International Spy Museum Adds Two New Members to Advisory Board of Directors

March 07, 2016

Melissa Boyle Mahle and Malcolm W. Nance join Advisory Board comprised of leading intelligence experts, scholars, and practitioners.

WASHINGTON, DC—The International Spy Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of two new directors to the Museum’s Advisory Board: Melissa Boyle Mahle and Malcolm W. Nance.

“I am extremely pleased to welcome Malcolm and Melissa to the Board,” said Museum Executive Director, Peter Earnest. “The addition of these two seasoned intelligence professionals only further strengthens our mission to engage with and educate the public about espionage and intelligence.”

Melissa Boyle Mahle is a former US intelligence officer and expert on the Middle East and counterterrorism. As a field operative for the CIA, she worked on many of the key challenges to US national security, including running operations against al-Qaeda terrorists and illicit networks selling weapons of mass destruction. She received a Presidential Letter of Appreciation for her work on the Middle East Peace Process and numerous exceptional performance awards from the CIA for her recruitment of agents and collection of intelligence. Ms. Mahle is the author of the book Denial and Deception: An Insider’s View of the CIA from Iran-Contra to 9/11.

Malcolm W. Nance is a former Naval Intelligence counterterrorism officer with wide-ranging field and combat experience in the Middle East, South West Asia and Africa. A frequent guest commentator on breaking news, he’s the author of The Terrorist Recognition Handbook, The Terrorists of Iraq: The Strategy and Tactics of the Iraq Insurgency, An End to al-Qaeda: Destroying Bin Laden’s Jihad and Restoring America’s Honor, and Defeating ISIS: Who They Are, How They Fight, What They Believe. Drawing on his experience as a 20-year veteran of the US intelligence community’s program on combating terrorism, he’s been a Middle East policy advisor to the US government on special operations, homeland security, and intelligence.

As a members of the Museum’s Board, Mahle and Nance will work with other leading intelligence experts, scholars, and practitioners to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the Museum’s depiction of the history and tradecraft of espionage as well as assist the Museum in planning all facets of the institution, from collections-building to program development.

The International Spy Museum is distinguished by the members of its Advisory Board of Directors which include some of the most respected professionals in the international intelligence field. The Museum’s

Board includes:

  • David Kahn: leading expert in the history of cryptology and a former visiting historian for the NSA
  • Major General Oleg Kalugin: former Chief of KGB Foreign Counterintelligence
  • David Major: retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent
  • Keith Melton: renowned author, collector, and technical advisor to US intelligence services
  • Antonio Joseph Mendez: former Chief of the Graphics and Authentication Division of the CIA
  • Jonna Hiestand Mendez: former Chief of Disguise for the CIA
  • Dame Stella Rimington: former Director General of British Security Service (MI5)
  • Judge William Webster: former Director of the FBI and CIA
  • Ambassador R. James Woolsey: former Director of the CIA

Both Mahle and Nance join the Spy Museum during a turning point in the institution’s history. The Museum’s parent company, The Malrite Company, and Museum leadership are dedicated to identifying a new permanent home for the Museum and completing the Museum’s transition to a non-profit institution.

 

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ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM

The International Spy Museum is the only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage and intelligence. Open since July 2002, the Museum features the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. The mission of the International Spy Museum is to educate the public about espionage and intelligence in an engaging way and to provide a context that fosters understanding of their important role in and impact on current and historic events. The Museum's permanent collection chronicles the history of espionage from its inception to modern day challenges. For more information, please visit spymuseum.org. Shop online at spymuseumstore.org.