for a $200M TSA contract — a critical mission systems engagement that placed her among the most elite technical strategists in the national security space.

An international keynote speaker, Tiffany commands stages across the globe — presenting at the most significant applied research, enterprise AI, and data science communities in the world, from Grace Hopper to international tech summits in Poland and beyond.

Now ABD (All But Dissertation) with a PhD in Computer Science (Applied AI) — with an expected dissertation completion in 2026 — Tiffany’s research sits at the bleeding edge: neurosymbolic AI, post-quantum cryptography, and AI formal verification for high-stakes defense and intelligence applications.

As the Program Director and Professor of Practice for the AI + Cyber (Intelligence and National Security) program at The Academy, Tiffany brings this rare combination of elite academic research, mission-critical national security experience, and relentless purpose-driven passion directly to the next generation of intelligence and cyber practitioners.

The future of national security is being built right now. She’s building it — and she’s here to bring you to the frontier.

Dr. John A. Pennell

Dr. John A. Pennell is a contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense's Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) as Editor-in-Chief of PRISM: The Journal of Complex Operations and as an Instructor, Curriculum Developer, and Senior Practitioner.

He’s a Research Fellow with Arizona State University’s (ASU) Future Security Initiative and Professor of Practice with ASU’s School of Politics and Global Studies; a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with the Global & National Security Institute (GNSI) at the University of South Florida (USF); a Non-Resident Fellow with the Irregular Warfare Institute (IWI)-Europe Program; and a Senior Diplomacy Fellow with Narrative-Strategies.

Dr. Pennell is also a guest speaker and lecturer on information operations, hybrid warfare, post-conflict governance, and new technologies with U.S. and international universities, the U.S. State Department, and U.S. professional military education institutions.

Dr. Pennell is a retired US Senior Foreign Service Officer with 20+ years of field experience including in active combat and hybrid warfare zones.

He’s also a published author, including a 2024 book on Russia’s irregular warfare activities in Syria and Ukraine.

He holds a PhD from King’s College London and masters degrees from the National War College and American University.

Dr. James Giordano

Dr. James Giordano is Head of the Center for Strategic Deterrence and Weapons of Mass Destruction Studies of the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, Washington, DC, USA; and serves as Special Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (CBRN). His work explores the development and use of emerging scientific techniques and technologies as weapons of maximally targeted disruption; and the development and deployment of novel approaches to biosecurity, biodefense and strategic biodeterrence.

Dr. Giordano is also Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Biochemistry, and Chair Emeritus of the Neuroethics Program, and Founding Chair Emeritus of the Project on Military Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center, and served as a senior advisor to DARPA, NATO; UK Ministry of Defense; German Bundeswehr, Interpol, The European Union Human Brain Project Program on Dual-Use, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the World Health Organization. He is globally renowned for his work on the neurological effects and pathologic mechanisms of directed energies relevant to the anomalous health incidents (AHI) of the so-called Havana Syndrome; and he served from 2016-2019 as the consulting forensic neuroscientist on the original cases from the US Embassy in Havana, working with the Department of State, US Special Operations Command, and subsequently with the Department of Defense AHI Cross-Functional Team.

Dr. Giordano was awarded a PhD in biological psychology from the City University of New York; a DPhil in digital sciences and technology from the University of Regensburg, GER, and completed post-doctoral fellowships in neuropathology and toxicology at the Johns Hopkins University; and bioethics and health policy at the Neiswanger Institute of Loyola University, IL.

He is a Fellow of the Hastings Center for Ethics; the European Society for Science and Arts; the Royal Society of Medicine (UK); Royal Society of Public Health (UK), and was a Fulbright Professorial Fellow. A designated US Naval Aerospace Physiologist and Psychologist, he served with the US Navy and Marine Corps.

Dr. Brian L. Steed

Dr. Brian L. Steed brings more than 23 years of experience advising senior U.S. and international leaders, giving The Academy students direct access to insights forged at the intersection of strategy, military operations, history, and cross-cultural engagement. He spent eight and a half years living and serving abroad, including extensive work in and alongside foreign militaries.

At The Academy, students learn from a scholar-practitioner who does more than study conflict—he understands how senior leaders navigate it. He is a Senior Fellow at Narrative Strategies, an esteemed member of The Academy’s Board of Advisors, and an honored Professorial Lecturer at The Academy. An author, military theorist, and recognized proponent of maneuver in the narrative space, Steed examines how narratives shape the cognitive landscape, influence political and military behavior, and create strategic opportunities in competition and conflict. His work translates historical analysis into practical insight for contemporary decision-makers, helping leaders understand not merely what is happening, but why it matters and how the strategic environment can be influenced.

His scholarship has produced original concepts in narrative war, cross-cultural influence, and the interpretation of modern conflict. He is the author of and editor of ten books, most of which apply the lessons of history to current and future strategic challenges.

Steed is also a Professor of Military History and Teaching Team Leader at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where he leads multidisciplinary faculty and educates mid-career military professionals preparing to operate in complex strategic environments.

Steed holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Political Science and History from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, an M.A. in International Relations from Norwich University, and a B.A. in History from Brigham Young University.

Professor of Practice, Matthew Dowell

Professor Dowell brings extensive experience in OSINT and Intelligence. He holds a Master of Arts in Humanitarian Action and Human Rights, from Liberty University; a Master of Arts in International Relations, with a regional focus on Africa and the Middle East, from Troy University; and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management, from Colorado Technical University.

THE VALUE WE BRING YOU

Learn from Experienced Scholar-Practitioners

Engage and network with scholar-practitioners who bring high-level experience from intelligence (CIA, ODNI, DOS, etc.), defense, government, policy, business, and academia directly into the learning environment.

Professional Mentorship- Career Preparation & Guidance

Receive career guidance and support with résumés and interview preparation. While employment cannot be guaranteed, our faculty are committed to helping students prepare for competitive opportunities.

Stand Out with an Executive Certificate in a Highly Valued Field

Compliment your education and stand out from other job applicants with an Executive Certificate from The Academy in a highly valued field. You can also build your professional portfolio by completing substantive analytical work that can demonstrate your capabilities to employers, strengthen your résumé, and provide tangible evidence of your specialized expertise.

A Lifelong Professional Network

Become part of a lasting community of peers, alumni, faculty, and practitioners across intelligence, defense, policy, business, and academia—relationships that extend well beyond completion of the program.

Leverage Modern Technology

The Academy embraces emerging technologies, including AI, as powerful tools for learning and professional advancement. We help students develop the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom they need to become experts in their respective fields—while teaching them to leverage new technologies to enhance their capabilities and gain a strategic advantage.

Also, our students gain access to Glocal, the world’s public Open-Source Superintelligence (OSSINT) platform that can support research, discovery, and analysis throughout your studies.

TESTIMONIALS

" Professor Bailey is extremely knowledgable and presents extremely thought provoking material in class, discussion posts and papers. Her material sharpened my sense of the intelligence field as well as ensuring I can confidently tackle the topic."

- Anonymous, Prior Student

"I wanted a program that explained how influence actually works beneath the surface — not just media or communications, but psychology, narrative, trust, and strategic behavior in the modern information environment.”

- Anonymous, Department of Defense (DoD)

“Most discussions about technology focus on platforms, trends, or tools. I was looking for something deeper — a program that examined how technology influences cognition, emotion, culture, power, and society at both the individual and geopolitical level. The Cyberpsychology course helped connect psychology, behavior, AI, media, and emerging technologies in a way that felt highly relevant to the future.”

- Anonymous, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Email: info@theacademy.university

Phone: 771-223-7668

The Academy is a private institute led by scholar-practitioners from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area and experts in the field of intelligence, cognitive and influence warfare, psychology, counterintelligence, strategic communication, and cyberpsychology.