The Advisory Board of Former Members is a consultative body established to support the elected leadership of IAFIE Europe by providing strategic advice, institutional memory, and continuity. The Advisory Board draws on the experience of former leaders and senior contributors to enhance the long-term sustainability, credibility, and strategic coherence of the Association.
Irena Chiru Advisory Board Member
Dr. Irena Chiru is the director of the Doctoral Research Council and a professor of intelligence studies at “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy, Romania. In the last 25 years, she has taught scientific seminars and colloquia and given educational talks on strategic communication and its impact on intelligence organizations. She has also coordinated research teams involved in research projects dedicated to security and intelligence.
Her latest publications are: ”Intelligence Education in Europe: A Puzzle to Be Solved” in the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence (2025) and ”Routledge Handbook of Disinformation and National Security” (2024, as co-editor).
She served two full mandates as the elected Chair of the International Association for Intelligence Education Europe, from 2019 until the conclusion of her term. During this period, she fostered dialogue between scholars and practitioners and supported the development of communication frameworks for the exchange of ideas and best practices in intelligence studies. As Chair, Dr. Chiru acted as the main coordinator of the annual IAFIE Europe conferences held in Copenhagen, Denmark (2023), hosted by the Royal Danish Defence College in cooperation with the Norwegian Defence University College; Malta (2024), hosted by the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences, University of Malta; and Aranjuez, Spain (2025), hosted by Rey Juan Carlos University. These conferences generated over a thousand papers, as well as new joint research projects and publications. Following the completion of her mandates as Chair, she currently serves as a member of the IAFIE Europe Advisory Board.
Since 2021, she has been actively involved in the creation and joint coordination of an MBA Business Intelligence program, which year after year has become a reference program in the Central-Eastern Europe for developing the analytical and professional skills necessary for making data-driven decisions.
She is Assistant Editor for the New Voices in Intelligence section at the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence.
Bob de Graaff Advisory Board Member
Bob de Graaff worked at several universities and academic research institutes in The Netherlands before being retired in 2022. He held chairs for reconstruction after conflict at the University of Utrecht (2005-2010), terrorism and counterterrorism at the University of Leiden (2007-2009) and intelligence and security studies at the Netherlands Defense Academy (2010-2017) and the University of Utrecht (2010-2022). He was co-founder of the Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association in 1991 and of the European Chapter of IAFIE in 2015. His publications include (together with James M. Nyce) (ed.), The Handbook of European Intelligence Cultures, Lanham etc. 2016; (ed.) Intelligence Communities and Cultures in Asia & the Middle East. A Comprehensive Reference, Boulder, CO/London 2020 and Lifting the Fog. The Secret History of the Dutch Defense Intelligence and Security Service (1922-2022), Lanham, MD, etc. 2024.
John Nomikos Advisory Board Member
Prof John M. Nomikos (PhD) is the Director at the Research Institute for European and American Studies, Chairman, European Intelligence Academy (EIA) and Founding Editor, Journal of European and American Intelligence Studies (JEAIS)- (former Mediterranean and Balkan Intelligence (JMBI). He is the Head of the History, Politics and International Relations Department at the Athens Campus of Webster University (Webster Athens) and an Associate Professor. He joined the Intelligence and Security Studies program as an Affiliate Faculty member in 2022 at the Coastal Carolina University. He is Member of the Advisory Board for the Master Security Studies and Information Analysis (MASIS) at the American University in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a Fellow in the International Association for Counter-Terrorism and Security Professionals (IACSPSEA). He was Adjunct Professor (2005-2007) at the Department of International Relations in the University of Indianapolis (Athens Camus). He earned his Bachelor Degree in Sociology at the Northeast Louisiana University in 1987, his Master’s Degree in European Integration and Cooperation at the University of Hull, 1991, and his Doctorate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy at the Washington International University in 2001. In 2016, he earned a Certificate in Critical Thinking and Effective Writing from Globalytica LLC, USA. In 2023, he earned a Certificate in Chinese Intelligence: Operations and Tactics from Shinobi Enterprises LLC, USA. In 2025, he earned an Advanced Certificate in Intelligence Studies and Public Policy by the Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership and Public Policy, Sri Lanka. He specializes on transatlantic intelligence studies, intelligence reform, and national security architecture. He has done research and studied in various research institutions in USA, UK, Norway, Finland, Germany and Israel. He was awarded the "2019 Life Time Achievement for the Development of Intelligence Studies in Europe" by the International Association for Intelligence Education - European Chapter (IAFIE -Europe). He was awarded the "2025 Life Time Achievement" by the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE- Global - USA). He is a member of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS) Vancouver and a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO). He is a member of the Foreign Areas Officers Association (FAOA). He is a member of the International Security and Strategy Group/Experts (ISSG) and the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA).
