Robert J Heibel

Education

Heibel graduated from Erie Cathedral Preparatory High School in 1955. Following graduation he attended Gannon University graduating with an undergraduate degree in Finance in 1959. In 1988 he completed his master's degree from Georgetown University and has taken advanced history studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Early career

Heibel served as a U.S. Army officer in Panama and South Carolina prior to his entry into the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)in 1963. An Airborne-Ranger qualified Infantry company officer he also functioned as a trainer using his Spanish language skills.

FBI

Heibel retired from the FBI in 1987 with over 20 years of service and was assigned as the deputy chief of counter-terrorism in 1984. He served in over twelve locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and as the Assistant Special Agent-in-charge of North Carolina. Heibel is a member of the Society of Agents of the FBI.

Mercyhurst College

Heibel initially approached three other colleges before meeting the President of Mercyhurst College, Dr. William P. Garvey, who saw potential in the program. Following that meeting, Heibel met with members of the Intelligence Community who responded with great enthusiasm. Heibel received permission from Mercyhurst College and started the Research/Intelligence Analysis Program (RIAP) program in the fall of 1992, contained within the History department. Later following a grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2004 the college created its own department called MCIIS. He started the Center for Information Research Analysis And Training in 1995 as part of RIAP then later MCIIS. CIRAT has earned numerous awards and contracts for Open Source Intelligence analysis. He appeared at the inaugural Global Intelligence Forum in 2010. Heibel is the original and current director of both MCIIS and CIRAT.

Activities, Awards and Organizational Memberships

Heibel is a member of various intelligence related organizations including: the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), the Generic Intelligence Training Initiative, and the International Association for Intelligence Education. He has won awards from the SCIP, Golden Candle Awards from OSS.NET, multiple Exceptional Managerial Performance ratings from the FBI, and numerous letters of commendation from Directors of the FBI and other organizations.

Panels and Publications

Heibel has contributed to numerous law enforcement and intelligence panels since 1995. He has published articles in Cross Border Control, Transnational Organized Crime. He also contributed content in Criminal Intelligence Analysis for the Defense Intelligence Agency.