Leading experts share insights with Mercyhurst Intelligence Studies students

Mercyhurst Intelligence Studies students have two unique opportunities to gain experience from leading experts in the fields of competitive intelligence (CI) and national security.

First, students will participate in a watch party as attendees at a virtual conference hosted by the Council of Competitive Fellows, of which Lindy Smart, executive director of the Tom Ridge Department of Intelligence Studies, is a member. She said the organization donated 40 tickets for Mercyhurst students to attend the two-day summit Sept. 27-28.

“We are so thankful for the opportunity that CI Fellows have afforded Mercyhurst Intelligence Studies students to participate in such a prestigious event with the biggest names in Competitive Intelligence,” Smart said. “This event will introduce many students to the breadth of career opportunities within the private sector.”

The premise for this year’s conference focuses on ongoing disruptions and new realities in CI shaped by technological shifts, geopolitical changes, and new breakthroughs in data science, psychology, and economics. The conference will address what this means for competition and intelligence practices.

Then on Wednesday, Oct. 4, via Zoom, the university’s National Security Club will hear a talk by Robert Giesler. Giesler has over 45 years of experience in national security and commercial strategy development, policy, and senior management. He is a member of the Defense Science Board serving as the co-chair of the Congressional-mandated “Future of Cyber Warfare” Task Force and advises US defense and cyber corporations as well as the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

Previously, he served in the Senior Executive Service as director for Strategy Coordination, Office of the Secretary of Defense; chief, Strategy and Plans, DoD Strategic Capabilities Office; and director, Information Operations and Strategic Studies in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His corporate experience includes serving as Senior Vice President for Cyber Programs, SAIC.

Giesler is a retired Army officer whose career included tours in the Infantry, as an Army counterintelligence agent, a clandestine intelligence operations officer, and a variety of classified military operational assignments.

This opportunity is facilitated by Giesler’s former colleague, Fred Hoffman, assistant professor of Intelligence Studies at Mercyhurst.

“Bob is ‘the guy’ in the defense community who knows the most about disinformation, influence/counterinfluence, and psychological operations,” Hoffman said. “I’m thrilled that he has agreed to speak with our National Security Club.”