Kirby Plessas

Kirby Plessas is the founder and CEO of Plessas Experts Network, Inc. (PEN). Before devoting her work full-time to PEN, Kirby established herself as one of the foremost tradecraft experts in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) through successful careers in the U.S. Military, the Intelligence Community, and as a contractor before founding PEN in 2008.

A service-disabled veteran, Kirby began her career in Military Intelligence as an Arabic linguist supporting the Department of Defense. Following her Army service, she expanded her career as an intelligence professional with the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, applying OSINT expertise to support the warfighter and other Intelligence Community missions. Recognized for her contributions, in 2007, she was selected to help establish an innovation center dedicated to advancing OSINT tradecraft. In 2010, the Department of Homeland Security designated her an OSINT Technical Expert.

As the head of PEN, Kirby has combined her intelligence background with her passion for teaching, consulting, and technology. She has trained more than 25,000 law enforcement professionals nationwide through contracts with the FBI, DEA, and other federal partners, bringing OSINT skills directly into investigative and operational environments. Her work extends across corporate workshops, government contracts, and public speaking, where she delivers hands-on instruction in areas such as social media, dark web investigations, and cryptocurrency attribution.

Kirby’s expertise has been featured at SXSW Interactive, the High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA) Annual Conference, and the International Conference on Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism (ICTOCT). She is a former Vice President of The OSINT Curious Project, a former advisor to the SANS OSINT Summit, a current advisor to the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators (IAFCI), a committee member of the OSINT Foundation, and a former advisor to the Osmosis Institute. Through her work at PEN, she continues to advance OSINT tradecraft and share her deep expertise with diverse audiences across sectors.