PINEHURST — Ever wondered what a modern-day spy looks like?
The Sandhills community will get its chance to learn the secrets and tools of espionage as counterterrorism expert Dexter Ingram takes the stage at Bradshaw Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Oct. 20, presented by Ruth Pauley Speakers.
Entitled, “Secrets and Statecraft: What Three Decades of National Security Taught Me About the History of Spying,” the talk will delve into Ingram’s career as a counterterrorism, counter weapons of mass destruction and counter violent extremist strategist, serving as a senior liaison to the FBI and DHS.
Tickets are free but required and are now available exclusively at TicketMeSandhills.com. This is the second of five discussions scheduled by Ruth Pauley Speakers for its 2026-27 season, which have been complementary and open to the public for the past 39 years.
“Most of what shaped history happened out of sight. I'll share some of those stories, along with a few from my own career. I think people will leave seeing world events a little differently,” said Ingram of his upcoming talk, which will include a Q&A session open to all attendees.
Ingram is an advisory board member at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., which provides color to the shadowed, gray world of espionage and the characters that influenced the conflicts of their time. From Harriet Tubman to Julia Child, Harpo Marx to Ian Fleming, their stories tell a tale of danger and destruction, deception and delivery that changed world history.
Ingram retired in 2025 after a 30-year federal career that began in the U.S. Navy. At the State Department, he served as director of Countering Violent Extremism and as acting director of the office coordinating the 89-nation Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. He also served as senior counterterrorism advisor at INTERPOL in Lyon, France, and as senior political advisor in Helmand, Afghanistan, and was detailed to DHS and the FBI. He has led U.S. delegations around the world on counterterrorism and nuclear security. He is the author of “The Spy Archives: Hidden Lives, Secret Missions, and the History of Espionage.”
The Oct. 20 event is funded in part by an endowment by The Pilot Newspaper in honor of longtime North Carolina newspaper owner and editor Sam Ragan, intended to promote free sharing of information underscored in the First Amendment.
All events start at 7 p.m. at Owens Auditorium at Bradshaw Performing Arts Center. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; lobby doors open at 6 p.m. and theater doors at 6:30 p.m.
The 2026-27 Ruth Pauley Speakers class includes five experts chosen to discuss current topics affecting our world, inviting dialogue with the audience to drive deeper understanding. Tickets for each event are available one month prior to each discussion. The three remaining talks will take place in November, March and April at Owens Auditorium, located on the Sandhills Community College campus.
For more information on the season or how to donate: ruthpauley.org
