January 19, 2023
CIA Officers Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Gina C. Haspel as the new Chair of its Board of Directors, taking over from the former Chairman, Jeffrey H. Smith.
After an extraordinary tenure in a variety of roles, Jeffrey H. Smith stepped down as Chairman after being active in the organization for its entire twenty-one year history. A former General Counsel of the CIA, Mr. Smith was a distinguished senior partner at Arnold and Porter law firm and helped create the Foundation in the days shortly after 9/11. He served as the Foundation’s General Counsel and assumed the role of Board chair in 2019.
John Edwards, President of the Foundation, said, “Jeff was essential in establishing this incredible organization and he worked tirelessly for more than two decades to ensure that it was positioned to serve the needs of the families of Agency officers who have given their all for the country. His insistence on creating processes and policies that make certain effective stewardship of our supporters’ donations will be one of his more critical lasting legacies.”
Current CIA Director Bill Burns offered his congratulations to Jeff, "I want to thank Jeff Smith for his remarkable service to the CIA community for more than twenty years. In the past four years as Chair, he, and the Foundation, have continued to provide the level of support the families of CIA officers deserve."
Prior to joining the Memorial Foundation Board of Directors, the Honorable Gina M. Haspel, a career CIA officer, served as the Agency’s Director from 2018 to 2021. “We are profoundly grateful to have someone of Gina’s extraordinary experience and qualifications lead the Foundation’s Board,” Edwards said. “No one knows better than Gina the challenges that CIA men and women face and the important role the Foundation plays in the lives of our Agency family.”
Director Burns added: "I also want to congratulate Gina Haspel for assuming the helm of the Foundation board. Gina knows as well as anyone how important it is to convey to the men and women of CIA that they and their families have our enduring support. I know we can count on Gina to build on the record of success that Jeff Smith and his predecessors established.
To date, the Foundation has funded over $11 million in educational scholarships to help more than 200 students pursue their college or certification goals.
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