Kelly McGannon

Senior Intelligence Analyst/Geopolitical Strategist, Central Intelligence Agency

Kelly McGannon spent 20 years leading strategic analysis of emerging technologies for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Her work on AI, quantum, fusion, and US critical infrastructure resulted in multiple US Government policy changes, several US Presidential Executive Orders, two Congressional bills, and a House Committee on Homeland Security investigative report. Kelly also served two Presidents as the Senior Intelligence Officer on the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) staff, and often accompanied them overseas to lead the PDB’s advance team.

While at CIA, Kelly built a reputation for solving some of the Agency´s toughest operational and technological challenges, earning multiple awards for her innovative efforts and culture change successes, including the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation award twice. Kelly has been a frequent speaker at NSA, FBI, NCTC, US Navy SEALs/Joint Expeditionary Base—Little Creek, the Pentagon, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence University, and throughout the national security community.

Before joining the Intelligence Community, she held several positions in academia. Kelly is a graduate of Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame (BA), Yale University (MAR), and Princeton University (MA). Her academic work focused on how cultures leveraged art to shape society, and she traces similar patterns in the use of technology today. She is also a certified executive coach with more than a decade of experience helping emerging and established leaders, is certified in CPR (just in case!), and loves sailing worldwide (most recently, French Polynesia).