Mark Cheng
Mark Cheng is a national security leader with over 40 years’ experience solving tough problems, building partnerships, and successfully conducting high risk/high return operations in the field and at enterprise level.
Mark served as Executive Director of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) June 2019 - August 2022; previously served as Deputy Executive Director arriving in July 2018. He provided day-to-day leadership of board operations and provided advice and support to the Chairman and members. The PIAB reports directly to the President to assess the performance of departments and agencies engaged in the collection, analysis, or production of intelligence or the execution of special activities. The board has intensely focused on the rise of China, particularly economically and technologically, and our nation’s ability to maintain competitive advantage.
Mark was a career member of the Senior Intelligence Service at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), joining the CIA in the late 1990s after close to 20 years at the Department of State. While at the Department of State, he spent the majority of tours focused on China with assignments in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Cairo as well as in Washington.
At the CIA Mark worked on China, South Asia, Counterterrorism, Covert Action, Intelligence Community affairs, and was Chief, National Resources Division in the Directorate of Operations.
Post-government: Professor of Practice, Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland; Consultant, Crumpton Global; Senior Advisor, Trusted Strategic Solutions; Member, Board of Advisors of the Forge Institute, and, Advisory Council Member, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue.
Mark pursues opportunities to drive better mutually beneficial collaboration between the USG and innovative private sector leaders, processes, and technology to protect the nation. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan (Political Science) and has an MA in East Asian Studies (Chinese Politics) from Stanford University.
