Acting Director of National Intelligence (ADNI) Joseph Maguire joined local, state and federal officials for the November 26 groundbreaking ceremony of the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West Headquarters in the northern section of St. Louis, MO. The nearly 300 people in attendance included past, current, and undoubtedly some future NGA employees, as well as business and community leaders and higher learning institutions with geospatial foci.

Four years ago, houses still dotted the streets near Cass and Jefferson avenues, the remnants of a neighborhood that had seen residents leave and investment dwindle for decades. On Tuesday, top federal intelligence and military officials gathered here, now a cleared 97-acre site, and promised to pour $1.7 billion into a new campus for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, hopeful that the 3,000-plus NGA jobs will draw even more private investment to the near north side.

Catherine Marsh will serve as the director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, a research organization within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence charged with developing new tools to solve the intelligence communities most difficult problems, the office announced Nov. 22. 

From building partnerships and pipelines with schools and universities, to moving jobs out of the Washington metro area, to reworking the security clearance process, agencies are employing a wide variety of strategies to combat the hiring and retention crisis currently plaguing public service.

Leaders from the Department of Defense and intelligence community Thursday emphasized the need for a diverse workforce in support of national security.