Kevin Higgins

Principal

Former Chief of Staff to the Director, Central Intelligence Agency

Kevin Higgins is a former intelligence community senior executive who retired from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) after 30 years of distinguished service.

With over three decades of global leadership experience, Kevin is a board member and trusted advisor, and has served as a senior corporate executive and a key member of CIA’s C-suite leadership team. His board and advisory board roles span across tech, venture capital, private equity, critical metal elements, and non-profit sectors, including Sayari Labs, New North Ventures, TRM Labs, ReElement Technologies, and the Third Option Foundation.

Kevin was previously the Senior Vice President and General Manager for US Operations and Global Opportunities at Silicon Valley drone manufacturer and instant logistics start-up Zipline. He oversaw Zipline’s US-based operational platforms, and he also leveraged his deep global network to assist Zipline in identifying new foreign markets and evaluating risk to the company’s operations in several countries abroad. In 2022, Zipline was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the year’s best inventions and further acclaimed in 2023 on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list of innovative companies.

After leaving public service, Kevin founded KSTK Enterprises, a boutique advisory firm that specializes in guiding clients through a range of complex challenges. He is particularly drawn to opportunities that close the divide between private industry and the national security domain, as America’s challenges ahead will require whole-of-nation solutions and global partnerships.

Kevin retired from the CIA after a distinguished 30-year career, and in his last assignment served as Chief of Staff to CIA Director William J. Burns. He assisted the Director with executing the Agency’s global intelligence mission and confronting the most intractable national security challenges and emerging threats. Kevin also served as the Assistant Director of CIA for Africa, where he led the CIA’s Africa Mission Center. His previous senior executive roles include Chief of Base of an expeditionary site in Afghanistan, Chief of Operations of CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, and four foreign field tours as Chief of Station.

Kevin’s numerous awards and distinctions include the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, CIA’s Excellence in Leadership Award, the George W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism, the CIA Director’s Award, the CIA Director’s Award for Distinguished Service, and he is a three-time recipient of the most prestigious honor in federal civilian service, the Presidential Rank Award.

Married with two children, Kevin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Grambling State University, where he played NCAA Division I tennis, and holds a Master of Science – MS, National Security Strategy from the National War College.