For decades, other than her closest family members, no one really knew what Ann Butler did for a living. Not her childhood friends, nor her college friends and certainly not the neighbors her family befriended while living around the globe in European capitals, or North Africa, or Texas or New York. Not even her neighbors right here in Ashburn.
That’s because while Butler’s cover story was that she was a diplomat with the State Department, she was really an undercover officer for the CIA.
“When people think of the CIA, they think it’s kind of exotic and cool and different,” Butler said. “But actually, to me, it was quite ordinary.”
We beg to differ. After majoring in economics at the University of Notre Dame, and pursuing intensive French language and culture studies overseas, Butler knew she wanted an international career. One of the opportunities that popped up on her radar – the Central Intelligence Agency.
She got the job and went on to spend 27 years in a field that most people can only daydream about – frequent travel, secret disguises, covert meetings – all while raising a family of five kids with her husband, Joe Potak.
Let’s face it, it’s not every woman whose water breaks while she’s walking into a top secret rendezvous with a fellow officer.
Learn what happened in that crazy situation as well as other key moments from Butler’s career — plus the details on the new book she’s written about her experiences — by clicking here for the rest of the story at the Ashburn Magazine website.
(Photo at top by Astri Wee Photography)