Jonna Mendez | Unmasking My Life in the CIA

"Join us for an extraordinary story of espionage and courage as Jonna Hiestand Mendez shares her experiences as a female spy at the CIA during the Cold War. Initially hired as a convenience for her husband's career, Mendez quickly proved her talent for espionage and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the chief of disguise at the CIA's Office of Technical Service.

Mendez's riveting narrative takes us through her life under cover, serving tours of duty around the world and facing dangerous situations that tested her spy training. From confronting rogue jihadis to participating in high-stakes missions like stealing a top-secret encryption machine from a Soviet embassy, Mendez's story is one of bravery and resilience.

As one of the few women in the field, Mendez battled against the prevailing culture of sexism at the CIA, all while undertaking missions crucial for America's safety. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear from Mendez herself, a real-life American counterpart to James Bond's famous 'Q,' as she shares her remarkable journey as a female spy."

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

Photo by Tina Leu.

March 18, 2024

Speakers

Jonna Mendez
Former Chief of Disguise, CIA; Author, In True Face: A Woman’s Life in the CIA, Unmasked

In Conversation with Melissa Caen
Host, “Get Out the Bet” Podcast; Political Analyst; Attorney; Twitter @ConstitutionMel

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[davidthomas-otcl]

Jonna is a badass! I love listening to her talk, she's truly fascinating. So nice to know people like that are working hard to keep us safe. If you're watching, thank you for your service!

[Coosacat]

Amazing and brilliant. What an inspiration and role model!

[anniemiller]

I could listen to her for hours ! 👍 Great

[catc]

So glad Jonna had a great trip out here in the Yay Area!

[suzeauster]

Greetings from Florida 🐬 Fantastic ✨ Interview!! Thank You Jonna ❤ Thank You 🙏 Ladies 💕

[cfarlow]

Amazing work..thank you for your service Jonna. Interesting to think about the advances since 1993.

[feeberizer]

What an incredibly talented asset she's been for our country. She's a great storyteller and let's us "behind the curtain" as much as she can. I know one thing....I will never look at a bald man the same way again! 😂

[SigHellion]

“I thought, how hard can disguise be…?”

We do these things not because they are easy, but because we thought they would be easy…😅😂

[evelynramos]

How does the family relationship and their involvement dynamic?

[evelynramos]

My camera and tripod was robbed from a roommate. Including my identity was robbed and more.

[evelynramos]

Developing film mistakes, didn't have error proof. VS 0:53 digital more forgiving

[JesusMendoza-kz]

1! Picture last longer than constantly checking out the unit wtf

[hersheylima]

no talk of whether or not what the CIA was doing, destabilizing countries, was immoral
She speaks of loving the "subcontinent" are they better off now?

[UncyPucky]

Funny how she talks about never wanting to retire (an extremely intelligent and strong willed woman in the CIA) and they were going to have to drag her out and then she had a child and she immediately thought about retiring and how it changed her life, this is exactly what Butker meant in his speech, yet the some 22 year old is pissed at him because she has a first job in accounting, and she cant possibly want to give that up for a child.