Instructors and Staff

Constance Huff

Constance “Connie” Huff, a retired US Army military intelligence officer and graduate of the FBI National Academy, has 24 years of field experience in counterintelligence and espionage investigations.

Ms. Huff was the Senior CI Investigator who led the team that identified, investigated, interrogated, and ensured the conviction of an Army soldier of spying for Iraq during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. The successful conclusion of this case resulted in Ms. Huff being named the Department of Defense "Investigator of the Year” in 1992. Ms. Huff later served as a Senior Instructor at the US Army Advanced Counterintelligence Training Course, training DoD military and civilian special agents in advanced CI skills.

Click here to read Connie’s full CV.

Gina Bennett

Gina Bennett is a retired CIA counterterrorism specialist and member of the Senior Analytic Service who served for 34 years in the Intelligence Community and authored the first warnings in the 1990s about the growing danger from al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

Ms. Bennett is currently an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies and has written numerous articles for a variety of journals, including Joint Force Quarterly and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. Ms. Bennett's media and publications can be viewed here.

Click here to read Gina’s full CV.

Cynthia Storer

Cynthia “Cindy” Storer, was an all-source analyst for the CIA from 1986 to 2007. She was assigned to the Counterterrorism Center from 1995 to 2007 and was promoted to the Senior Analytic Service. She was the principal drafter of CTC’s portion of a major CIA publication for Congress, was the CIA representative to numerous inter-agency task forces, and was part of a team that developed and taught the CIA’s first terrorism analysis course. She is also a consultant to the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Texas-El Paso. She was awarded her BA with Honors by The College of William and Mary in 1986 and an MA from The Catholic University of America in 1992.

Click here to read Cindy’s full CV.

Daniel Mulvenna

Daniel “Dan” Mulvenna is a retired senior officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Security Service, who worked a variety of counterintelligence cases and was for 18 years a senior security executive in two, multi-national oil companies.

Mulvenna has not only worked major espionage cases as a field officer, but managed a diverse multinational professional staff of security managers, investigators, analysts, and technical specialists who provided security and operational support to the senior management of two Global 500 oil companies in over 50 countries, many of them operating in high-risk environments.

Click here to read Dan’s full CV.

Rusty Capps

Rusty Capps, a former US Army officer and retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, has been one of the country's leading instructors on counterterrorism, intelligence, counterintelligence, and security awareness topics for the past 40 years.

Currently a lecturer at Georgetown University on Intelligence and National Security in a Leadership Initiatives Youth Development Program, Capps served in combat in Vietnam, worked criminal, espionage, and counterterrorism cases in the FBI, and managed the FBI’s Antiterrorism Operation Center for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984.

Click here to read Rusty’s full CV.

Meet the Staff

  • Russell Pierce

    DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

    Russell Pierce is a retired Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard. Having served in both the Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy, he is a veteran at heart. Following the military, he worked in telecom - specifically fiber optic network solutions - retiring in 2015 as a director of sales to the US Government.

  • Matt Sherrard

    WEB MASTER AND SENIOR INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

    Matt Sherrard is a self-proclaimed "technology nerd" who began tinkering with computers more than 40 years ago. His current consulting business, Sherrard Solutions, was founded in 2009 and continues to pursue its mission to help clients use technology to solve problems effectively.

  • Olivia Franse

    SUPERVISORY INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

    Olivia Franse is a junior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University majoring in Homeland Security with minors in Intelligence Studies and Terrorism. She has real-world experience providing analysis to international education clients, private businesses, and public officials.

  • Marc Zavarro

    INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

    Marc Zavarro is a sophomore at Emory University and its Goizueta School of Business majoring in pre-Diplomacy Political Science and International Business. He has consulted domestic and international clients on cybersecurity, business operations, and marketing communication.

  • Madalena "Mada" Cantacessi

    INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

    Madalena Cantacessi is a senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University majoring in Global Security and Intelligence Studies with a minor in Psychology. She has experience in creating physical security plans for high-risk environments. Madalena currently works as an OSINT Analyst and is a member of various security organizations, also serving in leadership roles for security campus groups.

  • Jenna Grace Smith

    INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

    Jenna Grace Smith is a graduate student at Eastern Kentucky University seeking a Master's Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Applied Policy. Jenna Grace studied International Relations as an undergraduate and has extensive experience studying and working in both the public and private sectors.

  • Deering "Desi" Shaw

    INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

    Deering Shaw is a junior at Shawnigan Lake School in BC, Canada, with an interest in global policy, national security, and analysis. She was the 2023 winner of the CEPA Policy Pitching Competition and was a speaker at the 2023 IV Fulbright Canada Colloquium. Deering has experience in developing security plans for at-risk educational institutions.

  • Bennett Paine

    RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    Bennett Paine is a junior in the Global Conflict Studies degree program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His minors include Terrorism Studies and Intelligence. Bennett is working towards attending law school after completing his undergraduate at Embry-Riddle.