Wife, Mother, Spy - An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days

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 L'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 l'Université de l'Etat à Mons. In 1986, Ann began a 27-year-long career as an undercover Operations Officer in the Clandestine service of the Central Intelligence Agency. Early on, while working full time, Ann attended evening classes at George Washington and earned an MBA with a concentration in International Business. Before moving down to Washington, DC to start her new career, Ann met Joseph Potak, to whom she has now been married for 36 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 herstory and know that although it's not easy - they too can have it all.