For the third time in a row, members of the Chanticleer Intelligence Brief (CIB) did not meet face-to-face for the CIB Banquet, which marks the culmination of the semester. The virtual meeting, however, was filled with excitement about the organization’s pending return to face-to-face meetings in the fall of 2021. The Banquet takes place to recognize the hard work of members, analysts, senior analysts and members, and to renew their pledge to make the organization even stronger in the coming year. This semester’s celebration marked the 11th CIB Banquet, in the tradition of the group’s first-ever banquet, which was held in May of 2016. But the coronavirus pandemic did not stop the CIB from doing its work, and the organization was still able to present this semester’s awards, albeit in a virtual fashion.

On behalf of the CIB Executive Team, CIB faculty mentor Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis recognized the longstanding work of our Executive Director, Jackson Hauf (pictured), who was awarded the CIB Achievement Award. This recognition is offered by the CIB Executive Team to an individual member of the organization who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in contributing to the CIB’s efforts.

Jackson Hauf

Four awards were presented to CIB Senior Analysts. The Intelligence Analysis Award, presented for delivering the highest-quality analytical product during the semester, was won by the CIB’s Special Topics Section, which consists of senior analysts Conrad Kodjanian and Tate Few. The Intelligence Forecast Award, given for achieving the most successful analytical forecast record in the semester, was presented to senior analysts Ana Maria Lankford (North America Section). The Intelligence Award is given to an individual analyst whose work has shown the most progress during a single semester. This award recognizes a person who rose to meet the high standards of the CIB though constant improvement, dedication and hard work. It was presented to CIB Senior Analyst Tate Few, who is a member of the the organization’s Special Topics Section.

The Best Intelligence Essay Award recognizes the best written analytical product of the semester. It went to Conrad Kodjanian, a Special Topics Senior Analyst. Kodjanian’s analytical topic for the semester was: “The Chinese Digital Yuan”. His final analytical product was deemed to be the best quality by a review committee composed of intelligence professionals.

During the ceremony, CIB members who achieved the status of Analyst were recognized. The CIB also recognized its most promising members based on the consistency of their work this semester. The head of each membership desk nominated a member for the Regional Expert Award, which is given for distinguished semester-long performance as a CIB member. The award winners were: Abigail McClean (North America); Annika Peterson (Latin America), Lukas Delaney (Europe); Hannah Clegg (Russia); Casey Mazzone (Africa); Megan Shoop (Asia); Sandra Ataalla (Middle East); and Conrad Kodjanian (Special Topics).

The final recognition of the evening went to the CIB Special Topics Desk, headed by CIB Officer Sophie Sherwood. The desk won this semester’s CIB Weekly News Trivia Quiz for the fourth time in a row, with 95 points, just 6 points ahead of the Asia Desk and 8 points ahead of of the Latin America Desk. Europe came in fourth with 83 points.

The CIB wishes to thank all of its Executive Team officers, its senior analysts and analysts, as well as its members, for a highly successful semester, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Our organization looks forward to continuing to strengthen our work and output in the semesters to come. We also want to congratulate our graduating members and wish them our very best as they embark on their next steps in life.