Additional Career Highlights:

• Former Assistant Director, Strategic Intelligence and Information, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives

Dr. Kathleen L. Kiernan is a 29-year Federal Law Enforcement veteran recognized as an expert in strategic thinking, anomalous behavior detection, and critical incident management. She currently serves as Executive Advisor to NEC National Security Systems (NSS) and as CEO and founder of Kiernan Group Holdings (KGH).

From 2021 to 2025, Dr. Kiernan served as President of NEC NSS, a FOCI-mitigated subsidiary of NEC Corporation of America, leading delivery of advanced technologies across national security, homeland defense, law enforcement, and intelligence communities — including identity management, access control, advanced analytics, and intrusion detection.

KGH is a women-owned global consulting firm built by practitioners for practitioners, delivering common-sense approaches to complex intelligence, law enforcement, and national security challenges. Prior to these roles, she served as Assistant Director for the Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information at ATF.

Dr. Kiernan is a recipient of the American Security Today Platinum Award for Best Educational Program in Homeland Security (2017–2023) and the Private Sector Innovator of the Year Award (2021). She serves as adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Education and the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and sits on the Advisory Board at SUNY Albany's Center for Advanced Red Teaming.

She holds an Ed.D. from Northern Illinois University, an MA from George Mason University, and an MS from the National Defense University.