This week on the Iron Butterfly Podcast we are joined by Laura Thomas, a former case officer at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During her time at the agency, Laura served as Chief of Base and led several sensitive programs. In this episode, Laura shares her view of what makes a good case officer, how a wine tasting with an asset helped to build trust with the US government, and her experience living “a double life inside a double life.” Tune in to learn more about the role of quantum science in the 21st century, the importance of hard conversations, and Laura’s aim to “illuminate the d ..read more

Listen in to this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly Podcast as we sit down with Jeny Mills, an Africa Analyst at INR who grew up in the Comoros Islands. On this episode, Jeny shares her journey from human rights activist to Presidential Management Fellow at the State Department, and discusses trailblazing new paths for women, decision-making in crisis situations, and serving abroad in a danger zone. Tune in to hear Jeny debunk myths surrounding mental health in the IC, the importance of career off-roading, and the most embarrassing moment of her professional career. Hosted on Acast. See aca ..read more

On this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly, we are joined by Lynn Dugle. Lynn has more than 30 years of experience in defense, intelligence, and telecommunications, and most recently served as Engility’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Prior to Engility, she worked as the President of Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information, and Services business. Lynn also serves on several boards, including the B2B Project, which actively works to place more women in the Boardroom. This week, she sits down with us to share her experience as a corporate executiv ..read more

On this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly, we are thrilled to welcome Stephanie La Rue, Esq. to the podcast. Stephanie is the chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) where she brings her passion for DEI strategy to the IC. Stephanie also represents the IC in several White House initiatives that pursue educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity in underrepresented communities. She also founded the Latino Intelligence Network, a collective of Latinx research groups across the IC.  Stephanie serves as the ..read more

On this week's episode of the Iron Butterfly Podcast, we had the opportunity to talk with Alice Fisher. Alice is an NSI Advisory Board member and lawyer who had been working at the Department of Justice (DOJ) for six weeks when the tragedies of 9/11/2001 took place. She spent her early years at DOJ prosecuting terrorism cases, and later helped stand up the National Security Division. She was the second woman to serve as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, and also served as Deputy Special Counsel to a US Senate Special Committee ..read more

This week on the Iron Butterfly Podcast, we are joined by Maria Witkop, a 21-year veteran of the FBI. Maria served in a variety of roles in the Bureau, to include evidence collection at Ground Zero after 9/11, working in the Behavioral Analysis Unit, and serving as a certified Crisis Negotiator. In this episode, Maria discusses the importance of listening and building trust, or as she says, "reaching out instead of kicking," even in the face of atrocities. Join us to find out why Maria was hugged by every person she arrested, how to be a change agent, and why we need more stone  ..read more

On this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast, we are thrilled to welcome our friend, Janaki Kates. Janaki is a national security consultant with nearly two decades of government experience and is passionate about expanding missions and growing diverse workforces. She began her career at the CIA as an analyst focusing on foreign space programs. She then went on to focus on foreign weapon systems, counterproliferation, and counterintelligence. Janaki has served at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Department of State, and the National Security Coun ..read more

On this special episode, we open Season 4 featuring Lorna and Brad Catling, family members of the legendary Virginia Hall. Virginia worked with the United Kingdom’s Clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and American Office of Strategic Services (OSS), aiding the French Resistance during WWII. She went on to work with the CIA where she ultimately retired from the clandestine services. Virginia was the most highly decorated female civilian in WWII and paved the way for women in the Intelligence Community.    Her family shares her breathtaking story of bravery, resilience ..read more

This week, Janice Glover-Jones, Chief Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency joins us on the Iron Butterfly Podcast. Janice shares insight from her successful journey through every single government rank, from GS-1 to Senior Executive. Janice has held multiple leadership roles across the intelligence and defense communities and explains how she hopes to inspire others to achieve their goals. Janice discusses the value of cultivating her relationships, staying true to herself, and the importance of defining her why -- rooted in her 'shero' Harriet Tubman an ..read more

On this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast, we are proud to welcome La’Naia Jones, Deputy Chief Information Officer at the National Security Agency. She serves with previous experience as the Acting Chief Information Officer of the Intelligence Community, the Chief of Transformation and Transition in partnership with the Department of Defense, in addition to her background in IT leadership.  La’Naia joins us and proudly shares her winding path into the IC and how following her passions and working hard led her where she is today. Join us for this special episode of the Iron But ..read more