Richard K. Elias is a thirty-three year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service, serving the agency in Cleveland, New York City, and Washington, DC, in various investigative, protective, and executive staff assignments. He retired in May 2013, as the First Assistant Director for the Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information, where he directed the agency's intelligence, threat assessment, and behavioral analysis programs. In this capacity, Mr. Elias was the senior Secret Service policy official in all matters relating to these areas, and also served as the agency's executive liaison to the greater Intelligence Community, especially the National Security Council, the CIA, the FBI, and the Departments of State and Homeland Security. Also in the intelligence area, Mr. Elias has held the positions of Deputy Assistant Director and Special Agent in Charge of the Protective Intelligence and Threat Assessment Division. He has developed a strong intelligence and investigative background in the Middle East during his career progression.
For a number of years, Mr. Elias held assignments in the Secret Service's Presidential Protective Detail, serving under Presidents Ronald Reagan and William Clinton, the latter in a supervisory capacity. Mr. Elias is a thirteen-year member of the Senior Executive Service, and the recipient of numerous performance awards and commendations from the Secret Service, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Homeland Security, and is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award.