After seventeen years as an interrogator, investigator, consultant, and trainer, C. Joshua Villines became the Executive Director of the Human Intelligence Group in 2011. He assumed this role so that he could focus specifically on his areas of expertise in training, crime prevention, counter-terrorism, threat assessment, and the various aspects of human intelligence collection.

Joshua first learned the basic skills of an investigator from his father, John C. Villines, an accomplished police academy instructor, investigator, and crime prevention expert. Joshua worked side-by-side with his father in the private sector, before seeking training and experience in the public sector.

The Army provided Joshua the opportunity to grow as an investigator and a leader. He is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute (Russian), the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School (Interrogation), the U.S. Army Airborne School, the British Joint-Services Interrogation Course, the Primary Leadership Development Course (Academic Award), and the Basic Non-Commissioned Officer's Course. Joshua held a Top-Secret (SSBI) Clearance and earned DoD certification as a Russian (3/2+) and a Spanish (3/3) linguist.

Joshua's civilian education has dovetailed and further enhanced his work. He holds a B.A. cum laude from Berry College, an M.Div. from Mercer University (Joshua is a police Chaplain, and is fully endorsed), and an M.A. from Vanderbilt University.

Joshua is certified in Georgia as a professional law enforcement instructor, specializing in interviews and interrogation, holds national certification as a law enforcement firearms instructor, and he is also certified in Georgia as both a classroom instructor and a firearms instructor for armed, private security and private detectives. Joshua holds the Certified Threat Manager (CTM) certification from the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. He also holds the Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Professional Certified Investigator (PCI), and Physical Security Professional (PSP) board certifications from ASIS International and the International Crime Prevention Specialist (ICPS) designation from the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners. Joshua is the past chair of the Professional Certification Board for ASIS International, and currently serves on the ASIS Global Board of Directors, while also serving on the Board of Directors for the Southeast Regional Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

As the Executive Director of the Human Intelligence Group, Joshua provides the overall vision for the organization. He sets the standards for all training curricula used by our instructors, provides general oversight for ongoing missions, provides threat assessment and crisis mitigation consultation for public and private agencies, and develops qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Joshua is deeply committed to providing the highest level of training to investigators and threat assessment professionals in all sectors, and he spends as much time as possible serving as an instructor in the classroom, on the range, and in the field.