Intelligence and national security professionals surround Col. Imran Ghani, Ph.D., and Cadets Michael Kelley ’27, John Stotler ’27, Caroline Marini ’26, and River Smith ’27 after their victory at the 2026 Seerist Intellithon in March 2026.—Photo courtesy of Col. Imran Ghani.
The VMI team won first place at the 2026 Seerist Intellithon in Reston, Virginia, in late March 2026.
The prestigious competition hosted by Seerist—a company whose mission is to shape the future of risk intelligence by enabling organizations to proactively anticipate, manage, and respond to global cyber threats—brought together top talent from five senior military colleges, including The Citadel, Norwich University, the University of North Georgia, and Virginia Tech, as well as VMI, to solve real-world open-source intelligence and security challenges.
The cadet team, sponsored by the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and Cyber Defense Laboratory, included Cadets Michael Kelley ’27, Caroline Marini ’26, River Smith ’27, and John Stotler ’27. Col. Imran Ghani, Ph.D., CIS professor and CyDef director of operations, was their coach.
Stotler shared it was an amazing experience, saying, “We utilized tools and skills to collect intelligence and brief highly significant persons on real-world activities that were frequently being updated.”
Ghani stated the VMI victory was built on preparation and discipline. “To prepare for the competition, the cadets conducted multiple rounds of targeted practice using a preemptive, scenario-based approach, which ultimately aligned with the competition,” explained Ghani. “Their commitment, ability to follow structured mentorship, and continuous skill refinement were key factors that led to this success.”
Editor's Note: Story originally published by Virginia Military Institute.
