Authors of "Breaking Cover" at May Lunch

ARE YOU CAPTIVATED by ESPIONAGE? Do you read Spy Novels? Real Life INTRIGUE ? (Ted Bell, Daniel Silva, Nelson DeMille, Ken Follett, John le Carre’)

Bring your Friends May 23 to hear from TWO former CIA secret agents who have walked the walk and lived the life for 10 years—- Joseph and Michele Rigby Assad—who met in school in central Florida, graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic College, finished graduate studies at Georgetown, Washington DC, and were sent by the CIA after 9-11 to countries whose names had to be redacted from Michele’s book, “BREAKING COVER”, for protection.

Joseph and Michele Rigby Assad
Former CIA Authors of “Breaking Cover”

Michele believes that God/Providence brought her together with Egyptian immigrant, Joseph Assad to direct both their lives in ways she will explain…..how SHE in particular, was forced to blend in to the middle east culture to obtain highly sensitive information helpful to the US Government’s work there.

Michele and Joseph will keep us in suspense as to their project to vet and re-locate a number of Iraqi migrants and their quest to find a country that would take them; in this case, it was Slovakia. There were many ups and downs when the airport closed frequently on the days they were scheduled to leave due to impending air strikes and many checkpoints to deal with. (This was a featured story on ABC’s 20/20). Both Michele and Joseph continue their work as international security consultants splitting time between the Middle East, Florida, and Washington, DC. We are lucky she has this date free for us.

Michele reports on the 3 handicaps of a CIA agent’s experience: “We are Americans; we are non-believers; we are CIA officers: — and for her, “She was a Woman”.

There will be copies of Michele’s book for purchase.

Michele Rigby Assad is a former undercover officer in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Operations. Trained as a counterterrorism specialist, Michele served her country for ten years, working in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern locations.

Upon retirement from active service, Michele and her husband Joseph (also a former agent) joined a group of Americans who wished to aid persecuted Christians. Their efforts resulted in the evacuation of a group from northern Iraq that was featured on ABC’s 20/20 in December 2015.

Michele holds a master’s degree in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Today she serves as an international security consultant, splitting her time between the Middle East, Florida, and Washington, D.C.