Janet Jerge

What led you to your career in national security?  

I have always had a strong desire to support and serve our country and others. I attribute that to growing up in a family of service to our country, integrity, and strong faith. Living in the Washington Metropolitan Area, my love for STEM, and my engineering background, allowed me the opportunity to start working in the IC early on in my career. My experience and expertise expanded across multiple technical and analytical disciplines and capabilities. I eventually started a Cyber Security company that focuses on building and enhancing Cyber Security and Insider Threat programs within the IC. 

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? 

I am fortunate to be able to do what I love and what I am passionate about. Building has been a constant theme over the course of my career, from building and securing systems & capabilities to building relationships across organizations. All are equally important to the overall success of the programs. While building such programs, I enjoy meeting and working with the many talented individuals across the public & private sector. I don’t take for granted the opportunity to work, learn, and grow with and from them. It’s an awesome responsibility and experience to work together to bring new capabilities that improve our security posture. 

Can you describe a skill you have carried throughout your career that has proved to be valuable?

Who are your mentors? 

Over the course of my career, I have had several mentors within the public and private sector. This has allowed me to leverage and gain insight and perspective from their experiences. As I progress my career, I continue to gain new mentors.

Who has inspired you? 

I have been blessed with amazing parents that have inspired me and been great role models. My faith, family, close friends, and those who strive every day to do what is right and good (even when it’s hard)….inspire me.

What’s one thing you want to change within the Intelligence Community? 

In a world in which our adversaries are skilled and persistent, we need to work more diligently together to increase our security posture. This requires us to work together to vet and build more secure capabilities, systems, partnerships, and approaches. We need to ensure we are all collaborating, cooperating, and supporting each other while being proactive (not reactive) to truly get in front of the issues.