Harold D. Wankel

Mr. Douglas Wankel has held senior leadership positions in international law enforcement and security operations for nearly the last four decades, serving in key roles in the U.S. Government and the private sector. Most recently in government, Mr. Wankel served as Director of the Counter Narcotics Task Force (CNTF) at the United States Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he reported directly to the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and was responsible for the oversight, integration and coordination of U.S. Government counter drug efforts in Afghanistan. In this capacity, he traveled extensively throughout the country and region and worked closely with both senior U.S. military, civilian, and intelligence personnel, as well as Afghan officials, in executing the CNTF’s multi-agency mission.

Prior to his service overseas, Mr. Wankel was called back to a post he had held once before and named Assistant Administrator for Intelligence at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), where he was charged with continuing the effort to help the DEA strengthen its proactive role in intelligence and law enforcement operations given the increasingly vital synergy between counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism efforts. As Assistant Administrator, Mr. Wankel was the Principal Intelligence Officer for the DEA and oversaw all intelligence and operations coordination in the U.S. and overseas.

During his previous tenure at the DEA, Mr. Wankel served as Assistant Administrator and Chief of Operations of the DEA, where he was the senior law enforcement officer at the agency overseeing all significant law enforcement operations undertaken by the DEA. He served as the primary liaison between the DEA and the senior operational leadership of the Department of Justice, Treasury, State, Defense, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Mr. Wankel also served as Deputy Assistant Director at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he was the Director of the Drugs and Organized Crime Division. In this capacity, he was responsible for all policy development and management of the division reporting to the Assistant Director of the Criminal Division at the FBI and a member of the Director’s Senior Management team. While at the FBI, he initiated and expanded the FBI’s role in domestic and international drug enforcement operations.

Prior to his service at the FBI, he served as a key assistant to then-DEA Administrator Robert C. Bonner, providing advice and counsel on a wide variety of operational and policy issues to the new Administrator. He also served as both Deputy Assistant Administrator for Investigative Support and Operations during this time period, roles where he was responsible for integrating emerging technology with the day to day complex international drug law enforcement operations of the Agency. He also helped oversee DEA investigations around the world, including the development and management of the investigations of the Medellin and Cali cartels, arguably the most significant international drug trafficking operation in history. Mr. Wankel’s government service also includes two decades as a Special Agent in the DEA.

Between his later stints of government service, Mr. Wankel also held senior leadership positions in the private sector, including as Vice President at three major U.S. corporations. Following his departure from the DEA, Mr. Wankel helped co-found Spectre Group International, an organization focused on supporting counter-narcotics, law enforcement, and intelligence operations around the world. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the Agricultural Education University of Missouri and has attended the National Executive Institute at the FBI Academy.