Letitia A. Long became the fifth director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the first woman to head a major U.S. intelligence agency on Aug. 9, 2010. During her tenure as director, Long introduced a number of changes to the agency to put “the power of GEOINT” into the hands of the user while continuing to provide providing timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of warfighters, policymakers and first responders.

Long guided NGA through the culmination of two wars, a government shutdown, and new and evolving threats to national security. Under Long’s leadership, NGA provided critical support to the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, provided relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and monitored the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, all while providing notification and warning on developing crises throughout Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Long will “always have a place in history as one of the Nation's most important figures in military and national intelligence,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, in a tribute to Long upon her retirement.

Long was inducted into the GEOINT Hall of Fame in 2018.