Jo-Ellen Adkins 

Acting Director, Human Development 

Ms. Jo-Ellen Adkins is currently serving as the Acting Director for the 

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) Human Development 

(HD) Directorate. 

As the Acting Director of HD, she partners with NGA leadership, to create 

and sustain a human resource system that is in alignment with the NGA’s 

business strategy, organizational culture, National System for GeospatialIntelligence (NSG) and NGA strategies. She helps to design and implement 

policies and programs to attract, support, develop and retain a diverse and 

highly capable workforce and provides advice and consultation on 

leadership of the execution of HD programs to leverage human talent to its 

fullest potential. 

Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Jo-Ellen Adkins served as the Deputy Director for HD where 

she lead the day-to-day operations of the directorate including talent acquisition, talent 

development/career services, workforce and management services, NGA College, and human 

capital advanced capabilities. 

Previous to her assignment with HD, Ms. Adkins served as the NGA Director’s senior 

representative to the U.S. State Department (DoS) and the United States Agency for International 

Development (USAID). She also served as the Director of NGA’s Support Team to the DoS and 

USAID where she led a dedicated team of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) professionals who 

provided on-site analytical and reach back support on behalf of the DoS and USAID. 

Before arriving as the NGA lead at the State Department, Ms. Adkins served as the Chief, 

Governance Division, GEOINT Enterprise Office where she led the GEOINT Community’s 

Resources, Policy, Plans, Strategies and Performance Measures efforts and conducted 

engagement throughout the National System for Geospatial-Intelligence. She spearheaded the 

GEOINT Functional Manager’s Strategy, Planning Guidance and other relevant initiatives for the 

GEOINT Community. She also served as the Vice Chair of the National GEOINT Committee. 

Prior to serving as a GEOINT Functional Management leader, Ms. Adkins served as the Division 

Chief for the NGA Office of General Counsel’s Mission and International Law Division. In this role, 

Ms. Adkins was the legal expert on NGA’s legal Authorities; Homeland Security and Defense 

issues; International GEOINT Agreements and Arrangements; Intelligence Oversight matters; 

GEOINT Support to Domestic and International Litigation; International Treaties and Conventions; 

Global Navigation; and GEOINT Disclosure and Release issues. She served as the NGA lead to 

both the Weapons of Mass Destruction and 9/11 Commissions. 

Prior to coming to NGA, Ms. Adkins served as a Principal Member and Section Manager at 

Northrop Grumman Information Technology TASC where she led a multi-million-dollar program 

involving a classified Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance program. Before arriving at 
Approved for Public Release, OCC-U-2024-00691 

TASC, she served as an Iraq military analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency where she 

authored Intelligence Reports and the President’s Daily Brief articles. 

Ms. Adkins served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force from 1995 to 1999. 

After graduating with Honors from the Air Force Officers Intelligence School at Goodfellow Air 

Force, TX, Ms. Adkins was selected to serve on the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s current 

intelligence briefing team where she was responsible for writing the morning intelligence report 

for senior Air Force leaders and providing briefings to senior Air Force officials. She also served 

as a Russian air threat analyst and a Balkans political and military analyst for the National Air and 

Space Intelligence Center in the Pentagon. Ms. Adkins received the Air Force Commendation 

Medal for her leadership during the Kosovo Crisis. 

Ms. Adkins is also a graduate of the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School, Maxwell AFB, 

AL. She received her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications and 

Political Science from the University of Iowa and received her law degree from the University of 

Detroit Mercy. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the United States Supreme 

Court Bar and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces