In Celebration Of 15th Anniversary, International Spy Museum Announces New Honorary Board, Adds 5 Advisory Board Members

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, ROBERT DE NIRO, GEORGE TENET, HARRISON FORD, MANDY PATINKIN JOIN SPY HONORARY BOARD

WASHINGTON, DC – Today marks the 15th anniversary of the International Spy Museum (SPY), the only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage and intelligence.  In celebration of 15 years, the International Spy Museum announces the creation of an honorary board of high-level intelligence officials, politicians, writers, and actors who support the Museum’s mission to educate the public about espionage and intelligence in an engaging way and to provide a context that fosters understanding of their important role in and impact on current and historic events.

Below is the new Honorary Board  at the International Spy Museum: 

George H.W. Bush, Robert De Niro, Joel Fields, Harrison Ford, Robert Gates, Will Hurd, David Ignatius, Michael Morell, John Negroponte, Mandy Patinkin, Gary Powers Jr., Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, George Tenet, Sir Dermot Turing, and Joe Weisberg.

“We are fortunate to have the support of high-level individuals who have opened up the world of espionage to a wider audience,” shared Tamara Christian, President and COO of the Museum. “They have bridged the gap between the Intelligence Community and the public, and their endorsements show how influential espionage is today and demonstrate the importance of having trusted institutions like the International Spy Museum telling the story of intelligence from a global perspective.”

SPY works with experts to remain dynamic and effectively capture the story of intelligence in the changing world. In doing so, SPY has appointed five new members to the Advisory Board who will help the Museum continue to tell the story of intelligence in an accurate, comprehensive, and authentic manner.

Alison Bouwmeester focused on denied area operations, counterintelligence, counter terrorism, and leveraging technology for operational success during her 28 year career as an Operations Officer, Station Chief, and leader in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations.  She also served as Deputy National Intelligence Mission Manager for a Hard Target Country at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Ms. Bouwmeester now works as a private sector executive bringing industry best practices, solutions, and expertise to the Intelligence Community.

Rollie Flynn is a 30-year veteran of the CIA. She held a number of senior executive positions at the Agency including: Associate Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center; Executive Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center; Chief of Station in major posts in Southeast Asia and Latin America; and Director of CIA’s Leadership Academy. Ms. Flynn is currently Managing Principal at Singa Consulting, a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and School of Foreign Service/Security Studies Program.

Keith Masback, the US Army’s first Director of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Integration, is an internationally-recognized authority on geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). During his 30 year professional career, Mr. Masback commanded a unit that brought intelligence from satellites and aircraft to soldiers in the field and, later, led an organization responsible for prioritizing and managing the collection by imaging and missile warning satellites at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He is the CEO of the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and serves on the Department of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing. He is also the Vice Chair of the Department of Interior’s National Geospatial Advisory Committee.    

Kristin Wood spent her 20-year CIA career serving in the Director’s area and three Agency directorates – analysis, operations, and digital innovation – leading a wide variety of the Agency’s missions in analysis and operations. Ms. Wood served most recently as Deputy Chief of the Innovation & Technology Group at the Open Source Center (OSC).  She led OSC’s open-source IT and innovation efforts to extract meaning from big data by guiding multi-disciplinary teams in creating tools, methodologies, and infrastructure for the future.

Robert Wallace served in the Central Intelligence Agency with ?eld assignments including that of case of?cer and Chief of Station. He was appointed Deputy Director of CIA’s Of?ce of Technical Service (OTS) in 1995 and elevated to Of?ce Director in 1998. He retired in 2003 with multiple awards and remains a frequent speaker and writer on intelligence. He has co-authored several books including SPYCRAFT (2008), The Official CIA Manual of Deception and Trickery (2009), and three volumes of Spy Sites. 

In addition, three new Governing Board members have been added, including Governor James Blanchard, US Congressman (1975-1983), Governor of Michigan (1983-1991), Ambassador to Canada (1993-1996); Mary Kraft, Senior Director of Hewlett Packard; and Lori Stokes, Anchor at WABC-TV in New York and daughter of founding Advisory Board member Congressman Louis Stokes.

The announcement of an Honorary Board and new members of the Advisory and Governing Boards comes at a momentous time, with the International Spy Museum approaching a move to L'Enfant Plaza in 2018.  The Museum will remain open at the current Chinatown/Penn Quarter location throughout construction of the new Museum.

On the 15th anniversary, Wednesday, July 19, the Museum will host a block party for the community from 11 am to 2 pm on F Street NW in Washington, DC, with music, prizes, sweet treats, and a special visit from Washington Nationals Racing President and America’s first spymaster, George Washington.

For media interested in photos or more information about the International Spy Museum, please contact Aliza Bran at (202) 654-0946 or abran@spymuseum.org.

 

____

About the International Spy Museum

The International Spy Museum, an independent nonprofit organization, is the only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage and intelligence. Open since July 2002, the Museum features the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. The mission of the International Spy Museum is to educate the public about espionage and intelligence in an engaging way and to provide a context that fosters understanding of their important role and impact on current and historic events. The Museum's collection chronicles the history of espionage, from its inception, to the modern day challenges facing intelligence professionals worldwide in the 21st Century. For more information, please visit spymuseum.org.