Author Bio

Mark Kelton is the Director of MEK & Associates, LLC and a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) executive with 34 years of experience in intelligence operations. Mr. Kelton’s CIA career included more than sixteen years of overseas service, to include four assignments in key field leadership positions, to include the Balkans, Central Eurasia, Western Europe, and South Asia.  He concluded his career as Chief of CIA’s Counterintelligence Center.  Directing CIA’s counterintelligence and counterespionage programs, Mr. Kelton led the team that protected the nation’s most closely guarded secrets.  He has expertise in intelligence operations, international security issues, detection of insider threats, assessment of counterintelligence risk, and crisis management.

Mr. Kelton is a recipient of the CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the CIA Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Director of National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the CIA Director’s Award, the 2015 Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Intelligence Officer, the CIA Intelligence Medal of Merit, the CIA Donovan Award and other honors.

Mr. Kelton is a founding partner of the FiveEyes Group LLC; member of the Board of Trustees of Valley Forge Military Academy and College; member of the Day & Zimmermann Government Services Advisory Board; member of the Siemens Government Technologies Federal advisory Board; member of the Board of BigMediaTV; former Board Chair of, and advisor to, the Spookstock Foundation (an invitation-only concert benefitting the CIA Memorial Foundation and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation); and a contributor to The Cipher Brief, writing on intelligence and national security issues.