2018 Geospatial Intelligence Hall of Fame inducts six former leaders, geospatial pioneers

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency inducted the Geospatial Intelligence Hall of Fame Class of 2018 during a ceremony at the agency’s Springfield, Virginia headquarters Sept. 13.

“It’s time to acknowledge publicly six individuals and a team that have reached the pinnacle of achievement in the field of geospatial intelligence,” NGA Director Robert Cardillo said. “We all get the great privilege of now seeing their names inscribed on the walls of Springfield and St. Louis, where they will continue to inspire future generations of Team GEOINT.”

This year’s inductees are:

Army Lt. Col. Floyd Hough (retired)

Retired Army Lt. Col Floyd Hough was a geodesist and the leader of a World War II special unit of the military intelligence division that discovered over 250 tons of geodetic material, including geodetic control and magnetic data. He also supported the development of the Universal Transverse Mercator grid, a worldwide plane coordinate system developed by the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers. The grid was the predecessor to the Military Grid Reference System, the current reference system used by the U.S. Armed Forces and NATO.

Letitia Long

Letitia Long served as the fifth NGA director from August 2010 to October 2014 and was the first woman to lead a major U.S. intelligence agency. Long led NGA during a critical period of transition by using her deep experience in strategic planning, policy development, leading change in complex organizations, executive development and succession planning with an emphasis on diversity operations, budget planning and execution, and innovation and risk management. She also oversaw the transition of NGA’s headquarters to NGA Campus East in 2011 and discovered ways to bring GEOINT directly in the hands of the user, the warfighter and the nation’s allies. Under her direction, NGA played a role in Operation Neptune Spear, the raid on Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound.

Larry Meador

Larry Meador is a founder of several technology companies and has served as a consultant for the intelligence community and the Defense Department for over 30 years. In 2003, he launched a multi-year effort as a science advisor to the Joint Special Operations Command that resulted in multiple classified capabilities leading to the rescue of American hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Michael Poell

Michael Poell is a retired Air Force officer and former senior executive who served 23 years at the National Photographic Interpretation Center. He led designs of the first-ever NPIC computer system to support imagery exploitation and reporting, unique staffing concepts and a remote mission facility. He also led the creation and operationalization of what is now known as NGA’s Office of Special Programs.

Dale Reighard

Dale Reighard served his country as a leader and innovator in the imagery intelligence discipline for 42 years. He retired in the Senior Executive Service as chief of the CIA’s Architecture and Systems Directorate. During his tenure in that position, he led in the planning for the first intelligence community open systems architecture — the United States Imagery System; and in the initial conceptual planning for imagery functional management.

Stu Shea

Stu Shea is the founder of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and GEOINT Symposium. His efforts raised the visibility of GEOINT to national decision-makers, military commanders and NGA’s customers and partners. He has served as a leader in the GEOINT field in support of NGA and national security for 36 years across the intelligence community and military services.

Operation Desert Storm Logistics Team

The Operation Desert Storm Logistics Team was the core leadership of the Defense Mapping Agency’s Distribution Operations Center during Operation Desert Storm. The team prepared and shipped over 44 million map sheets in over 100 shipments in support of Operation Desert Storm. The team’s tracking in the pre-digital era ensured DMA’s ability to meet deadline requirements and packaging specifications without ever losing a shipment during the conflict.

NGA honors and inducts hall of fame members each year to recognize those who have profoundly affected the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and have made significant and transformative contributions to the GEOINT tradecraft.

Source: NGA