Fulcrum Global

Professional Development Program

The SDSS Professional Development Program (PDP) focuses on building essential skills and tradecraft that will help prepare analysts and practitioners (both current and aspiring) to work in a professional environment using skillsets such as structured analytic techniques; Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT); Information/Data Collection; Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT); Operational Security (OPSEC); and Red Team Analysis to name a few. It can be used for helping existing professionals in addition to aiding those seeking a career in the national security, defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs communities as well as in the private sector.

Beginning the New Great Experiment

This initiative came to fruition in early 2022 when the SDSS Leadership Team decided to create the position of Professional Development Officer (PDO) as part of the SDSS structure and organizational culture. As a result, PDP has been an ongoing project aimed at creating an additional flagship brand of the SDSS-Fulcrum Global structure with the sole intention of furthering the continued mission of SDSS creating a valuable product, impact, and network of friends and peers (professional and academic) in the national security, defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs fields.

Launching the Pilot Program in 2022

In 2022, SDSS launched the experimental pilot project that mainly consisted of eight web seminar sessions that taught various topics and skillsets that dealt with analytical, writing, and critical thinking skills that are utilized in the industries we covered in addition to technical and tradecraft topics and themes. It also collaborated in a virtual professional network collaboration with the Osgood Center for International Studies via their events program series. In addition, there was originally a mentorship element for our program participants that would have been outside of the web seminar series portion, however, it was limited in implementation at the time. However, it is highly anticipated that subsequent PDP programs will likely include the outside mentorship element as well.

Professional Development Resource Library – Click!

With that said, the experimental 2022 launch of the PDP pilot program was largely a success and a victory for SDSS in providing a product for its participants. However, it is important to note that SDSS learned a great deal from launching this new experimental project that was implemented with minimal resources. Like anything in life, we learn from experience while utilizing the valuable lessons learned for implementing future rounds of PDP launches by SDSS.

Starting PDP 3.0 in Summer 2026!

In Summer 2026 we plan to continue building onto the existing framework of the SDSS Professional Development Program with more experts involved teaching seminars and providing some guidance to participants. This year we plan on providing more topics and a more flexible webinar schedule as well!

Previous PDP Webinar Series

Webinar Series #1

2022 SDSS Professional Development Program (PDP 1.0)

8 Session Webinar Series Videos on: OSINT and Structured Analytic Techniques

Presented by

Nabil Rahman and Sam Kessler

Guest: Professor Dan Opstal

Click Here to access the 8 webinar videos for PDP 1.0

Webinar Series #2

2023 – 2024 SDSS Professional Development Program (PDP 2.0)

17 Session Webinar Series Videos on: Various INTS, tradecraft, case studies, etc.

Presented by

Nabil Rahman and Sam Kessler

Guests: Professor Dan Opstal, Dr. Frank Danesy, Dr. Steven K. Lindstrom, and Dr. Keith Ludwick

Click Here to access the 17 webinar videos for PDP 2.0

* Update: July 9, 2026 – PDP 2.0 video page will be uploaded very shortly. Check again to access.