Wife, Mother, Spy: An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days.

In her book, Wife, Mother, Spy: An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days, Ms. Ann Butler explores the complexities of balancing a career in the Agency’s Clandestine Service while raising five children with a “non-tandem” spouse. This event will offer students unique insights into the realities of operational tradecraft, specifically the discipline required to maintain work-life balance as a wife and mother while navigating often risky high-stakes overseas field assignments as a 24/7 undercover CIA spy. About the Author: Ann Elizabeth Butler was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and grew up in Endicott, New York with her parents and three brothers. At Union-Endicott High School, Ann was editor of the yearbook, played clarinet in the marching and concert bands, often went to Greek Peak with the ski club, and was active in the French and Key Clubs. She majored in Economics at the University of Notre Dame, spending her sophomore year abroad in Angers, France at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest. After graduation, Ann received a Rotary Scholarship to study in Belgium and obtained a Master’s in International Trade from the Université de l’Etat à Mons. In 1986, Ann began a 27-year-long career as an undercover officer in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency. Early on, while working full time, Ann attended evening classes at George Washington University and earned an MBA with a concentration in International Business. Before moving to Washington, DC to start her new career, Ann met Joseph Potak, to whom she has now been married for 37 years. They have five children together: Claire, Kyle, Eric, Alexis, and Katrina. Ann’s work with the CIA required her family to move every few years to a different city, country, or continent. Her mission was simple - recruit spies and collect intelligence, to help protect the United States. Ann Butler has spent her life striving to find the balance between being a wife, a mother, and a spy. Her story is full of both very challenging as well as very rewarding moments. Now, she has written them all down. With her memoir, Wife, Mother, Spy, she wants others to read her story and know that although it’s not easy - they too can have it all." **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: ***Make a gift to IWP:

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Wife, Mother, Spy: An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days. is an episode from The Institute of World Politics by The Institute of World Politics.

This episode is 01:03:56 long.

This episode was published on Mar 31, 2026.

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