Program: The Spy-Catcher Who Came In From a Real-World FBI Office
Presenter: Jerry Ackerman
Spies have shaped and influenced the course of history from the shadows since ancient times, and continue to do so today, undermining national and economic security. Special Agent Jerry Ackerman worked foreign counterintelligence and counterespionage for 15 years out of Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Denver. He’ll discuss past FBI espionage investigations as well as the methodology and tradecraft used by spies and how the FBI counters them. The FBI, spies, and tradecraft are portrayed often in film, television, and books, but the portrayals are not often accurate. He’ll discuss the day-to-day investigative duties and terminology to add the required touch of realism to characters and plots involving the FBI as well as espionage stories.
BIO:
Jerry Ackerman is a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he has worked matters such as foreign counterintelligence, counterespionage, and crimes against children. He is a team leader on Denver’s Evidence Response Team, processing crime scenes. He served in the U.S. Navy, where he dangled from helicopters while performing search & rescue operations as well as mission support for NASA projects such as the Mars Pathfinder, space shuttle recoveries at Edwards AFB, and X projects like the X-36 tailless fighter. As Alistair Kimble, Jerry co-wrote Iron Angels, an FBI procedural with urban fantasy underpinnings. Iron Angels was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of its top 10 science fiction, fantasy & horror picks for the fall of 2017 and was released on September 5, 2017 from Baen Books.