Gail Helt joined King University in 2014 and coordinates the Security and Intelligence Studies Program. She spent nearly a dozen years as an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she built significant expertise covering East and Southeast Asian security issues, politics, leadership, and governance. She authored a wide range of written analytic products and briefings for senior policymakers, including the President of the United States.
Professor Helt is a member of the International Studies Association. Her research interests include democratization, the decline of US influence around the world, and Asian politics. She has a Master of Arts in Political Science from Iowa State University and completed 30 hours of PhD coursework at the University of Arizona before being recruited by the CIA.