The Honorable Susan M. Gordon is the former principal deputy director of National Intelligence, a longstanding and respected leader within the nation’s Intelligence Community. Well-versed in issues of global risk, technology, and cybersecurity, Gordon has spent more than 30 years in public service roles. She served from 2017-2019 as principal deputy director of National Intelligence at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where she advised the President on intelligence matters and provided operational leadership of the agencies and organizations composing the U.S. Intelligence Community. She focused on advancing intelligence integration, expanding outreach and partnerships, and driving innovation.

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Gordon also served as deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). She helped lead the NGA through a transformation to adapt to emergent challenges, spearheading agile decision-making, modernization of the information environment, and the expansion of geospatial intelligence services to the open marketplace.

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Gordon served for 29 years at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and led the establishment of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture arm. 

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Gordon is a fellow at Duke and Harvard Universities, and serves on boards including State Street, CACI International, Avantus Federal, and BlackSky. She is a senior advisor for Pallas Advisors, the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Primer, Rebellion Defense, and ColdQuanta. She also consults to leading companies, including Microsoft, and continues to participate on government advisory boards on national security and intelligence. Recognized for her creative executive leadership, she has received the Distinguished Intelligence and Distinguished Career Intelligence medals, Presidential Rank awards, and the Oliver Baker and William Webster awards. In 2024 she received the Intelligence Service Award from the Leadership Council for Women in National Security.

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Gordon holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Duke University, where she was a three-time captain of the Duke Women’s Basketball team.