Former NGA official tapped for State Dept. intel position

Ellen McCarthy, former chief operating officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, has been nominated to serve as assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research by the White House.

At NGA, McCarthy oversaw daily business activities and advised the director on issues including strategic planning and corporate governance.

INR is a bureau of the Department of State that provides analysis on all-source intelligence and ensures intelligence activities support foreign policy and national security for the department.

Currently, McCarthy is a member of the board of directors on the National Security Institute at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School.

McCarthy has also served as president of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, director of Human Capital Management Office and acting director of security within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.

“Ellen brings a unique skillset to this nomination, having served on the leadership team that reshaped NGA from the inside,” Jamil Jaffer, National Security Institute founder, said in a news release.

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