Exclusive interview with Veretus' Carmen Middleton

Carmen Landa Middleton wore several different hats during her 33-year career at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – including most recently as Deputy Chief Operating Officer (COO), a member of the Agency’s executive leadership team.  As Deputy COO, Ms. Middleton managed the CIA’s day-to-day operations; led on a diverse range of issues from geopolitical crisis responses to strategic investment; and oversaw the execution of the largest structural and business process change since the Agency’s inception in 1947.  During her tenure as the Director of CIA’s Open Source Center, Ms. Middleton drove the development of the unclassified Cloud architecture and spearheaded a strategy on the disruptive evolution of Open Source tradecraft.  As the CIA’s Chief Diversity Officer, she co-chaired an historic study, the Director’s Advisory Group on Women in Leadership, examining the CIA’s record and practices as they pertained to the careers of women. She also oversaw the launch of an anti-harassment program, with a special emphasis on sexual harassment, within the Agency.  

President of Common Table Consulting and an Advisory Group member to Veretus Group, Ms. Middleton is a recipient of the Working Mother Media National Security Annual Legacy Award, the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, National Intelligence Superior Service Medal, and the CIA Director's Award.  She is a member of several advisory and directors’ boards, including the Advisory Board to SAP NS2 and the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement.  Ms. Middleton graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in Spanish Language & Literature, and studied abroad during her junior year at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.