Director

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Larry Pfeiffer
Director
lpfeiff@gmu.edu
O: 703-993-8164
Twitter: @larrypfeifferdc
LinkedIn

Van Metre Hall, Room 617
3351 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201

Larry Pfeiffer is the director of the Hayden Center, overseeing its development, operations, and activities.  He is a highly respected and recognized expert in the areas of national and homeland security policy, crisis management, intelligence strategy, analysis and collection, overt and covert operations, and budgetary matters. A distinguished 32-year career in the US Intelligence Community included stints as senior director of the White House Situation Room and chief of staff to Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael V. Hayden.

While at the White House, Pfeiffer led the President’s round-the-clock operations and intelligence center, providing timely intelligence, information, and other support to the President, Vice-President, senior White House staff, and National Security Council members. While there he initiated the Situation Room’s monitoring of cyber-related activity and expanded the President’s national security secure communications and information technology infrastructure to better support senior leaders during times of greatest emergency.

As Hayden’s chief of staff at CIA, Pfeiffer served as his primary adviser, developing a deep understanding of all aspects of the organization. He later served Director Leon Panetta as chief for policy and coordination, building and leading a new organization able to anticipate and analyze policies impacting internal, national, and foreign intelligence relationships. Pfeiffer later advised Director John Brennan on privacy and civil liberties protection and oversight issues.

Earlier, Pfeiffer played a role in the reforms following 9/11 that redefined the leadership and management of the Community, having served first as the sole executive assistant from the Intelligence Community to Acting Director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin and then as Hayden’s chief of staff when he was the first Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.  At ODNI Pfeiffer was influential in setting initial organizational structure, policies, and procedures.

Pfeiffer began his career with the National Security Agency, rising from a signals intelligence analyst to chief of staff to the Foreign Affairs Director, overseeing all foreign relations activities at NSA.

Pfeiffer is a recipient of numerous awards, including the National Security Staff Medallion, recognition from the President, Vice-President, and National Security Advisor for his efforts supporting them, and two Central Intelligence Agency Director’s Awards.

Pfeiffer graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Russian Area Studies and earned a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. He also benefited from senior leadership and executive training at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Pfeiffer is also a frequent commentator on television and radio news programs and has been quoted in major newspapers and newsmagazines on national security matters. He is a keynote speaker for Leading Authorities, Inc., and leads his own consulting firm, Five Four Consulting LLC, whose clients include NextFed and The Chertoff Group, where he had served as a managing director. Pfeiffer also serves on the boards of a government services firm and an information technology and cyber services company.