Mel Kepler

"I graduated with a degree in linguistics during the post 9/11 hiring boom, so the Intelligence Community (IC) was a natural fit. I started with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) as an intelligence analyst in 2005. I then did two years of shift work in the White House Situation Room as a duty officer, followed by stints as an executive officer at NGA and a tradecraft specialist in IC structured analytics techniques before I jumped into human resources and government consulting. I've always taken this approach of not necessarily knowing what my next job will be. I enjoy being able to go where I am needed and where my skills can make a difference."

"One of my proudest accomplishments while serving in the IC was establishing a parents network organization at NGA, which was one of the first at a federal agency. We all bring our personal lives and concerns to the workplace, especially parents, but when we’re at work, we want to be at work. My thought was anything that makes information and resources available to me as a parent, the easier time I’ll have focusing on my job. Two colleagues and I founded this grassroots organization that grew to several hundred members. Among our initiatives, we held a Bring Your Child to Work Day, successfully lobbied for hospital-grade nursing pumps at main employee work sites, and compiled the policies and guidelines related to family expansion so aspiring parents would have all the necessary information. Parenting-focused advocacy or employee-resource groups are new and I'm very proud to be at the forefront of their adoption in the federal sector."

"I think the IC must reckon with the challenges of adjudicating clearance holders in today’s environment, and the future environment. Marijuana is legal in many parts of the country now. When do we begin to assess marijuana usage the way we assess how many alcoholic drinks a person has per month? We need to start thinking about it that way, and the longer we wait the harder the change will be—not just about marijuana, but about associations on social networks or dating apps, and bringing personal digital devices to secure work sites. If we don’t tackle these questions honestly, it will hurt our ability to build an inclusive Intelligence Community that fully represents the American people."

Favorite movie/book/TV show/podcast: I really liked “The Good Place.” I thought it was A) super funny and B) an interesting look into the complexity of factors behind the decisions that we make. As a former intelligence analyst, I was fascinated watching characters examine their own motivations.