Targeting, threat networks, operational planning, and strategic warning.
Press & Booking Kit
Sarah Adams
Former CIA Targeting Officer · Global Threat Advisor · Author · Humanitarian Operations Leader
Sarah’s work spans intelligence operations, congressional investigations, defense innovation, emerging technology, humanitarian response, public education, and the practical work of helping people understand what may come next.
Congressional oversight, defense R&D, intelligence modernization, and emerging technology.
Crisis coordination, evacuation support, resilient networks, and service across complex environments.
Investigative writing, The Watch Floor, public-safety training, and clear explanation of complex risks.
Approved biographies
Ready for producers, editors, and event organizers.
Sarah Adams is a former CIA targeting officer and global threat advisor whose career spans intelligence operations, congressional investigations, commercial aviation security, defense innovation, humanitarian response, and public education. She is the co-author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy and host of The Watch Floor.
Sarah Adams is a former CIA targeting officer and global threat advisor whose work spans the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, Near East Division, and Iran Operations Division; congressional investigations; commercial aviation security; Department of Defense research and development; intelligence modernization; and humanitarian operations. She served as Senior Analyst, Security Intelligence at JetBlue Airways, bringing her national-security experience into the commercial aviation sector. Her field work includes Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. She is the co-author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy, host of The Watch Floor, and an experienced leader of cross-organizational crisis-response networks.
Sarah Adams is a former CIA targeting officer and global threat advisor with deep expertise in counterterrorism, threat-network analysis, and intelligence operations. She served in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Counterterrorism Center, Near East Division, and Iran Operations Division, leading complex operations against state and non-state adversaries. Her deployed field work spans Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, while her broader career focuses on identifying, assessing, and countering hostile state activity, terrorist networks, and geopolitical risks to U.S. and allied interests.
Following her CIA service, Sarah served as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives after an executive appointment from the Agency, applying her operational expertise to national-security policy and oversight. She later served as Senior Analyst, Security Intelligence at JetBlue Airways, bringing that experience into the commercial aviation sector while also supporting broader aviation-security and anti-human-trafficking awareness efforts. Sarah then led Department of Defense research and development initiatives in the Secretary of the Air Force’s Intelligence Systems Support Office, advancing innovation, tradecraft modernization, and intelligence capabilities with enterprise-level impact.
Sarah’s service also extends into humanitarian response. She served as Chief of Operations for the Ukraine NGO Coordination Network, coordinating more than 50 nonprofit organizations, and has held leadership or advisory roles with Heart of an Ace, the Humanitarian Aid and Rescue Project, Moral Compass Federation, Metis Analytics, and ModernGuild. Her crisis-response work has supported communities affected by war, disaster, displacement, and humanitarian emergencies.
Today, Sarah hosts The Watch Floor, a podcast on emerging threats, global affairs, and homeland-security developments. She is the co-author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy, a cold-case, open-source investigation that identified the Al-Qaeda operatives responsible for the 2012 attacks on the U.S. Mission Compound and CIA Annex in Benghazi. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Science in international business from the University of Central Florida.
A career in six movements
One continuous line of work.
Different settings, the same purpose: understand difficult problems, bring the right people together, and turn knowledge into useful action.
- 01Intelligence operations
Targeting, threat networks, strategic warning, and field work across multiple regions.
- 02Congressional oversight
Operational experience applied to national-security policy, investigation, and accountability.
- 03Aviation security
Security intelligence in the commercial aviation sector and broader anti-trafficking awareness work.
- 04Defense innovation
Research, emerging technology, intelligence systems, and tradecraft modernization.
- 05Humanitarian leadership
Coordinating people and organizations through war, displacement, and disaster.
- 06Public education
Writing, podcasting, training, and translating complex risks into practical understanding.
Approved photograph
One clear, current press image.
Additional assignment-specific photography can be provided through the booking contact when needed.
Speaking and briefing topics
Complex issues, clearly explained.
Global threats and strategic warningIntelligence analysis and operationsHumanitarian coordinationCommunity resilienceCrisis decision-makingAfghanistan and Al-QaedaBenghazi and investigative accountabilityEmerging technology and national securityIntelligence modernizationBuilding networks before a crisis
For safety, upcoming speaking engagements and travel schedules are not published.
Selected media and profiles
Reporting, interviews, and independent references.
The European ConservativeInterview: Syria’s Al-Qaeda-Linked Regime Targets Kurds in Ethnic Cleansing
ClearanceJobsKnow Thy Enemy: Former CIA Members Seeking Justice for Benghazi
ClearanceJobsProfile: The Career Path of a Former CIA Targeting Analyst
U.S. CongressFinal Report of the House Select Committee on Benghazi
TownhallProfile and Interview on Threat Recognition
Humanitarian Aid and Rescue ProjectLeadership Profile: Intelligence, Crisis Response, and Service
Selected briefings and panels
Experience shared where it can be put to work.
A representative selection of completed public, professional, and institutional engagements.
Public safety and law enforcement
Florida Police Chiefs Association · New York State Association of Chiefs of Police · North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police · Iowa Law Enforcement Intelligence Network · Tennessee Narcotic Officers Association
Government, aviation, and campus security
U.S. Customs and Border Protection · Air Line Pilots Association Security Council · Tennessee Statewide Campus Security Conference · Jacksonville State University Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement
Technology and humanitarian leadership
D4 Conference · UHNW Institute disaster-philanthropy panel · Echoes of Conflict authors panel · South Central Task Force Homeland Security Conference
Media, press, speaking, and training
Judy Wilkinson
All public-facing interview, event, briefing, and speaking requests are handled by JL Wilkinson Consulting.
Contact JudyPublishing and production
Askari Media Group
For books, signed copies, publishing, production, and related project information.
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