Clif Smith

About Clif Smith

Clif Smith is a US Army veteran, former diplomat and business executive, and career intelligence officer who currently serves as Chief, Enterprise Learning Solutions, Academy for Defense Intelligence, within the Defense Intelligence Agency. In his role, Clif is responsible for a global cadre of L&D professionals developing, delivering, and accrediting the leadership development and intelligence training programs at the heart of officer professional development and operational readiness. He has over 25 years of experience leading through high-pressure situations, solving complex national security and business-related challenges, and also happens to be one of the foremost experts on successfully incorporating mindfulness into the corporate world. Clif is author of the bestselling book, Mindfulness without the Bells and Beads (Wiley) and prior to returning to public service, built an award-winning Mindful Leadership program at Ernst and Young LLP (EY), delivering practical training to over personnel across the globe and demonstrating the value of adopting mindfulness as a fundamental part of our personal and professional lives. While at EY, Clif also led the firm into a new market, winning multi-million dollar deals as the Intelligence Community account leader. Immediately prior to joining EY, he worked at private investment firm Granahan McCourt Capital (GMC) where he managed diligence projects across several sectors including financial services, telecommunications, and government. Prior to GMC, he was a Vice President at JP Morgan Chase where he helped create the firm’s first cyber threat and protective intelligence collection, reporting, and analysis policy and program. Clif’s recent experience in the private sector was preceded by 17 years in the U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Clif is a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher by the UC San Diego School of Medicine, an ICF certified executive coach, and a certified Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence teacher. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems from Bellevue University and Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Clif and his wife, Jen, live with their son in Virginia.

Experience

1. Chief, Enterprise Learning Solutions, Academy for Defense Intelligence

   Defense Intelligence Agency

   Nov 2023 — Present

Education

• Beijing Institute of Economic Management

  Language and Cultural Immersion

  2001 — 2001

• Bellevue University

  Bachelor of Science

  2001 — 2003

• Defense Language Institute

  Language Certification

  1997 — 1999

• University of California, San Diego - School of Medicine

  Provisionally Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher

  2018

• Harvard University Kennedy School of Government

  Master of Public Administration

  2010 — 2011

• Georgetown University

  Certificate in Leadership Coaching

  2015

• Monterey Peninsula College

  Associate of Arts

  1997 — 1999

Skills

• Government
• Risk Assessment
• Analysis
• Defense
• International Relations
• Cyber-Security
• Security Clearance
• Executive Coaching
• Military Operations
• Management
• Program Management
• Mindfulness Training
• Intelligence
• Private Investigations
• Policy
• Public Policy
• Policy Analysis
• Coaching
• Crisis Management
• Security
• Diplomacy
• Public Speaking
• Intelligence Analysis
• Fraud
• Operational Planning
• Operations Management
• National Security
• Leadership