About Us

National Security Counselors was founded to further the twin ideals that the public needs to be as informed as possible, and that people entangled in legal matters in this field should have reasonable access to knowledgeable legal assistance, regardless of income. NSC exists to perform three primary functions: to lawfully acquire material from the government and distribute it to the public, provide a low-cost alternative to certain deserving clients involved in security law or information and privacy law-related proceedings, and advocate for intelligent reform in these areas.

Our Board of Directors

Kel McClanahan, Executive Director

Kel McClanahan is a litigator specializing in national security law and information and privacy law who often represents Intelligence Community employees and contractors, representatives of the news media, and advocacy organizations. He is an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School, where he teaches Law of Secrecy. He is a regular contributor to Just Security and Lawfare and has been featured in the Washington Post, the Daily Beast, and Politico, among other outlets. He sits on the Steering Committee of the Make It Safe Coalition and has previously served on the FOIA Federal Advisory Committee. He belongs to the bars of New York, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Supreme Court, and several other federal courts.

Bradley P. Moss, Deputy Executive Director

Bradley P. Moss is a national security attorney based in the Washington, D.C. area who divides his time between NSC and the Law Office of Mark S. Zaid, P.C., where he is a Partner. He specializes in administrative and litigation matters implicating federal employment and security clearance law. He has also represented countless media outlets in efforts through the Freedom of Information Act to pierce the proverbial veil of national security across four presidential administrations.

Sean Heare, Information Director

Sean Heare is an Information Security Expert with over three decades of experience in computing. He has resolved Cybersecurity, Privacy, Physical Security, and Compliance issues for clients such as the World Bank Group, America Online, Unisys, TSA, and the American Type Culture Collection. Sean has published several papers in Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology. He holds a baccalaureate in Philosophy and English (cum laude) from Excelsior College, a Graduate Certificate in Counterintelligence from Mercyhurst College, and a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law. He has earned several cybersecurity certifications from (ISC)² and GIAC