Frank Emerson

Professor & Former Central Intelligence Agency Officer The Citadel

Frank Emerson is a senior consultant in the national security arena and an accomplished leader with 27 years of experience in U.S. national security, intelligence, foreign policy, and law. He served overseas with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Department of State, driving worldwide operations, conducting diplomacy, practicing law, and building diverse multi-agency international programs.

As an intelligence officer, Emerson led an Intelligence Center in South America where he forged 14 federal agencies to disrupt and dismantle terrorist and drug trafficking organizations. As a U.S. diplomat and international lawyer in Europe, he led legal and policy engagements to enhance international criminal prosecutions.

Emerson mastered the intelligence process to support Presidential policy making, bridging CIA operational planning and White House decision making and writing for the President’s Daily Brief. As a briefer to the National Security Council and advisor to the White House’s Atrocities Prevention Board, Emerson advanced strategic objectives to address national security and foreign policy issues. Following 9/11, he served on the leadership team that established the National Counterterrorism Center.

Emerson speaks on leadership and the importance of organizational culture to develop leaders who can rise to challenges and conquer problems quickly during difficult times.

He enjoys teaching America’s future leaders at The Citadel, where he serves as the Governor West Chair of International Politics and American Government. Through experiential and participatory learning methods, he brings the real world to the classroom to build professional skills and enable students to become leaders.

Emerson has a Juris Doctor, Master of Public Policy, B.A. in Government and Politics, and professional competency in Spanish and Dutch.