Carroll Associates was founded in 2004 by Thomas Patrick Carroll, a former officer in the CIA's Clandestine Service. Mr. Carroll joined the CIA in 1982 and served for over a decade, including seven years covert duty in the Middle East. The Agency lifted his cover in 1999.

Mr. Carroll speaks and writes on espionage, national security, terrorism, counterintelligence, and the Middle East. He teaches intelligence and espionage at the California State University at Sacramento, is a certified instructor for the State of California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), and an instructor at the California Speicalized Training Institute in San Luis Obispo. Mr. Carroll has been a columnist for FrontPage Magazine; a member of the editorial board of the Middle East Intelligence Bulletin; a contibutor to the Jamestown Foundation’s Terrorism Monitor; and his opinion pieces have appeared in national dailies and periodicals, including the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. He appears on radio and television throughout the country.