Dana LaFon

Dr. Dana S. LaFon most recently served as the National Intelligence Fellow (2023-2024) at the Council on Foreign Relations, NYC. Previously, she served as the chief and founder of the National Security Agency’s Office of Operational Psychology (OPSYCH), which employs social science methodologies to gain insights into the motivations, decision making, and allegiances of our adversaries in order to counter these threats. 

Dr. LaFon’s expertise in remote psychological assessment, influence psychology, and malign influence campaigns gives her a unique yet broad understanding of how humans are motivated, make decisions, and are influenced even at an unconscious level. Dr. LaFon’s twenty-five years of experience in multiple fields (including intelligence, psychology, graduate instruction, and systems analysis), settings (including the U.S. government, academia, state and local agencies, and private industry), and foreign partnerships have enabled her to apply a broad perspective to a wide array of issues. Dr. LaFon has also served as the U.S. senior government advisor on four Intelligence Advanced Research Program Agency (IARPA) research programs regarding cognitive bias, influence, and psychological assessment. 

Concurrent with her government service, Dr. LaFon worked as a graduate professor for fifteen years, during which she developed and taught courses on the psychology of counterintelligence and counterterrorism, psychology and the legal system, and cyberpsychology. Dr. LaFon has also worked as clinical psychology practitioner and researcher at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, provided clinical services at the Maryland Division of Corrections, and consulted with Baltimore’s police hostage and crisis negotiation team.