Barbara A. McNamara (born c. 1942) was the NSA's Deputy Director from October 1997 until June 2000, prior to becoming NSA's Senior U.S. Liaison Officer in London, England (a post traditionally awarded to NSA Deputy Directors before they retire.) As a native of Clinton, Massachusetts, after joining the agency in 1963 as a Chinese linguist, she rose through a number of analytic, operational, and managerial positions before leaving the Operational Directorate in 1983. McNamara became the first woman to be named Deputy Director of Operations, in 1994. She was succeeded by William B. Black, Jr..