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Beacon Global Strategies
May 08, 2019, 10:00 ET

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Beacon Global Strategies (BGS) is pleased to announce that Robert Cardillo, who recently retired as Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), has joined the firm’s Board of Advisors.

Mr. Cardillo is one of the country’s most recognized national security professionals and has held numerous leadership positions in his distinguished 35-years of service in the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). Most recently he served as the sixth Director of the NGA from October 2014 until February 2019, where he led the Agency’s efforts to modernize and grow its global geospatial intelligence mission.

“Robert has had a distinguished career leading our nation’s intelligence community. He was in the Situation Room and the Oval Office for many of the most consequential decisions of our time. He will be a highly valued advisor and colleague for the Beacon team,” said former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta, who serves as Senior Counselor at Beacon Global Strategies.

“We are fortunate to welcome Robert Cardillo to BGS’ Board of Advisors,” said Jeremy Bash, founder and Managing Director at Beacon. “Robert’s leadership background and extensive experience related to intelligence and security matters will be of great value to our Board, our company, and our clients.”

Prior to serving as Director, from 2010 to 2014, Mr. Cardillo served as the first Deputy Director for Intelligence Integration at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where he operationalized and implemented the DNI’s vision to fully integrate the IC. In this position, Mr. Cardillo managed, edited and delivered over 1,400 President’s Daily Briefs.

In 2010, Mr. Cardillo served as the Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) where he managed a 20,000-person global enterprise to deliver intelligence advantages to the U.S. military. In addition, from 2006 to 2010, he served as the Deputy Director for Analysis at DIA where he oversaw the defense intelligence analytic community which spans the Armed Services and the Combatant Commands. In the summer of 2009, Mr. Cardillo served as the Acting Director for Intelligence (J2), a first for a civilian, in support of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Before he moved to DIA, Mr. Cardillo led Analysis and Production as well as Source Operations and Management at NGA from 2002-2006. Mr. Cardillo’s senior leadership assignments at NGA also included Congressional Affairs, Public Affairs, and Corporate Relations. Mr. Cardillo began his career with DIA in 1983 as an imagery analyst.

Mr. Cardillo earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Cornell University and a master’s degree in national security studies from Georgetown University. His awards include two Director of National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medals, the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award, two Presidential Ranks of Distinguished Executive, the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

Mr. Cardillo joins BGS Managing Directors Michael Allen, Former Staff Director of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and former Senior Director at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush; Jeremy Bash, Former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense and CIA Director; and Andrew Shapiro, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs; BGS Senior Counselors Leon Panetta, Former Secretary of Defense and Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and Michael Morell, Former Deputy Director of the CIA; as well as BGS Advisory Board Members Ambassador Eric Edelman, Former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and Ambassador to Turkey; Deborah Lee James, Former Secretary of the United States Air Force; Marc Lampkin; Richard Ledgett, Former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency; David Shedd, Former Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; Admiral James Stavridis, Former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander of U.S. Southern Command; Frances Townsend, Former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Dr. Michael Vickers, Former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence; and Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.