The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), in partnership with ClearanceJobs, hosted the Common Threads Huntsville program from April 17-18.

The two-day event boasted high-level speakers from the intelligence community (IC), as well as networking opportunities for students and career changers who may be interested in beginning new roles in intelligence and defense.

The first day of the two-day event was unclassified, while the second day required a security clearance for entrance.

Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg, president of INSA, spoke with the Huntsville Business Journal about the mission of the organization that she leads.

“Our sole focus is bringing together public, private, and academic sectors to work on challenges facing the intelligence community,” said Heckenberg.

A conversation between Heckenberg and Janice Glover-Jones, Director for Mission Services for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), was the focal point of the program on the first evening of the event.

“Think of me as the governor of the Defense Intelligence Agency,” said Glover-Jones of her wide-ranging responsibilities within the agency.

Heckenberg and Glover-Jones opened the conversation with a discussion about the importance of recruitment and retention.

“When we look at recruitment, our goal is to hire, retain, and develop a highly skilled and technically savvy cadre of officers,” said Glover-Jones.

Glover-Jones wants potential DIA hires to be aware of the opportunities for growth within the agency. She said she never wants employees to feel “pigeon-holed,” but wants them to understand that they can make significant career moves within the organization.

Glover-Jones also addressed specialists outside of the agency who have an interest in advancing this crucial field. Experts from private industry and academia can make meaningful contributions to the DIA through the organization’s NeedipeDIA page.

“We lay a problem out there and NeedipeDIA allows for industry partners [and those in] academia to provide a two-page white paper on solutions,” explained Glover-Jones.

Of the 300 white papers submitted last year, over 80 resulted in some action on the part of DIA — whether they were turned into a pilot program or used to develop a prototype of an innovative technology.

Heckenberg and Glover-Jones also addressed how DIA is responding to the wide interest in artificial intelligence.

“As we look at the adoption of AI, it really has to be transparent so that we can understand the algorithm, what’s behind the algorithm, how it’s operating, and if it’s going to be complementary to our tradecraft. We do not want to diminish our tradecraft standards, even though this technology can help us,” said Glover-Jones.

Having worked in the field for nearly four decades, Glover-Jones has experience leading teams to adopt new technologies. She said it is critical for leaders to communicate to their teams both the reasons why new technology is being adopted and that their value as employees does not diminish as they embrace new tools.

“Help me solve these problems. Let the machine do the easy part, then I need your brain power, I need your intellect. I need you in the room debating and coming up with options and scenarios,” Glover-Jones said she tells her employees.

Lindy Kyzer, ClearanceJobs Director of Content and PR, spoke with the Huntsville Business Journal about what the current global moment demands from the intelligence community and its partners.

“[The current climate] energizes us for the critical work of national security. We need a broader influx of talent, we need more people to invest in this community. We need more industry and academic partnerships,” said Kyzer. “The inflection points are opportunities. Yes, there are a lot of threats, but there are a lot of new opportunities for people to get engaged.”

Major General (Retired) Barbara G. Fast moderated a panel discussion at the classified session on April 18. Panelists included high-level representatives from the military and private industry.

Heckenberg said Huntsville’s growth and energy will continue to bring INSA to the city. INSA plans to host this event again in the spring of 2025.