Career Cafe- CIA Intel Officer turned Entrepreneur: Rosanna Minchew, SpyHer Tours

When: Tuesday, October 21st 2025, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT

Location: Elliott School of International Affairs, Graduate Student Lounge, 1957 E Street Northwest, Washington, D.C

Join Elliott's GSS Career Café with free coffee/tea/snacks and great conversation! In this casual, open discussion will meet Rosanna Minchew, former CIA operator and now, owner of SpyHer Tours who is  hiring fall internships for her company!Rosanna has 20+ years of experience in intelligence, security, and risk, including 15 years at CIA in operational and leadership positions around the world. Today, Rosanna delivers scenario-based training in the intelligence space and has provided subject matter expertise to interdiction efforts at the U.S. border and corporate insider risk investigations. In 2021 Rosanna founded Spyher, offering clients spy-themed experiences that maximize learning and engagement.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
Why did a career IC operator leap from CIA to private entrepreneur?
What was was life like as an IC Operator, the pros/cons to that career and lifestyle?
How hard was it to leave that world of the IC, go from operator to educator, & small business owner,  to venture into something new?
What challenges and opportunities surprised her starting a woman-owned business and one that has its own security and information limitations?
How did she turn her industry expertise into a tourism/education opportunity?
What advice she would give to entrepreneurs, mid-career professionals wanting to transition, taking the leap and pivoting/creating a new field or direction?
ABOUT SPYHERSpyher staff are former CIA officers and subject matter experts in risk management, security, and geopolitics with extensive backgrounds in intelligence and law enforcement. They love to be back out on the streets, sharing intelligence history with guests, and educating groups and teams on the mindset behind famous cases and figures. ESIA NO-SHOW POLICY IN EFFECT.In order to ensure the effectiveness of the services offered by the Elliott School's Graduate Student Services and maintain professionalism and courtesy between graduate students, alumni, professional staff, and our Employer Partners, the No-Show Policy is in effect for this event. Should you need to cancel your registration, you must log in to Handshake and update your RSVP, or contact our office [email protected] no later than 24 hours before any career event.Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions and thank you again for registering!