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WILLIAMSBURGWilliamsburg native David Hubbard has spent the last 35 years helping to keep the nation safe and secure, working for one of the governments most highly classified agenciesthe National Security Agency.

The NSA is a U.S. intelligence agency within the Department of Defense that plays an integral role in keeping the nation safe and achieving military objectives by gathering, analyzing and sharing data and signals intelligence. To put it into perspective, Hubbard said there are more people working at NSA headquarters in Maryland than there are living in Williamsburg currently.

This job can be really, really humbling when you think about what were really doing here, Hubbard said. We say this a lot but these words have real meaningwere really trying to keep the nation safe. When something happens here inside the walls of NSA where we have a great success but we cant talk about it, we cant tell anybody about it outside of herethere are days you go home and you know you were part of something bigger than yourself and you were a part of really helping to keep the nation safe.

I often think about the people that live in my hometown growing up. Most people, the vast majority of Americans, go through life on a day to day basis and never think about an intelligence agency, they never think about whats going on behind the walls to keep them safe but it really is a sincere honor to be a part of that.

Hubbard spent most of his young life in Williamsburg, after moving from Corbin to Williamsburg after pre-school. He played the trumpet in his high school band and enjoyed watching the University of Kentucky Wildcats mens basketball team with his father, who is still a season ticket holder at Rupp Arena.

After graduating high school, Hubbard attended the University of the Cumberlands for three years, which at the time was called Cumberland College. After that, Hubbard transferred to the University of Kentucky where he graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree after majoring in computer science, something Hubbard had been interested in since a young child.

I cant really tell you why but honestly, as a kid, I was always interested in codes and cyphers and secret writing, Hubbard said. I still remember going to the local library down on 3rd Street in Williamsburg and checking out books about that kind of stuff, so Id always had an interest in codes, cyphers, I was already pretty good at math and in science courses.

Before graduating college, Hubbard began looking for careers where he could put his love of codes and cyphers to use.

When it got time to get close to graduate at UK, I went to the placement office and started trying to find a job and the NSA had taken out the entire back cover of University of Kentuckys placement catalogue, he said. There was a picture of two brand new buildings here, they were dedicated in the mid to late 80s. When I saw that full page ad, I did a little bit of research about the NSA and saw one of the things NSA does is break code cyphers to produce intelligence for our nation and I kind of applied on a whim. I said wow, this sounds interesting. Let me give it a shot.

Hubbard applied for a job in the National Computer Security Center (NCSC) at the NSA in April of 1985 and after going through all the screening, he was hired in by late September, at the age of 24.

In his 35 years with the NSA, Hubbard has held several different job titles working in several different aspects of the NSA, including evaluating national security information systems, developing software for NSA, and serving in a variety of program management, technical and managerial positions.

After his one-year hiatus, Hubbard returned to the NSA where he once again was working in the NCSC in a variety positions before taking over as Chief of NSAs Commercial Engagement Center (CEC).

Currently, Hubbard works as the Chief of Legislative State, Local and Academic Engagement at the NSA, where he is responsible for developing, promoting, and facilitating strategic alliances with state, local and community leaders, as well as all NSA/CSS academic programs and relationships.

Ive been fortunate to have a lot of very interesting jobs here, Hubbard said. This is a real unique job because, again, we deal with people outside of NSA, in this particular instance with representatives and senators.

Hubbard is the recipient of a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award and the NSA Meritorious Civilian Service Award. In addition to receiving several awards while at the NSA, Hubbard also holds a patent for an invention developed while employed by Microsoft.

Not many days but there have been a handful of days here at NSA where I would have paid to come to work, honestly, Hubbard said of his experience. Ive been a part of things every once in a while where you walk in, something really important, really exciting was going on and we had a hand in addressing it. You can do things at NSA that you cant do anywhere else in the world and it can be really, really exciting.

For now, Hubbard is enjoying his current position at the NSA and is looking forward to the day he can finally come back home to Williamsburg to visit his family and for a chance for his father to finally meet Hubbards granddaughter, his great-granddaughter, as they have been unable to travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Williamsburg native has worked with National Security Agency for last 35 years - Times Tribune of Corbin