Alumna Kristen Patel named Gregg Professor of Practice at Maxwell
Kristen (Kris) Patel, a distinguished alumna of the Maxwell
School (’90 Econ, PSt) with more than 25 years of experience leading
intelligence and analytics programs in the public and private sectors, is the
new Donald P. and Margaret Curry Gregg Professor of Practice in Korean and East
Asian Affairs. Patel returns to Maxwell directly from HSBC’s Compliance Office in
Asia-Pacific, based in Hong Kong, where she built and managed the regional
financial crime intelligence capability for one of the world’s largest banks.
In her new role, Patel will serve as faculty member in the
Policy Studies Program and teach undergraduate courses in policy studies and
graduate courses in public administration and international affairs. In
addition, Patel will be a research associate in Maxwell’s Program for the
Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) and contribute to
Syracuse University’s Intelligence Center Community of Academic Excellence.
“We are thrilled to bring someone with Kris’ deep regional
and topical expertise to Maxwell,” says David M. Van Slyke, the school’s dean.
“She will contribute significantly to developing collaborative research and
teaching initiatives that will be a great asset to faculty and students across
programs. We are excited to welcome her back to Maxwell.”
The Gregg Professorship was established in 2009 by a
generous gift from Korean-American businessman Spencer Kim and is named in
honor of former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg (1989 to 1993) and
his wife. Gregg was previously a member of the National Security Council staff
and became Vice President George H.W. Bush’s national security advisor. He
worked for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1951 to 1975.
Patel’s public sector career
also includes more than two decades in increasingly senior management positions
in the U.S. federal government: as deputy director of intelligence at the
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the U.S. Department of
Treasury, where she focused on high priority illicit finance challenges
including counterterrorism, fraud and money laundering issues; as a bureau chief
of the DNI Open Source Center in Seoul and as a division chief; and in
management and training roles at the Central Intelligence Agency, including as
manager of the largest analytics training program at the CIA’s Sherman Kent
School. Patel has also served as chair of a National Security Council (NSC)
sub-group and provided daily intelligence briefings for senior NSC staff and
White House advisors.
“Patel’s courses will introduce majors to fields that will
help them explore careers in crime prevention and intelligence both in the
private and public sector that they know little about,” says William
Coplin, professor, chair and founder of the Policy Studies Program at Maxwell.
“Her courses will provide students analytic tools like network analysis that
have become increasingly important as technology shape decisions and institutions.”
Patel graduated with honors from Syracuse University,
earning a BA in economics and policy studies. She also holds an MA in economics
from Duke University and a certificate in international finance from Georgetown
University. Her first class will be a January 2021 Intercession course offered
at Maxwell-in-Washington at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS)—PAI 700 Follow the Money: Key Issues in Illicit Finance. She will be in
residence at the Maxwell School in Syracuse starting in fall 2021.
12/07/20