Intelligence Champions Council
The Intelligence Champions Council (ICC) strives to strengthen and grow the IC workforce by advising, mentoring, advocating for, and fostering dialogue among professionals across organizations and experience levels who are interested in intelligence-related careers.
Through programming and mentoring events, the Council facilitates informal learning for the intelligence and national security workforce and helps these professionals build positive relationships, discover mentors, and gain an appreciation for other perspectives.
Produced by the Council, Intelligence Career Conversations explores the people, paths, and policies shaping today’s intelligence community. Each episode features candid discussions with professionals from across the field—covering career journeys, skill-building advice, and the real-world impact of policy decisions on the IC workforce.
Intelligence Career Conversations Podcast
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Susanne Hake: Be True to YourselfOn this episode of INSA’s Intelligence Career Conversations podcast, host Jim Donnelly sits down with Susanne Hake, EVP and GM, USG, Vantor, to discuss her career across government, consulting, and national security technology. She reflects on her early experience at the National Security Council, transitioning into industry, applying her strengths in technical environments, and building technical fluency.
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Dr. Philip Ritcheson: Never Give UpOn this episode of the Intelligence Career Conversations podcast, host Jim Donnelly is joined by Dr. Philip Ritcheson, Senior VP for Corporate Strategy at Leidos, for a conversation on leadership, service, and navigating a career across government, the military, and industry. Dr. Ritcheson reflects on lessons learned from decades in national security, the realities of public-to-private sector transitions, and the importance of mentorship, resilience, and staying mission-focused in an increasingly complex security environment.
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John Doyon: Go Where the Action IsOn this episode of Intelligence Career Conversations, host Jim Donnelly is joined by INSA Executive Vice President John Doyon. John reflects on the moments that defined his decades of service at NSA, from supporting treaty negotiations in Geneva to briefing the President in the Oval Office. He shares how mentors encouraged him to pursue unfamiliar opportunities, why interagency assignments broadened his perspective on national security, and the framework he still uses today when evaluating career decisions.
Leadership
Council News and Publications
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Nominations Open for 2026 Achievement AwardsAugust 28, 2025
The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) and INSA Foundation are now accepting nominations for the 2025 INSA Charlie Allen Achievement Awards. Now in its 16th year, these awards recognize outstanding early- to mid-career professionals from the intelligence, homeland, and national security communities, as well as a senior leader who inspires their success.
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Nominations Open for 2025 Achievement Awards
August 20, 2024
The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) and INSA Foundation are now accepting nominations for the 2025 INSA Charlie Allen Achievement Awards. Now in its 15th year, these awards recognize outstanding early- to mid-career professionals from the intelligence, homeland, and national security communities, as well as a senior leader who inspires their success.
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INSA Announces Recipients of 2024 Charlie Allen Achievement AwardsJanuary 10, 2024
The awards, to be presented on February 15 at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, VA, acknowledge the exceptional contributions of early to mid-career professionals to U.S. national security, as well as one senior leader for sustained commitment to building and mentoring a worldclass workforce.