Breaking: The Arkin Group Launches TAG Intel, Unlocking CIA-Level Geopolitical Intelligence for Wealth Management

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About The Arkin Group

The Arkin Group is a boutique strategic intelligence firm that helps global clients mitigate risk and maximize opportunities. Led by Jack Devine, former chief of worldwide operations for the CIA, our team has extensive experience helping industry leaders navigate the complex global operating environment and make better decisions by providing access to exclusive intelligence and unparalleled analysis.

Jack Devine,
Leading the Way

Jack Devine, founder and chairman of The Arkin Group, is a 32-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where he served as both acting director and associate director of the CIA’s operations outside the United States as well as chief of the Latin American Division, the head of CIA’s Counternarcotics Center, the head CIA’s Afghan Task Force. He was awarded the CIA’s Meritorious Officer Award for this accomplishment and is the recipient of the Agency’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal and several meritorious awards. 

Jack has written widely on intelligence including his two books, Spymaster’s Prism: The Fight Against Russian Aggression and Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story, along with Op-Ed articles for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. He has also made guest appearances on CBS, NBC, MSNBC, Fox News, and Bloomberg News, and is frequently called-upon to share his opinion on myriad geopolitical events.

Carol "Rollie" Flynn

PRESIDENT

Carol “Rollie” Flynn is the President of The Arkin Group. Ms. Flynn is a 30-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where she held senior executive positions including Director of the CIA’s Leadership Academy, Associate Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Executive Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center, and Director of the Office of Foreign Intelligence Relationships. She also has extensive overseas experience including as Chief of Station in major posts in Southeast Asia and Latin America, and as an undercover Clandestine Operations Officer in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Ms. Flynn is President Emerita and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), a nonpartisan think tank in Philadelphia which produces analysis focused on the foreign policy and national security challenges facing the United States. She has also been an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service/Security Studies Program where she has taught graduate seminars on intelligence, counterterrorism, and security. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Advisory Board of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC and the Board of the Jamestown Foundation. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College and a Master of Science degree in Cyber Security from University of Maryland, and she has also completed executive leadership certificate programs at Duke University, Georgetown University, and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

She has also served on the Foundation Board of Holy Cross Hospitals of Montgomery County, Maryland.

Expertise Based on Deep, Hands-On Experience

Our team of highly-accomplished intelligence professionals with backgrounds in a variety of intelligence, government, investigative, communications, and security domains provide clients with bespoke service and intelligence access.

What best distinguishes TAG:

TAG’s long history of success as a private intelligence firm is underpinned by an extraordinary human source network that is global in scope and unrivaled in its ability to discreetly access actionable intelligence in some of the most complex operating environments.

TAG leverages emergent technologies and combines it with these on-the-ground insights to deliver specialized and meaningful analysis to clients.

Meet the Team

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Victoria Kataoka

Managing Director

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Julia Stone

Managing Director

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Aaron Springer

Senior Director

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John P. Barry, Jr.

Senior Director

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Zachary Cole

Senior Director

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Aaron Springer

Senior Director

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John P. Barry, Jr.

Senior Director

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Zachary Cole

Senior Director

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Access Intelligence You Can Use Today

Stay abreast of global risks and make informed decisions.

CONTACT US
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Victoria Kataoka

Managing Director

Victoria Kataoka joined TAG in 2016. She leads strategic investigations for clients in support of complex litigation, due diligence, and crisis resolution. Prior to joining TAG, she worked for 18 years in service of municipal, federal and international organizations including UNESCO, DARPA, and NYPD. As a youth project coordinator Middle East at the United National Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and later as a consultant for several international development projects, she lived in Paris and Athens and spent significant time working in the field. Ms. Kataoka then joined the Integrated Crisis Early Warning System (ICEWS) project at the Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA). Before joining TAG, she worked as an intelligence analyst for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on a years-long counter-terrorism intelligence investigation in collaboration with several Federal law enforcement partners.

Ms. Kataoka graduated from Georgetown University.

Julia Stone

Managing Director

Julia Stone joined TAG in 2021. At TAG, she helps multinational clients better understand the competitive landscape and defend against the risks associated with operating in today’s complex global environment. A creative professional, Ms. Stone is also responsible for developing timely and original media content for TAG – including the group’s weekly news analysis and Straight from the Shoulder podcast. Previously, Ms. Stone spent over a decade investigating terrorism and criminal cases as a civilian member of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), where she led a team of intelligence analysts, spearheaded a financial intelligence unit, and served as a member of the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Financial Crimes Area (HIFCA). She also spent time as a speechwriter for the NYPD Police Commissioner. Prior to her public service, Ms. Stone worked for several non-profits and academic institutions conducting research on global economic development issues and has worked abroad in Azerbaijan and Egypt.

Ms. Stone holds a master’s degree in law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School of International Relations at Tufts University, and a bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern Studies from Cornell University.

Aaron Springer

Senior Director

Aaron Springer joined The Arkin Group in 2008 as Director of Research. Since that time, he has moved into the role of Senior Director, managing the full scope of project activities with a particular focus on transactional due diligence and complex investigations. Prior to The Arkin Group, Mr. Springer interned at Newsweek magazine’s Research Center. He has also worked at the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting where he processed and analyzed databases of federal records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and assisted in training investigative reporters in the use of databases and digital records. As an undergraduate, Mr. Springer covered the state and local government beats for the Columbia Missourian newspaper.

 

Mr. Springer graduated with distinction from the master’s program at Pratt Institute’s School of Library and Information Science and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and sociology from the University of Missouri.

John P. Barry, Jr.

Senior Director

Jay Barry joined TAG in 2021 as a Senior Director. As an experienced intelligence analyst, manager, and attorney, he spent more than a dozen years investigating NYPD terrorism cases and providing legal oversight for NYPD Intelligence Bureau investigations.

Before joining the NYPD, Mr. Barry was a commissioned Foreign Service Officer for close to a decade and served as a U.S. Diplomat in Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Washington DC, and as a U.S. Delegate to both the United Nations in New York, and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Barry was a prosecutor in New York City, where he spent five years as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, followed by close to four years as an Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Attorney General’s Office, where he was a Senior Trial Attorney in the New York City Litigation Bureau.       

Mr. Barry is currently admitted in New York State and U.S. District Court, and received his Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law. He received a bachelor’s degree in History and Economics with honors from Mt. St. Mary’s University.

Zachary Cole

Senior Director

Zachary Cole joined The Arkin Group in 2024 after more than a decade of experience in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. State Department. While in government, Mr. Cole held postings in Africa and South Asia, including service in conflict zones. Mr. Cole draws on this experience to advise clients on navigating geopolitical ambiguity and managing complex risks.

Mr. Cole holds a degree from American University’s School of International Service.