Michael Morell, the recently retired Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is Senior Counselor at Beacon Global Strategies and one of the country's most prominent national security professionals, with extensive experience in intelligence and foreign policy. He has been at the center of our nation’s fight against terrorism, its work to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and its efforts to respond to trends that are altering the international landscape—including the Arab Spring, the rise of China, and the cyber threat.
During his 33-year career at CIA, Michael served as deputy director for over three years, and also served twice as Acting Director, leading CIA when Leon Panetta was named Secretary of Defense and again after David Petraeus left government.
Michael has been a witness to history on multiple occasions. He is the only person who was both with President Bush on September 11th, when al-Qaida burst into the American consciousness, and with President Obama on May 1st, when Bin Laden was brought to justice. Michael played a major role in the Bin Laden operation.
Michael is the recipient of many awards. He received a Presidential Rank Award for exceptional performance. He also received the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, CIA’s highest honor, for his role in the Bin Ladin operation. Michael is also the recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, and the Department of Defense Service Medal.
Michael is a member of the Board of Directors of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, a speaker at private events, a consultant to private-sector entities, and an occasional media commentator regarding national security issues. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and Counselor to Washington’s newest national security consulting firm, Beacon Global Strategies. Michael served as a Member of President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology. He is a native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and a first-generation college student, earning a B.A. summa cum laude in economics from the University of Akron and an M.A. in economics from Georgetown University.