Alex Finley
Ex CIA officer
Expert on Russian intelligence and influence, disinformation, counterterrorism
Fee: Please inquire
"Alex Finley's use of humor to engage the audience makes serious and complex issues accessible and interesting to all. She commands the audience with thought-provoking discussion and topical examples and leaves them wanting to hear more."
Areas of Expertise
Alex is available for training, consulting and speaking engagements, with notable expertise in the following areas:
- Security, counterterrorism
- Intelligence, clandestine operations
- Political issues
- Disinformation
- Covert influence
- Illicit networks
Alex's Background
Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, where she served in West Africa and Europe. She has experience working with foreign liaison and military partners, and received an award for her outstanding contributions to the counterterrorism mission.
Before joining the CIA, Alex was a journalist, covering Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, and the Department of Energy. She reported on issues related to national security, intelligence, and homeland security.
Alex currently works as an adjunct professor, teaching about terrorism and disinformation / covert influence. Her writing has appeared in Slate, Reductress, Funny or Die, POLITICO, The Center for Public Integrity, and other publications. She has spoken to the BBC, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, CBC’s The National, Sirius XM’s Yahoo! Politics, France24, The Cipher Brief, the Spy Museum’s SpyCast, and numerous other media outlets. She is the author of Victor in the Rubble, a satire about the CIA and the War on Terror, and Victor in the Jungle, a satire about the pitfalls of populism. Her third novel is slated to be published in 2022.
Presentation Examples
- Russian intelligence & influence
- Disinformation
- Counterterrorism
Partnership Examples
- Charles Sturt University Graduate School of Policing and Security
- Universitat Obert de Catalunya
- Universidad de las Americas
- The Academy for Lifelong Learning
- OLLI at University of Denver
More from Alex
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