Sharon S. Smith, Ph.D.

Threat Assessment/Behavioral and Deception Analysis

Forensic Psycholinguistics, LLC

Dr. Sharon Smith is a consultant to intelligence and security-related governmental agencies; law enforcement agencies; security directors; high profile/high net-worth individuals, corporations; attorneys and the media. She provides consultations, assessments, training and expert witness testimony in the following areas:

• threat analysis/assessment
• violence behavior and risk
• deception analysis of written and oral information conveyed across the spectrum of communications, including social media, quarterly earnings calls, press releases, written statements, telephone calls, interviews, and resumes
• language analysis
• interviewing techniques for criminal and violent offenders
• school and workplace violence
• criminal and corporate psychopathy
• crime scene assessment

Sharon is a retired FBI Special Agent with a 25-year career including: a nearly nine year assignment at the FBI's elite Behavioral Science Unit (BSU); field work as a part-time undercover agent on multiple cases resulting in the arrest and prosecution of over 40 individuals; field agent member of the U.S. Attorney’s team during a four-year international undercover investigation of drug traffickers, for which she received an award from the U.S. Attorney's Office for her work on this case; and assignments at the FBI Academy and at FBI Headquarters, in both its Congressional Affairs Office and its National Press Office.

At the FBI's elite Behavioral Science Unit (BSU), Sharon consulted on high profile cases and taught the FBI National Academy. The FBI National Academy is the world's most prestigious training course designed for state and local law enforcement executives. Sharon taught complex courses there, while in the BSU assisting law enforcement agencies throughout the world in sexual homicides, serial rapes, threats, workplace violence, arsons, detection of deception, and psychopathy. Also while at BSU, Sharon consulted on the Hollywood movie Red Dragon and the television series The Handler.

At the FBI Academy, which trains all new FBI Special Agents, Sharon was the first female Special Agent in the FBI to teach academic subjects. During her tenure, she designed and taught interviewing and interrogation courses to nearly a thousand FBI special agent trainees, as well as instructional and presentation skills to hundreds of FBI agents and law enforcement officers.

After retiring from the FBI, Sharon was a Senior Expert and Instructor for Behavioral Intelligence and Risk Management, with Behavioral Intelligence Advisors (BIA), a Boston-based company. Sharon worked closely with many of BIA’s largest investment clients and most prestigious law enforcement clients in the instruction and application of detection of deception, threat assessment, and psychopathy.

Sharon received a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Maryland, a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in Psychology with specialized training in psycholinguistics from Georgetown University. She is extensively published.

Sharon is a member of the American Psychological Association, Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship, and Society for Former Special Agents of the FBI.

Sharon’s volunteer efforts have taken her to the Philippines, Cambodia, and Bolivia where she has worked with an organization that rescues and provides legal and investigative assistance for men, women and children sold into sexual slavery and labor trafficking.