Erika Lafrennie is a global strategist, intelligence expert, and trusted advisor with over two decades of experience guiding CEOs, diplomats, and military leaders through the world’s most complex geopolitical challenges. 

Through Cypher Strategies, an elite geopolitical risk advisory firm, she delivers exclusive insights and strategic guidance to C-Suites and boards. Erika also serves on the board of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the critical work of building informal capacity in national security.

In 2024, she completed a Non-Resident Fellowship at Joint Special Operations University, where her work focused on redefining the strategic mission of US Special Operations Forces in an era of great power competition. As a co-founder of Luminae Group - the first wholly woman-owned geopolitical risk advisory firm in the US - Erika built a reputation for delivering nuanced insights into complex global issues. Her earlier career includes senior roles at the US Department of Defense and other government agencies, where she provided intelligence that directly shaped national security strategy.

Erika’s extensive experience spans supporting forward-deployed military units, including Special Forces across Africa and the Middle East, offering both strategic foresight and hands-on operational expertise in high-stakes environments. This rare combination ensures that her clients receive actionable, multidimensional solutions tailored to real-world complexities.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Erika is a dedicated advisor to families of Americans held hostage or unlawfully detained abroad, often supplementing government efforts with her strategic guidance and geopolitical analysis.

Erika holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Intelligence, Middle Eastern Studies, and Terrorism from American Military University, with further studies at the University of St. Andrews and the Arabic Language Institute in Fes, Morocco. Her career has taken her to over 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Her international experience underpins her capability to steer leaders through today’s most pressing geopolitical risks.