Darrell Blocker
Areas of Expertise
Darrell is available for consulting and speaking engagements, with notable expertise in the following areas:
- Security, counterterrorism
- Risk assessment and management
- Intelligence, clandestine operations
- Avoiding bias, diversity
- Political issues, foreign affairs
- Collaboration, communication
- Inspiring, motivating
- Leadership, strategy, vision
- Performance improvement, sales
- Media, entertainment
Meet Darrell Maurice Blocker, a 28-year veteran of the CIA’s Clandestine Service. A recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, Darrell served multiple tours as a station chief, and was the most senior black Directorate of Operations officer when he retired in October 2018 with the rank equivalent to a three-star general.
Darrell’s engaging presentations are informed by more than his experience in intelligence and security — he delivers unique perspective and actionable insight rooted in lessons learned as a musician and a champion for diversity, mental health, kindness and youth in foster care.
Darrell is currently the COO of MOSAIC, a boutique strategic risk and crisis management, intelligence and security advisory firm. He also serves as a creative consultant, speaker, educator and an ABC News contributor.
Presentation Examples
- Kindness is a Choice: The power of kindness, including reflections on a Taliban terrorist angle
- Mental Health in Espionage
- The Spy Whisperer: How do you train someone to spy? How do you collaborate with other countries on spy education and not give up your own secrets? How are these things consistently accomplished on a dangerously changing front? Darrell will explore these and other compelling questions, as well as discuss the challenge he faced as chief of all clandestine service operations in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Diversity @ CIA: Darrell will explore the challenges he witnessed pertinent to the CIA's efforts (including some failures) to achieve respectable levels of diversity. He'll share lessons learned that translate to the corporate business environment, including effective communication practices and how to develop a bias-free culture.
Partnership Examples
- FX / 20th Television
- MGM Television / Skydance Television
- International Spy Museum
- VaynerMedia
- ABC News
- Foreign Policy Research Institute
- College of Business Administration, Cal Poly Pomona
our experts
Experts from the world's top agencies and institutions — now available to boost your mission.
View AllExperTISE
