Kenneth Stiles, a Central Intelligence Agency officer with more than 25 years experience, has joined Virginia Tech as a visiting faculty member through 2012. Stiles’ appointment is in the Department of Geography owing to his professional expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis and remote sensing. “Ken Stiles’ experience in the operations of the U.S intelligence community, his on-the-ground knowledge of significant parts of the world,and his interests in things geographical make him a perfect fit for our department,” remarked Bill Carstensen, head of the geography department.

Stiles taught a course on the history, organization, and function of the CIA within the intelligence community during the spring 2011 semester. In the fall, he will offer a GIS course on how the intelligence community uses GIS applications in its analytic support to both policy makers and U.S. military forces in the field.

Stiles came to the university through the CIA’s Officer- in-Residence program, which sends employees for two-year tours on the faculties of participating colleges and universities. Stiles will work with the Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology, and the Intelligence Community Center of Excellence, both affiliated with Virginia Tech.

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