This episode we are joined by the amazing Tasha Jones, a U.S. Navy Veteran and Founder of Twenty39, a purpose built solutions and services partner leveraging over twenty five years’ experience in the U.S. government market space. Tasha discusses how she transitioned from government into the business world and is an ardent supporter and champion of women in entrepreneurship and innovation. A force to be reckoned with, we are so inspired by her tenacity and passion for enacting change and empoweri...
Nov 21, 2023•42 min
On this episode we are joined by Colonel (Ret.) Jen Sovada. Jen is the President of SandboxAQ’s Global Public Sector and previously served in the Air Force dedicating 25 years to various positions in operational test, systems interoperability, and requirements definition. Listen in to hear her speak to the importance of building community and lifting up those around you. And how her Grandmother, whose love of space, later influenced her drive and passion for public service and being a trailblaze...
Nov 07, 2023•33 min
On this episode we are joined by the fierce Anjuma Goswami Karkera. Anjuma is the CEO of a non-profit professional services organization and previously excelled in roles at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Tune in to hear her discuss how being bold and authentic paved the way for her journey into the Intelligence Community. She shares insight into the power of public service and how institutions can be instruments of positive change. Tr...
Oct 24, 2023•54 min
In this special episode, hosted by Texas A&M University's The Bush School of Government & Public Service, Megan Jaffer and Cadie Hopkins conduct a live panel discussion with butterflies; Laura Thomas, Stephanie La Rue, and the Honorable Sue Gordon. The panel takes an independent look at women in the intelligence community and where they were on historic occasions, what it's like serving across administrations and political parties, and what they feel is the greatest threat to our nationa...
Oct 10, 2023•54 min
On this episode, we are joined by Sarah Mineiro, a total bad-ass self-proclaimed space nerd and one of the funniest ladies we know. Sarah is the founder and CEO of Tanagra Enterprises, a defense, intelligence, space, science and technology consulting firm based in the DC area. Sarah has worked within the national security and defense sector for over 20 years. Over her career, Sarah has worked in private industry, and across both the Executive and Legislative branches of government. Join us for a...
Sep 26, 2023•36 min
On our season 5 premiere, we are joined by the incredible Teresa Shea. Teresa has served more than 35 years in intelligence and defense within the public and private sector. She served as Executive Vice President of Technology and director of Cyber-Reboot at In-Q-Tel. She joined In-Q-Tel after a distinguished thirty-two-year career with the National Security Agency (NSA, where she held several key leadership assignments during her career culminating as the director of Signals Intelligence. Teres...
Sep 12, 2023•37 min
The Iron Butterfly Podcast team is back to share exciting updates and what to expect in the upcoming season premiering September 12th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 30, 2023•8 min
On this special episode, the Iron Butterfly team returns to announce our new project, the first feature film documentary about women in the intelligence community. The team discusses how we got here, why this project matters, and when the podcast will return from hiatus. Tune in for some exciting updates! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 16, 2023•23 min
We close Season 4 with the Iron Butterfly team: Megan Jaffer, Cadie Naquin Hopkins, Amanda Young, and Liz Herndon. We reflect on the themes of the past 4 seasons, unique moments, funniest memories, and other behind-the-scenes insights. We also share a special message to our listeners about the future of the Iron Butterfly Podcast. We hope you enjoy this special season finale! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 18 min
On this episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast, we are proud to welcome Nazaret Berhane to the show. Nazaret is a program manager on the IC Centers for Academic Excellence team within the IC Human Capital Office at ODNI. She brings years of experience from her time with FBI’s Foreign Language Program in addition to her service as the Directorate of Intelligence Diversity and Inclusion coordinator. She currently serves as the Women’s Intelligence Network Vice Chair. Nazaret is passionate about cre...
Jul 05, 2022•39 min
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 Intell...
Jun 21, 2022•45 min
On this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast, we are thrilled to share the incredible story of Kristin Wood. Kristin brings with her 20 years of career experience from CIA, with service in the analysis, operations, and digital innovation directorates as she pursued transforming and building new capabilities within the agency. She was a President’s Daily Brief briefer for Vice President Cheney and his National Security Advisor, in addition to building and leading CIA’s Advanced Analyst Pr...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min
On this week's episode of the Iron Butterfly podcast, we are proud to welcome Melissa Smislova, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A). Melissa brings decades of intelligence expertise with her, known for her work on the Soviet Union and North Korea. Prior to her service at DHS, she worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), earning several award...
May 24, 2022•35 min
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 Directo...
May 11, 2022•46 min
This week on the Iron Butterfly Podcast, we are proud to welcome Lauren Bean Buitta, founder and CEO of Girl Security, a nonpartisan, non-profit building equitable pathways in national security for girls, women, and gender minorities. Lauren has worked for a think tank and founded a consulting firm prior to Girl Security, and is associated with a number of prestigious councils and committees. Lauren is a mom to two amazing humans and was named one of the “50 Women Making the World a Better Place...
Apr 26, 2022•32 min
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 Intell...
Mar 18, 2022•39 min
This week on the Iron Butterfly Podcast, we are proud to welcome Suzanne Heckenberg for our Season 3 finale! Suzanne is the President of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), as well as the Intelligence and National Security Foundation. She oversees a host of INSA's strategies ranging from finance, to events, to corporate partnerships. She previously served as the organizations first Chief Operating officer, working to expand INSA from the inside and promote diversity and inclu...
Dec 14, 2021•27 min
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 ...
Dec 07, 2021•36 min
This week on the Iron Butterfly podcast, we're joined by Jackie Barbieri, the Founder & CEO of Whitespace, a spatial data analytics company. With a history of supporting the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Intelligence Community as an intelligence analyst. Jackie shares her winding path with us through her academic endeavors at Georgetown University, her desire to serve her country in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and with her unique lin...
Nov 16, 2021•44 min
In this very special edition of the Iron Butterfly podcast, we sat down with three incredible individuals whose stories are shaped by the loss of their parents in their service to the United States. We spoke with Marie Mickley, an adventure-loving, adrenaline-junkie turned law student at the University of Wisconsin, Jacob Centeno, a professional storyteller, with the title of founder and CEO of Poor Bear Stories, a video production company in Orlando, FL, and Alison Spann, another professional s...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Rachel Grunspan joins us this week on the Iron Butterfly podcast, bringing her over 20 years experience at the CIA. She has impacted the Agency as a cyber-threat analyst, a game and simulation designer, an executive manager, and most recently, as Dean for CIA's Digital University. She believes in increasing the creative capacity of individuals and organizations to best close intelligence and national security gaps. Join us for an exciting episode of the Iron Butterfly as we delve into Rachel's u...
Nov 02, 2021•28 min
Jacqueline Tame, former Acting Deputy Director and inaugural Chief Performance Officer for the Department of Defense's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, joins Iron Butterfly to discuss her winding path into the United States Intelligence Community. Jacqueline bravely shares both her professional and personal hurdles, how she overcame them, and why they shaped her into the woman and professional she is today. In an awe-inspiring conversation, Jacqueline discusses experiences with mentors, sup...
Oct 26, 2021•56 min
Join us as we conclude our second season of the Iron Butterfly podcast with a very special episode. This week, we are joined by three incredible mentees from Girl Security, a non-profit organization working to forge equity in national security by preparing girls and gender minorities to advance confidently into national security’s many pathways. In this episode, three high school and college students were handed the reins as they sat down with their IC “sheroes,” the Honorable Suzanne Spaulding,...
May 25, 2021•1 hr 11 min
This season of the Iron Butterfly is coming to a close but not before a final special episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 18, 2021•35 sec
This week on the Iron Butterfly Podcast, we are joined by Laura Nelson, CEO of the National Cryptologic Foundation. Laura served in the IC for 37 years and has held roles with NSA and CIA. She has supported multiple initiatives including the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and was the first woman to be a senior leader in cryptanalysis at NSA. Laura shares what she learned as a leader of technical teams, how she found her voice in a male-dominated area, and the challenges of finding mento...
May 11, 2021•40 min
Erringer Helbling, Director of Operations at HawkEye 360, joins us this week on the Iron Butterfly. Listen in as Errin discusses her Army service and explains the vital role of geospatial engineers to the intelligence community. In this episode, Errin shares her experiences providing humanitarian assistance through geospatial data, serving troops in combat zones, and meeting an unlikely character during her time as a Military Social Aide at the White House. She explains how to stay true to your ...
May 04, 2021•32 min
Tune in this week as we talk with Chitra Sivanandam, Chief Technology Officer at Reinventing Geospatial Inc (RGI) and recipient of the 2019 AI Industry Executive of the Year award. Chitra discusses what she’s learned over the last 25 years working as an imaging scientist with the IC and DoD and the importance of being comfortable with wacky and unusual ideas. She shares why bringing our whole authentic selves to the table is key to variety and diversity. Chitra emphasizes why we should give ours...
Apr 27, 2021•33 min
Join us this week as we sit down with Dr. J’Tia Hart, PhD. J’Tia holds a degree in nuclear engineering and works in nonproliferation at the Argonne National Laboratory with the Department of Energy. Tune in as J’Tia talks about beginning college at the age of 15 and how fainting on a job helped lead her to a career in engineering. She discusses the importance of leaning into what you’re good at and remembering that you belong exactly where you are. J’Tia shares the three prongs of advice she off...
Apr 20, 2021•31 min
On this week’s episode of the Iron Butterfly, we sit down with April Falcon Doss, the Executive Director of the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown University. April first joined the IC after watching the events of 9/11 unfold on TV from her hospital bed after giving birth. She spent over a decade at the NSA where she served in many roles, to include helping stand up the Directorate of National Intelligence and as Associate General Counsel for Intelligence Law. After leaving th...
Apr 13, 2021•35 min
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 sci...
Apr 06, 2021•38 min
