Director of the National Declassification Center Named
Press Release · Thursday, May 20, 2010

Washington, DC

Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero announced today the appointment of Sheryl Jasielum Shenberger as the first director of the National Archives National Declassification Center (NDC). Her appointment is effective June 7, 2010.

Ms. Shenberger brings unique qualifications to the position of director of the NDC. She comes to the National Archives from the intelligence community where she served both as an analyst and desk officer. She has also worked closely with the National Archives, the intelligence community, and Department of Defense agencies to coordinate review of historically valuable records that contain CIA information. She also led the CIA’s declassification review efforts at the National Archives. As a declassification program manager at the CIA, she spearheaded efforts to improve processes that resulted in a more efficient release of information.

In making the announcement, Mr. Ferriero said “Ms. Shenberger brings a breadth of experience from both the intelligence and declassification communities that allows her to appreciate the balance needed between protecting national security information and providing for the release of historically valuable records. Her understanding of the declassification challenges across the Federal Government and her collaborative approach to working with a variety of agencies provides a foundation for the success of the NDC. We welcome her and look forward to working with her to improve declassification for the American people.”

Ms. Shenberger is currently a Branch Chief of the CIA Declassification Center and is responsible for its 25 year review and referral program and for coordinating government-wide review of Presidential Library referrals through the Remote Archives Capture (RAC) project. She participates on a variety of inter-agency committees and working groups, including serving as the CIA representative to the External Referral Working Group, which provides a forum for information sharing among agencies. From 2003 through 2006, she served as team chief for the CIA declassification efforts at NARA, where she was responsible for directing CIA review efforts with NARA and collaborating with NARA to improve declassification processes.

Prior to working in the declassification field, Ms. Shenberger served as a Branch Chief in the CIA Counter Terrorism Center between 2001 and 2003, as a Desk Officer with the CIA Crime and Narcotics Center between 2000 and 2001, and as a Senior Imagery Analyst for the National Imagery and Mapping Agency between 1996 and 2000.

Ms. Shenberger is a graduate of Villanova University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1979, and of North Carolina State University where she received a Master of Arts degree in English in 1983.

# # #

The National Declassification Center, located at National Archives College Park, MD facility, was established in accordance with Executive Order 13526, by Archivist David S. Ferriero on December 30, 2009. Its mission is to align people, processes, and technologies to advance the declassification and public release of historically valuable permanent records while maintaining national security. The initial focus will be to clear the backlog of referrals in reviewed documents both in Federal records and in Presidential materials. For more information, visit the National Declassification Center web site.

# # #

For Press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

10-98