Melissa Will

Promoted to Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
will5@purdue.edu

Melissa Will received a master’s in politics from New York University and a bachelor's in economics and government from Smith College. She teaches classes on intelligence, US foreign policy, terrorism and international relations. She is interested in the evolution of the U.S. intelligence community and the role it plays in U.S. foreign policy.

Prior to Purdue, she worked for ten years as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Her expertise centered around failed states, civil conflict, governance, and elections. She spent a significant amount of time in Afghanistan. As senior analyst, she was involved in all stages of the intelligence process from collection to providing policymakers with finished intelligence. Will regularly wrote for the President of the United States and other senior policymakers. Additionally, she provided countless briefings to a wide range of audiences, including CIA leadership, members of Congress, the Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other partners, National Security Council (NSC) Staff, members of the US military, and US Ambassadors and diplomats.

In addition to teaching and regularly mentoring and providing guidance for students who are interested in pursuing jobs in intelligence and foreign policy, Will serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Political Science.