Christopher M. Piehota

Christopherc Piehota serves as a subject matter expert, consultant, and board member for a variety of organizations, where he delivers strategic guidance and advisory regarding national security matters, cyber operations, security practices, risk mitigation, leadership concepts, business development, and organizational improvement approaches. Piehota offers experiential insights from his extensive career of overseeing and conducting complex investigations, intelligence collection programs, and technical operations. Over the course of his career, Piehota served as a key leader and organizational development proponent who developed a number of impactful strategic interagency action plans; formulated focused performance metrics for sustained enterprise program execution; advanced key leadership programs; and contributed to process improvement and change management campaigns that influenced multi-level government operations since September 11, 2001. Piehota was an active participant in National Security Council deliberating for the formulation, execution, and administration of national counterterrorism policies and practices for watchlisting, screening, and global surveillance with international law enforcement, intelligence, and diplomatic partners.

Piehota is a former U.S. Government Senior Executive Service official who retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation after 25 years of experience as a recognized leader who led complex national security investigations, international security programs, and covert operational technology platforms. As a Director of National Intelligence-recognized Senior Intelligence Officer, Piehota received a 2017 Presidential Rank Award in recognition of superior executive performance, operational achievement, and managerial effectiveness.

Prior to retiring from government service, Piehota served as the Chief Executive for FBI Science and Technology Programs where he provided strategic leadership for enterprise operational technology programs, forensic laboratory operations, and criminal justice information technology systems. Leading up to this role, Piehota previously served as the Director of the United States Government’s 24-hour, global Terrorist Screening Center and, previously, was the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo, New York, Field Office. Throughout the rest of his earlier FBI career, Piehota worked in program areas regarding counterterrorism, counterintelligence, technical programs, physical and information security, weapons of mass destruction, and intelligence collection.

Piehota is an accomplished international public speaker and has provided speeches, presentations, and commentary for audiences of all types. He has been featured in various media interviews and has provided Congressional testimonies, as well as executive briefings for the National Security Council, INTERPOL, numerous foreign diplomatic parties, private sector organizations, and FBI Academy audiences.

Before joining the FBI, Piehota worked in the NASA Space Shuttle program as a Metrology Scientist and Laboratory Supervisor. He is a U.S. Air Force military veteran and possesses a Ph.D. in Human Performance Technology; a master’s degree in Human Resources, Training, and Development; and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.