Retired CIA Intelligence Officer to Kick Off VPPPA’s Safety+ Symposium

VPPPPA is excited for their annual Safety+ Symposium, which is set to take place in Washington, D.C. August 23 - 25.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Aug 15, 2022

The Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association is excited for their annual Safety+ Symposium, which is set to take place in Washington, D.C. August 23 - 25. To kick of the event, the Association is excited to welcome Jonna Mendez, former CIA Intelligence Officer, as a keynote speaker during the Opening General Session on Tuesday, August 23.

Mendez, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence community, was instrumental in developing a series of innovative—Hollywood-inspired identity swaps, ingenious evasion techniques, and an arsenal of brilliant gadgets—that allowed CIA officers to outmaneuver the KGB, according to her book The Moscow Rules.

During her time as Chief of Disguise, she prepped foreign assets to operate subminiature spy cameras and processed intelligence gathered from them. At times, she was tasked with hiding the true identity of intelligence officers and foreign assets by creating false documentation and disguises at a moment’s notice.

In her keynote address, Mendez will reveal her experience with operational safety applications, and introduce attendees to the way the CIA handled day-to-day danger, both to its employees and to the foreign agents working for the CIA, keeping everyone out of harm's way.

VPPPA’s Safety+ Symposium will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and will feature many events and an exposition.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the former editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

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