You're listening to the CyberWire Network, powered by N2K.

My name is Jennifer Wallsmith. I'm the Vice President for Cyber and Information

Solutions within Mission Systems, Northrop Grumman. I actually thought I wanted to be a vet when I grew up, But when I reflect, I really worked very closely with my father.

And he was a big part of my life. He was a electrical engineer and I helped him as his somewhat son outside of the house doing everything from rewiring,

building anything that he needed done, I learned in his shadow.

He worked for NSA and ultimately I followed in his footsteps to NSA, not exactly in the path that he wanted me to take,

but ultimately he was a huge influence.

When my

siblings who are both older than I knew my father, he worked in a candy store

according to him and he had business cards and so forth. That's how secretive

NSA was in the times that they were growing up. That gradually changed and I joined NSA in 1982.

It still was not an openly acknowledged agency.

In fact, it was no such agency. But in my journey they changed and they became an

organization that was more transparent with the nation on what they were doing and their role.

And it's one that I grew to understand from two lenses.

I was one of only three public figures at NSA in my job as the

Senior Acquisition Executive for over 10 years and so I had the opportunity to balance both of those equities and it was a fascinating

journey.

NSA actually came to my high school and I unbeknownst to my parents I took the

battery testing that they would go out to the various local high schools and I scored very well and they offered to be a job.

My parents wanted me to go to college, but I was quite a challenging teenager and I said,

no, I'm going to work.

...