Elizabeth Kimber

From a young age, I was interested in serving my country, international affairs, history, foreign cultures and languages, science and law. During my senior year in college, I applied to the CIA where I could combine all these interests. I joined the CIA in 1985 as a trainee in the Directorate of Operations and served in the CIA for 37 years, 18 years of which were in field operational positions, including as Chief of Station / DNI Representative. Over the years, I rose through the ranks, was promoted into the Senior Intelligence Service in 2002, and culminated my career at CIA as the Deputy Director of CIA for Operations, in charge of worldwide HUMINT operations, foreign intelligence collection and covert action, and one of the most senior positions in the Agency. I had the opportunity to serve with a great group of patriotic Americans, brilliant minds and dedicated officers.

What makes you most excited to be in this role?

Given the national security challenges facing the nation, I wanted to continue to support the national security mission from the private sector after my transition from government service. Currently, I serve as VP for Intel Community Strategy at Two Six Technologies, a high-growth technology company which offers innovative products and solutions to support the national security mission in many areas, including cyber, information operations, data science, electronic systems, mobility, and much more. From my current perch, I see many technology solutions that can immediately address critical government requirements and I am excited to help bring these solutions to national security customers in support of the mission.

In your opinion, what is the most significant challenge facing the IC today?

Concurrent with a technological revolution which is exponentially accelerating, the United States finds itself in a period of intense strategic rivalry, with the quest for technological dominance taking center stage. The impact of emerging disruptive technologies on the evolving threat landscape calls for a greatly enhanced public-private partnership in support of national security. This partnership is vital for sharing critical information, fighting threats, fostering innovation, and creating scalable solutions that can operate both within and across different government agencies and allied nations.

What is one change you would make to improve the IC workforce or workplace?

Given the speed of technological advancements, innovation, acquisition speed and agility is essential if we are going to keep pace with our adversaries. This requires an urgent and significant revamping of both current procurement policies and practices and of existing collaboration mechanisms between private sector, government entities and research centers.

How have your professional experiences led you to where you are today?

During my career, I had the opportunity to work with international and domestic leaders in governments and the private sector to advance national security priorities. I led complex organizations with multicultural workforces in the thousands in a business with high-risk stakes. I learned many invaluable lessons, but most importantly, to be successful in government and the private sector, it starts with treating everyone with dignity and respect; robust communication; teamwork; looking for win-win solutions; and to quote Gandhi: ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.

What is the most valuable career advice you have ever received?
The most valuable career advice I received includes:

• Keep on learning every day
• Value team collaboration and different perspectives
• Form alliances to accomplish goals
• To advance, you need someone to push you and someone to pull you
• Take the hard jobs where you can have a real impact
• Understand the history and what came before you
• Always plan for the unexpected
• Don’t give up; and,
• Learn from your mistakes and move on.