LORI L. FERNANDES

Associate

Lori Fernandes is a results driven intelligence expert with a current U.S. Top Secret/SCI (TS/SCI) clearance and extensive leadership experience as a U.S. government senior executive service (SES) level intelligence collection manager and law enforcement/investigative specialist. She is adept in identifying, collecting, accessing, evaluating and analyzing multi-source information for implementation of government tactical and strategic plans. Lori is experienced in leading diverse subject matter expert teams to reach established goals and achieve required results. She has held several positions with a TS/SCI clearance to include sensitive foreign assignments. Lor is a proactive problem solver who applies sound judgment and decision-making abilities to resolve issues in a safe, expedient, and satisfactory manner. She is skilled at fostering productive work environments and cohesive partnerships. Her background includes having served as a government, diplomatic, and community liaison. Lori interacts easily with people of diverse ethnic, religious, educational, political, economic, and cultural backgrounds.

Expertise encompasses:
- Resource Management
- Risk/Cost Reduction
- Intelligence Collection
- Project Development
- Counter-Terrorism
- Foreign Relations
- Strategic Partnerships
- Gap Analysis/Predictive Intelligence
- SCIF Management
- Financial/Technical/Electronic Intelligence
- Analysis & Investigations
- Liaison/Coalition Building
- Negotiations & Mediation
- Criminal Law/Intelligence Collection
- Drug/Chemical Identification
- Threat Assessments
- Strategic/Tactical Plan Development
- Signal Intelligence Collection and Evaluation

HIGHLIGHTS
- Served as United Nations Advisor on U.S drug policy and intelligence matters
- Served as Intelligence Technical Expert (ITE) for Interagency Intelligence Community (IC)
- Principal senior liaison to Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- Partnered with government executives, community leaders, and private industry officials to develop international, national, and regional counter-drug, terrorism and general crimes intelligence strategies
- Developed a global Significant Intelligence Reporting System for worldwide dissemination of priority information
- Authored critical source debriefing guidelines and protocols for strategic intelligence collection purposes
- Implemented and led Intelligence Collection Group to identify vital mission-essential operational gaps
- Published numerous general crimes, drug, and terrorism-related intelligence reports
- Led U.S government law enforcement, intelligence, and military team with the collection and analysis of information from signals intelligence programs (SIGINT) in Colombia and Peru
- Collected, developed and managed crucial human intelligence (HUMINT) sources for foreign and domestic mission operations
- Served as a principal subject matter expert representative on U.S. government interagency intelligence committees
- Served as the lead Intelligence Research Specialist on the successful prosecution of former Panama leader Manuel Noriega
- Established comprehensive document exploitation program for U.S interagency law enforcement and intelligence community (IC)  
- Represented U.S. interests with oversight of intelligence collection program for Colombian National and Peruvian National Police
- Developed a comprehensive intelligence program for the U.S Fish & Wildlife, Office of Law Enforcement  

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Employed by U.S. Department of Justice/Drug Enforcement Administration since 1982. Progressively advanced from Special Agent/Criminal Investigator and Field Intelligence Analyst to Senior Executive Service (SES) level with assignments in New York City, Washington, D.C, Miami, Florida, Lima, Peru, Los Angeles, California, and DEA Headquarters.

January 2, 2018 to November 30, 2020- Senior Law Enforcement Advisor for Intelligence, United States Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife (Contractor- Executive Protection Services/ Seneca-Raventek
As a an established senior-level intelligence subject matter expert (SME), organized and created a comprehensive intelligence operations program for the Office of Law Enforcement, U.S Fish & Wildlife (USF&W).  Applied proven principles of strategic and tactical intelligence structures; aligned the relatively non-existent intelligence capabilities of the USF&W, to create an advanced, highly-capable inclusive intelligence apparatus that maximizes the research, investigative and reporting capabilities that are inherently essential to the administrative; as well as, the criminal investigative and intelligence proficiencies of the organization.  
           
July 10, 2017 to January 1, 2018- DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Special Intelligence
Senior executive responsible for the leadership and management of worldwide drug intelligence collection for domestic and foreign analysis and production of strategic drug threat assessments. Position entails the briefing of high-ranking officials to include members of the White House, Pentagon, U.S. Attorney General, and Director of National Intelligence. Direct agency recruiting and mentoring program to develop Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on specific drugs, geographical areas and special interest topics. Maintain principle management for the production of the annual National Drug Threat Assessment disseminated to U. S. government agency leaders, as well as, state, local and tribal agencies to assist with the management of their respective counter drug and general crimes strategies. Charged as DEA’s executive leader for all intelligence matters related to policy issues and objectives that are presented in testimony at hearings before the U.S Congress. Principle senior executive responsible for the interagency project that provides de-confliction and operational intelligence support to the DEA Special Operations Division (SOD), DEA field offices, and other federal, state, local and tribal agencies, through the acquisition, management, analysis and maintenance of electronic transactional data, which is developed into usable de-confliction and intelligence products.

May 2015 to July 9, 2017 - DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Strategic Intelligence and Programs
Senior executive responsible for the leadership and management of worldwide drug intelligence collection for domestic and foreign analysis and production of strategic drug threat assessments. Position entails the briefing of high-ranking officials to include members of the White House, Pentagon, U.S. Attorney General, and Director of National Intelligence. Direct agency recruiting and mentoring program to develop Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on specific drugs, geographical areas and special interest topics. Maintain principle charge over the implementation and management of the Strategic Debriefing Initiative (SDI); an advanced enterprise system to identify drug-related intelligence gaps for resource allocation priority, as well as, develop vital sources of information. Chaired the management of the Centers for Drug Intelligence (CDI); a program utilized to support foreign nation law enforcement (LE) counterparts with their respective counter-drug and antiterrorism programs. Direct the management of Operation Breakthrough, a program that assists in determining the annual opium, coca, heroin and cocaine production levels in Colombia, Peru and Mexico. Operation Breakthrough works in partnership with other USG agencies; U.S law enforcement, Homeland Security, and intelligence community (IC) to enact effective counter drug and insurgent operations. Maintain principle management for the production of the annual National Drug Threat Assessment disseminated to U. S. government agency leaders, as well as, state, local and tribal agencies to assist with the management of their respective counter drug and general crimes strategies. Charged as DEA’s executive leader for all intelligence matters related to policy issues and objectives that are presented in testimony at hearings before the U.S Congress.

September 2013 to May 2015 - Chief, Office of Special Intelligence/ Investigative Support-Special Operations Division (SOD)
Direct charge for the assignment of analytical personnel to the most significant domestic and international enforcement/investigative operations conducted by joint U.S. government agencies worldwide. As chief, led the coordination of top secret, compartmentalized politically sensitive information, with high-ranking executives of the inter-agency intelligence community. Led a centralized force of intelligence analysts worldwide to support DEA’s multitude of sensitive technical investigations on the communications of the most sophisticated international and domestic criminal organizations. Oversaw the identification of significant money laundering targets and their support networks worldwide and provided actionable intelligence to assist enforcement operations in building prosecutions against these individuals and organizations. Worked with DEA offices worldwide, identified processes, strategies, techniques, technologies, and critical targets which facilitated the effective functioning of global money laundering. Effectively interfaced with Department of Defense (DOD) entities in support of DEA strategic and operational priorities. Leveraged partnerships in support of national drug control strategy, DEA investigations and operations. Provided senior leadership with an accurate intelligence operating picture which identified current and future threats. Developed intelligence targeting strategies focused on organizations involved in the production, transportation, and distribution of controlled substances, laundering of illicit drug proceeds, and terrorist activities.

January 2001 to August 2013 - Field Intelligence Manager, DEA Los Angeles Field Division
Senior intelligence manager, responsible for managing the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division's (LAFD) Intelligence Program within an area of responsibility that encompasses seven California counties, the states of Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, Saipan and the Northern Mariana Islands. As senior manager, responsible for an annual intelligence unit’s 10 million budget of and the activities of 60 intelligence analyst to include eight supervisory level personnel; to identify and target significant drug, money laundering and terrorist threats. Ensured the successful implementation of the LAFD Intelligence Collection Plan; the identification of significant intelligence gaps and allocation of intelligence resources to collect and analyze critical operational data in support of the most significant LAFD investigations. Served as DEA Office of National Security’s representative for the western U.S. region. This responsibility required frequent liaisons with other IC area members to evaluate potential national security threats.February 1998 to January 2001 - DEA Supervisory Intelligence Research Specialist/DEA Headquarter/South America/Caribbean Investigative Support United

Senior manager of an Investigative Support Unit at DEA Headquarters responsible for oversight of intelligence activities for DEA’s offices located in South America and the Caribbean. Guided and directed a team of Intelligence Research Specialists (I/As) to collect, evaluate, and analyze information on high-level criminal organizations operating in South America and the Caribbean. Coordinated with DEA Foreign Country Teams; to include military and civilian intelligence operatives to provide additional intelligence resources in support of anti-narcotic, money laundering and terrorist/insurgent group drug missions. Created and managed domestic and foreign document exploitation (DOCEX) program to augment and enhance investigative support capabilities. The DOCEX program was successfully utilized on the first Colombia National Police investigation initiated for U.S. prosecution.

July 1995 to December 1998 – DEA Senior Intelligence Research Specialist/DEA Lima, Peru Country Office
Responsible for providing analytical support to the most significant DEA Lima, Peru Country Office investigations. Responsible for identifying the most significant drug trafficking organizations operating in Peru and assessing their impact on the United States’ illicit drug trade. Responsible for collaborating with Lima, Peru Country Team intelligence members to further investigations, to share information and to prepare strategic drug threat assessments for the U.S. Ambassador and the U.S. Embassy Country Team agencies. Served as the lead Intelligence Research Specialist for an air denial SIGINT program. Coordinated and collaborated with the Peruvian National Police’s U.S.-vetted Special Investigations Unit to identify the significant drug trafficking organizations. Briefed the U.S. Ambassador, Country Team members and official visitors on current, new and developing drug threats. Responsible for producing foreign post threat assessments. Served as the DEA intelligence liaison with U.S. Embassy country team intelligence personnel.

September 1988 to July 1995 – DEA Senior Intelligence Research Specialist/DEA Miami, Florida Divisional Office
Responsible for providing analytical support to numerous complex international historical drug conspiracy investigations. Served as the lead Intelligence Research Specialist on the Manuel Noriega historical conspiracy investigation, an expert witness in the co-defendant trial and as the lead analyst advisor during the Noriega trial.

September 1982 to March 1986 – DEA Special Agent/DEA New York City Divisional Office/Washington DC Divisional Office
As a sworn federal law enforcement agent, I was responsible for investigating violations of the Controlled Substance Act; successfully dismantled numerous local, regional, national, and international level drug trafficking and money laundering networks.

EDUCATION
Northeastern University: Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice with Honors
University of Virginia: Executive Leadership Training
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: Special Agent/Criminal Investigations (Forensics & Police Resource Management)
U.S. Department of Justice DEA/FBI Academy Intelligence Research Specialist Training
U.S. Department of Justice: Advanced Intelligence Research Specialist Training U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Conflict Resolutions Skills
U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Executive Communications Executive Leadership 360
U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Language Services: Spanish Language Training Analytical Systems Engineering Corp. Operational Security and Computer Software Course

References available upon request