She returned to the United States to pursue "a graduate degree in modern political economy, and ... was spotted by a CIA recuiter.
[1][4] Mahle has received multiple awards from the CIA for exceptional intelligence work performance and her efforts to recruit agents.
For the documentary Secrecy in 2008, which opened at the Sundance Film Festival, she featured in and advised filmmakers Peter Galison and Robb Moss on practices within the Intelligence Community.
For the film Salt (2010), she advised actors Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, and Chiwetel Ejiofor on their as well as director Phillip Noyce on script and visuals.
For the film Hanna (2011), she advised actress Cate Blanchett on her role and director Joe Wright on script.