Kelli Arena, CEO, Nat'l Cryptologic Foundation: How I Helped NSA Find Its Voice

Kelli Arena spent her career at CNN telling the public what powerful people would rather keep quiet. She covered the Justice Department, won an Emmy, and reported the Moussaoui trial, the only 9/11 case tried in an American civilian courtroom.After Kelli left journalism, she went into another form of public service, serving as Chief of Communications for the National Security Agency, spending eight years helping the Agency find its voice.Kelli has remade herself across four worlds: journalism, academia, government, and now the nonprofit sector, where she just became President and CEO of the National Cryptologic Foundation.A few things she gets into, worth your time even if you never press play:She took six months of maternity leave, three separate times, as an on-air correspondent. Everyone said it would end her career. It didn't. Younger women in the newsroom started thanking her, because she'd quietly given them permission.She earned back America's trust at the NSA the boring way: Through Consistency. Relationships. A rule that every reporter got a callback within 30 minutes, even when the answer was "no comment."And her advice for anyone starting over: "Listen more than you speak. Every single time I have listened to others before making a decision, it has been a better decision."0:00:00 The Stumble that nearly ended my career0:01:33 Meet Kelli Arena0:02:52 A new chapter: President and CEO of the National Cryptologic Foundation0:03:25 What cryptology is, and 500,000 open cyber jobs0:05:30 AI's impact “can't be overstated”0:07:30 Who gets displaced, and how we reskill them0:08:40 Getting cyber smart as citizens0:10:05 Becoming CNN's justice correspondent, then 9/110:12:05 Six months of leave, and the warnings that proved false0:15:00 A day in the life: news as the ultimate team sport0:18:10 Inside the Moussaoui trial0:21:45 “I am Al Qaeda”: chaos in the courtroom0:23:35 Why the jury chose life over death0:25:16 Laid off: the 2009 budget cuts0:27:25 Reinvention: teaching journalists to hold power accountable0:30:15 The women who risked everything just to drive0:32:50 Advice to young reporters in a hostile climate0:35:20 A story Jonathan had never told on air0:38:05 Inside the NSA: secrecy meets a journalist0:42:00 Taking “no such agency” public0:43:45 Re-earning America's trust after Snowden0:48:00 Knowing when it's time to leave0:49:30 What she's most proud of0:51:30 Myron Kandel and the bag of work clothes0:55:10 The reinvention lesson: listen more than you speakNew here? Follow Stumbling Blocks so you don't miss what's next. A quick review is the best way to help other leaders find the show.