Former CIA Chief of Disguise to Speak on Sept. 8

Joanna Mendez, a best-selling author who held the title of chief of disguise at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), will speak at University of the Ozarks on Monday, Sept. 8, as part of the University's 2025-25 Walton Arts & Ideas Series (WAIS).

The event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Rogers Conference Center on the U of O campus. There is no cost for admission and the public is invited.

Mendez will share her riveting, courageous story of being a female spy at the CIA during the height of the Cold War in the captivating world of intelligence, espionage, and covert operations. She also recounts how she navigated the general culture of sexism at the time while never wavering in her patriotism.

Mendez started as a secretary at the CIA and eventually rose to the position of chief of disguise. In the best-selling author's 2024 book, "In True Face, A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked," she inspires with tales of intrigue.

Mendez lived undercover for several decades, serving tours of duty in Europe, the Far East, and the subcontinent, as well as at CIA headquarters. In 1970, she joined the CIA's Office of Technical Service, similar to "Q" in the James Bond films.

Mendez specialized in training foreign assets to gather high-priority intelligence using subminiature spy cameras and other espionage technology. Now retired after dedicating 27 years of her life to the CIA, she emerges as a pioneer who defied the prevailing sexism of her time.

WAIS is made possible by an endowment established by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

Topics: WAIS