AT THE CIA

DIVERSITY

&

INCLUSION

 1

We are the nation’s first line of defense. We preempt threats and further 

U.S. national security interests by collecting intelligence that matters. We 

produce objective all-source analysis, conduct covert action as directed by 

the President of the United States, and safeguard the secrets that help 

keep our nation safe.

This is the mission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It embodies 

our Agency’s work and the dedication of the officers who carry out this 

mission every day. 

Our officers are on the front lines around the world, working tirelessly 

to ensure that our customers – the President and senior policymakers 

– have the intelligence they need to make informed national security 

decisions. In doing so, CIA officers are guided by a professional ethos 

that includes the core values of service, integrity, excellence, courage, 

teamwork, and stewardship.

A mission this critical requires a diverse and inclusive workforce. Encouraging an Agency culture that values diversity of thought, experience and 

perspective helps us successfully carry out our mission.

CIA’S DIVERSE MISSION
THE IMPERATIVE OF 

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The United States is one of the most diverse nations on earth. Our 

national heritage is built on the work, ideas and beliefs of people 

from virtually every national origin, creed and culture. We achieve our 

greatest accomplishments when we draw on the talents of all parts of 

our society and bring diverse perspectives to our greatest challenges. 

Over the years, our Agency’s successes—and even our failures—have 

taught us that an important key to carrying out our mission is to have 

diverse perspectives, cultural insights, language capabilities and skill 

sets to draw from when making decisions. 

Patriotism has no barriers; it is not based in gender, ethnicity, ability, religion or sexual orientation. CIA seeks patriots from every background and has made diversity and inclusion a key priority today and 

in the years to come.

Diversity and inclusion relate to fairness and justice in the workplace. Fair treatment of your people is a key part of leadership. It 

is important to regularly ask yourself, ‘What have I done toward 

diversity and inclusion? What more could I do? What’s holding me 

back?’ Then act, with the courage and dedication you bring to the 

rest of work at CIA.

— Senior National Clandestine Service Officer
 3

Diversity is not only about mission. It is also about our bedrock belief 

as Americans in equality of opportunity. And we are fortunate that our 

nation offers such a tremendous variety of talented women and men to 

draw from—the first requirement of a truly global intelligence service.

— Director John Brennan

The formula for a successful career usually 

involves hard work, a commitment to excellence and the technical expertise required to 

carry out one’s duties. According to Carl, a 

CIA Senior Intelligence Service (SIS) officer, 

an additional element of success is often 

overlooked: mentoring. 

“I stand on the shoulders of those who came 

before me,” Carl explains. “The many people 

who acted as mentors, sponsors and champions for me paved the way for my success and 

prepared me for the ’right now’ moments in 

my career.“

MENTORING

MATTERS

CARL

And what were Carl’s “right now” moments? Those unique opportunities that let 

him demonstrate his talents while tackling 

challenging assignments. Throughout his 

25-year career with CIA, Carl has used these 

opportunities to his advantage. He managed 

the Agency’s IT infrastructure and attended 

some of the most prestigious executive leadership courses in the nation.

To pay it forward, Carl now makes a unique 

effort to reach back to young minority employees within the CIA family to ensure they 

have ”right now” opportunities. He serves as 

a mentor and has established an employee 

resource group dedicated to building a 

strong cadre of minority officers. 

“It’s important for me to continue the cycle 

and be a champion for the next generation 

of Agency officers,” Carl says. “These are the 

Agency’s future leaders, so I want to make 

sure they have the resources they need—just 

as I had—to reach their fullest potential.”

SNAPSHOTS OF DIVERSITY IN ACTION
A LOOK BACK

At the end of World War II, Major General William J. Donovan, head 

of the CIA’s predecessor organization, the Office of Strategic Services 

(OSS), described the OSS as an “experiment ... to determine whether a 

group of Americans from a variety of racial origins, abilities, temperaments, and talents” could succeed at the difficult tasks of intelligence. 

Each day, we continue that experiment. Each day, we show what Americans of diverse backgrounds can achieve together.

Throughout the CIA’s history, officers from all walks of life have served 

their country proudly—some even making the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives for the mission. The Memorial Wall located in the CIA’s 

Original Headquarters Building is a simple and silent tribute to honor 

officers who have died in service. Among these fallen officers are African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Middle Eastern 

Americans, men and women, support and operations officers alike. 

Diversity and inclusion compose the critical elements leading 

to innovation. We know that CIA’s mission cannot succeed without 

the rich range of voices, perspectives and experiences to address 

the ever-increasing challenges we face as a nation. Dedicated and 

talented women and men from all backgrounds come to CIA and 

draw on all that they can offer to our shared mission. 

— Director, Center for Mission Diversity & Inclusion
 5

The U.S. government has made great 

progress toward inclusive policies that have 

opened doors for Americans to serve their 

country openly, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In 1996 the CIA 

lifted security policies that excluded openly 

gay officers. Today, officers from all walks of 

life contribute to our mission each day.

Michael, an analyst in CIA’s Open Source 

Center, joined the Agency five years ago 

after finishing his bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics. His passion for foreign affairs and national security 

attracted him to CIA, even though he was 

unsure if being openly gay would limit his 

progression at the Agency. 

“Being gay does not impact my work—and 

that’s the critical point,” Michael says. “My 

SERVING 

WITH PRIDE

MICHAEL

experience has actually been quite the opposite. I’ve had nothing but a positive and 

welcoming experience—even direct vocal 

support from management–which allows 

me to focus solely on my job.”

As an open source analyst, Michael writes 

analysis for senior policymakers—including 

the President of the United States—on issues of importance in the Middle East and 

East Asia, an experience that—20 years 

ago—he may not have been afforded. He is 

an active member of ANGLE, the Agency’s 

employee resource group for Lesbian, Gay, 

Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) officers, 

and actively participates in LGBT outreach 

with CIA’s Recruitment Center. 

“I want other members of the LGBT community to know that the Agency offers a 

supportive environment for them to really 

make a difference in the world,” Michael 

says. “Being able to serve openly has been 

rewarding on so many levels: the most significant being the knowledge that I work 

in an inclusive environment that welcomes 

my unique perspective. Everyone deserves 

that peace of mind, and I am happy to have 

found it here at the CIA.”

What prepares a person for a career at CIA? 

A college degree, relevant professional experience and language capabilities don’t hurt. 

But sometimes life experiences are more 

significant in preparing CIA officers for the 

resilience, self sufficiency and sacrifice required in the intelligence gathering business. 

Sally, a deployed support officer in the Directorate of Support, grew up in Rhodesia 

(now known as Zimbabwe) in the midst of 

its civil war. She witnessed the destruction 

and despair of a war-torn country first-hand 

at an early age. 

THE ROAD 

LESS TRAVELED

SALLY 

“I learned how to handle weapons and drive 

an armored, landmine-proof vehicle when I 

was just 12 years old,” Sally explains. “You 

cannot grow up this way and not be deeply 

affected and forever changed.”

Growing up in a war zone gave Sally the resilience she’d need to face the tough decisions 

she would make later in life. As a wife and a 

mother of two, she made a very difficult decision to leave her career in private industry 

and join the CIA when her husband (also an 

Agency officer) accepted an overseas assignment. No stranger to living abroad, Sally was 

a source of strength for her family during 

their transition. Her family lived overseas for 

more than a decade—sometimes living apart 

for years at a time. 

At the Agency, Sally’s comfort with living 

abroad allowed her to work counterterrorism issues in multiple countries after 9/11. 

When she returned to the U.S., she used her 

familiarity with living and working overseas 

to help streamline processes for Agency 

officers preparing for overseas assignments. 

“There certainly were hardships being far 

from the friends and family in the United 

States all those years, Sally says. “But the satisfaction that what I do makes a difference 

and supports the Agency’s mission makes 

the sacrifice well worth it.”

SNAPSHOTS OF DIVERSITY IN ACTION
The CIA is taking great strides to build a workforce that better reflects 

the diversity of the nation we serve. We’ve developed robust outreach and recruitment strategies to help broaden the public’s understanding of our unique mission.

Inside the Agency, we are working to ensure our officers’ views are 

heard and that their ideas and skills are given due consideration. CIA 

officers are encouraged to participate in mentoring, coaching and 

training, and they are recognized for collaborative and inclusive behaviors that foster employee engagement, professional development, 

and career advancement. 

MOVING FORWARD

Truth isn’t resident in a single perspective or the product of one 

mind. To discover it means to come at it from several directions, to 

question what is seen to be certain that it is what it actually is. The 

more we question, the more we look, the more we consider, the 

closer we will get to the wisdom we are being asked to offer.

— Director, Information Operations Center 

& D/CIA’s Senior Advisor for Cyber
 7

One of the biggest myths about working 

for CIA is that our officers’ dedication to 

mission makes work-life balance impossible. 

In reality, the Agency has a number of safety 

nets in place to ensure officers can meet 

the demands of mission while still tending 

to the needs of their families. For Lucy, the 

only child of her elderly parents, this safety 

net was invaluable. 

Lucy was in her first year of service with the 

Agency when both of her parents fell critically ill. Lucy assumed the role of caregiver, 

making frequent trips home to follow up on 

the medical needs of both parents.

FAMILY 

MATTERS

BREAKING 

BARRIERS

LUCY

JAMES

“I was under an enormous amount of stress 

when my parents were sick,” Lucy says. “As 

a new officer, I wasn’t sure how supportive 

my management would be when I told 

them I’d need to take extended leave to care 

for them.”

Lucy received full support for her time away 

and was able to use the Agency’s Medical 

Leave Bank, a benefit extended to all CIA 

officers that provides donated sick leave for 

employees to use during extended periods 

of medical leave. 

“My family is very important to me, but so 

is the mission,” Lucy says. “It is a huge relief 

to know that my responsibility to my family 

will not interfere with my contributions to 

the mission.”

Lucy is now working as an analyst in the 

Directorate of Intelligence, where she uses 

her Korean language proficiency to help 

translate and analyze information on her account. With both of her parents fully recovered, Lucy has set her sights on an overseas 

assignment in the near future.

“I joined the Agency to make a meaningful 

contribution to a mission that is very important to me,” Lucy continues. “Life can be unpredictable, but it is great to know that, at 

the CIA, I’ll always have the support I need 

to face those unexpected obstacles and still 

return to a job that I love.”

Since its founding in 1947, the CIA has 

played a critical role in helping the U.S. 

overcome its greatest national security challenges. Our mission requires agility, flexibility 

and resilience—traits that have particular 

significance to James, a National Clandestine 

Service officer. 

In 2006, James was critically wounded while 

serving as a marine in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Despite losing both legs, James viewed 

his injury as a bump in the road that would 

not knock him out of the fight. “Giving up 

was never an option for me,” James says. 

“Giving up would have given the terrorists 

the satisfaction of having put down one 

more American.”

Through its partnership with Operation Warfighter, a federal internship program for recovering service members, the CIA extended 

an offer of employment to James so he could 

continue serving his country as an intelligence 

officer. His years of training as a marine and 

his expertise in telecommunications fit in well 

with the NCS mission. 

“I never thought I would be a CIA officer, and 

I’m very grateful to the Agency for the opportunities I’ve been afforded,” James says. 

“There’s definitely a lot of fight in me, and I’ll 

continue to do it until I can’t anymore.” 

After successfully completing his technical 

and physical training, James returned to 

Iraq—close to the very location where he 

lost his legs— and became the first double 

amputee to serve in an overseas assignment 

with the Agency. As a Technical Information 

Security Officer, James manages the critical 

SNAPSHOTS OF DIVERSITY IN ACTION

communications networks for operations officers in the field. He continues to overcome 

the perceived limitations of his disability. 

“Barriers and lines can always be broken,” 

James says. “If I were scared of failing, I 

wouldn’t be here.”
8

In the National Clandestine Service 

(NCS), understanding the culture and 

perspectives of people around the 

world is critical to carrying out the 

CIA’s global mission. NCS officers 

are called on to collect intelligence in 

some of the world’s most challenging 

environments—a task that requires 

an elite group of men and women 

shaped by diverse ethnic, educational, and professional backgrounds. 

As an organization, the NCS is focused on creating work environments 

that treat people fairly and values 

every officer for the skills he or she 

contributes to achieving the mission. 

The NCS strives to foster a culture 

that invites and enables all officers 

to leverage their unique talents in 

innovative ways, welcoming new approaches and ideas that advance the 

NCS’s goals. 

In the NCS, several offices work 

together to promote diversity and 

inclusion. Through robust outreach 

and engagement, this team develops initiatives and conducts activities 

that emphasize inclusion as a mission 

imperative. This approach—recognizing and valuing diverse skills and 

life experiences—empowers NCS 

officers to express their ideas and use 

their strengths and talents to achieve 

mission success. 

The mission of the Directorate of 

Intelligence (DI) is to understand the 

world in all its complexity. Drawing 

on a vast mix of information—classified and unclassified—DI officers 

apply their expertise to offer our 

government unique insights about 

events and trends overseas. 

DI analysts and production specialists 

require an extraordinary diversity of 

experience and perspective. For the 

DI, uniformity of thinking is a recipe 

for failure. 

The DI has a series of programs and 

initiatives to attract, develop, and retain the talent it needs, each designed 

to assist its officers in building careers 

of satisfaction and impact. From active affinity groups that consult with 

senior leaders to the daily teamwork 

that defines all-source analysis, the 

DI’s emphasis is on inclusion—seeing 

that each of its officers is contributing 

to the fullest of his or her potential. 

That is not only true to our values as 

Americans, it makes for better, more 

useful intelligence products. 

As one way to ensure the broad 

range of subject-matter expertise 

and intellectual innovation that good 

intelligence analysis demands, the 

DI recruits Americans from many 

backgrounds with a variety of skills. 

DI analysts are expected to know 

international issues and cultures—

what is happening now in their areas 

of interest and what could happen 

next. Working together, they keep 

our government informed about the 

world today and help it prepare for 

the world tomorrow.

NATIONAL 

CLANDESTINE SERVICE

DIRECTORATE 

OF INTELLIGENCE

The CIA has four basic components, 

referred to as directorates. Each directorate plays a critical role in the 

intelligence cycle—the process of 

collecting, analyzing and disseminating intelligence to top U.S. government officials. Equally important 

is each directorate’s commitment to 

diversity and inclusion in advancing 

the Agency’s global mission. 

ADVANCING THE 

GLOBAL MISSION

The Director’s Area (DIR) is the corporate arm of the 

Agency and includes offices such as public affairs, 

congressional affairs, military affairs, information 

management, corporate finance, the Open Source 

Center, human resources, the Office of General 

Counsel, and corporate strategy and policy. The CIA’s 

Center for Mission Diversity and Inclusion (CMDI) is 

also part of the DIR Area. CMDI develops and manages programs designed to enhance diversity and 

inclusion throughout the entire Agency. CMDI serves 

as the single point of contact for employees seeking 

information, advice, or assistance on a wide range 

of programs and issues, such as anti-discrimination 

laws, disability accommodations, dispute resolution, 

employee resource groups, and diversity outreach. 

CMDI promotes the Agency belief that diversity in 

culture is linked with diversity of skills, knowledge, 

and experiences. 

THE DIRECTOR’S AREA
 9

The Directorate of Support (DS) 

is the CIA’s most occupationally diverse directorate and encompasses 

financial support, logistics, personnel resources, facilities, security and 

medical services. Given its eclectic 

mission, advancing diversity and inclusion is essential to the DS’s longterm success.

DS officers solve the complex support challenges that enable the 

CIA to carry out its global mission. 

To gain a competitive edge, the DS 

employs the nation’s top diverse talent from across many occupational 

sectors, backgrounds, generations, 

beliefs and abilities, and the directorate is continually expanding its 

outreach to connect with diverse 

communities. The DS has fostered 

partnerships with organizations such 

as the Thurgood Marshall College 

Fund. Out in Science, Technology, 

Engineering and Mathematics, 

Women in Technology, and a host of 

diverse professional organizations. 

Internally, the DS promotes a highly 

collaborative, globally-focused work 

environment where all employee 

perspectives, ideas and solutions are 

valued and considered. By nurturing 

individuality and respect, the DS 

is preparing its workforce to meet 

evolving intelligence mission challenges and contribute at the highest 

level to the CIA’s critical mission.

In the Directorate of Science and 

Technology (DS&T), diversity and 

inclusion are the catalysts for innovation, creativity and technological advancement. The DS&T encourages a 

culture of inclusion that respects and 

capitalizes on the distinct characteristics of Agency officers—their knowledge, expertise, background and life 

experiences—to help solve national 

intelligence problems with bold technical operations and tradecraft. 

The diversity of skills in the DS&T 

directly impacts the success of the 

Agency’s mission. DS&T officers have 

expertise in nuclear physics, biology, 

computer science, engineering, imagery analysis, math, political science 

and geography. Their breadth of skills 

and experience enables them to develop creative, proven solutions that 

meet the needs of U.S. policymakers 

and the Intelligence Community.

Historically, the DS&T has partnered 

with exceptional programs such as 

the Hispanic Engineering National 

Achievement Awards Conference, 

the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, the Society of 

Women Engineers, and the Indigenous Alliance for Engineering and Science Education. These partnerships 

enhance the CIA’s recruitment efforts 

by informing these populations of 

the Agency’s career opportunities in 

the science, technology, engineering 

and mathematics fields. This will 

ensure the DS&T has the diversity 

of thought, skills and perspective to 

sustain the level of excellence the 

mission demands for years to come.

DIRECTORATE 

OF SUPPORT

DIRECTORATE OF 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Agency Network of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, 

and Transgender Officers and Allies (ANGLE)

American Veterans Employee Resource Group 

(AVERG)

Asian Pacific American Organization (APAO)

Black Executive Board (BEB)

Blacks in Government, UMOJA Chapter

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advisory Council 

(DHHAC)

Directorate of Intelligence African-American 

Careerists (DIAAC)

DisAbility Advisory Panel (DAP)

DI Women’s Council

Directorate of Science & Technology 

Women’s Council

Hispanic Advisory Council (HAC)

Multicultural Inclusion Exchange (MIX)

Native American Council (NAC)

National Clandestine Service Women’s Council

Near East Affinity Group (NEAG)

Senior Intelligence Service Women’s Council

South Asian Leadership and Advisory 

Membership (SALAAM)

The Network (for CIA’s early- to mid-career 

professionals)

CIA’S EMPLOYEE

RESOURCE GROUPS

The CIA’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), 

are critical to the present and future mission impact of CIA. CIA ERGs provide the 

Agency’s leadership with insights into issues 

of importance to its members, recommend 

solutions to workplace challenges, and offer 

ideas on the development, management 

and advancement of ERG members. 
10

SNAPSHOTS OF DIVERSITY IN ACTION

For many Americans, the terrorist attacks of 

Sept. 11, 2001 have an everlasting impact. 

They remember where they were, what they 

were doing and who they were talking to. 

For Javier, a Technical Intelligence Officer 

with the Directorate of Science & Technology, it was the moment he was called to serve 

his country.

“Growing up, I had never seriously considered working for the federal government at 

all,” Javier says. “But 9/11 changed everything for me.“

As a teenager, Javier emigrated from Latin 

America to New York City with his family. 

On that particular September morning in 

DEVOTION 

TO DUTY

JAVIER 

2001, he was working as an intern in the 

World Trade Center South Tower when the 

first plane hit. Javier witnessed the tragic 

events first hand.

“After the attacks, I wanted to be a part of 

a team that worked to ensure this type of 

tragedy never happened again,” Javier says. 

“I survived, so I felt that I had to do something significant with my time.”

At the recommendation of a friend, Javier 

had already applied for a job at CIA during 

his post-college job search. He was torn 

between two job offers and was leaning 

toward a private sector job with a higher salary. After the attacks, he contacted his CIA 

recruiter, asked for his security processing to 

be expedited and moved to the Washington 

DC area. He joined the CIA in October 2001. 

Over the past 12 years, he has worked 

shoulder to shoulder with CIA officers and 

foreign officials in support of counterterrorism and counter narcotics efforts around the 

world. His native language ability and keen 

understanding of Latin culture has allowed 

him to contribute to the CIA’s mission in a 

meaningful way. 

 “I have driven the streets in war zones looking for bad guys, flown in foreign air spaces, 

and plowed through jungles—all in support 

of the Agency’s global mission, “Javier says.

Though he never imagined this career path, 

Javier considers his work at the Agency as 

one of the most challenging, yet rewarding 

experiences of his life. “I joined the CIA because I wanted to make a big difference in 

the world,” he says. “Every day that I come 

to work, I’m able to do just that.”

CIA officers are drawn to public service for 

a variety of reasons, but the unifying factor 

for most is mission. For Fatima, a first-generation U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, the 

terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 changed 

the trajectory of her life, inspiring bold action that set her path to CIA in motion. 

“After the attacks, I realized how little I really understood about my culture,” Fatima 

said. “I wanted to be able to answer the 

questions I was often asked and help negate some of the assumptions people make 

about the Muslim faith.”

COURAGE 

TO SERVE

FATIMA

Fatima enrolled in graduate school and 

studied International Affairs. After finishing 

her degree, she began charting her path to 

a career in intelligence. She started out in local law enforcement then moved to federal 

law enforcement. Eventually, Fatima’s desire 

to have a more direct role in U.S. counterterrorism efforts led her to CIA. She joined the 

Agency as a counterterrorism analyst in the 

Directorate of Intelligence (DI). 

“CIA is the crown jewel of the Intelligence 

Community,” Fatima says. “I wanted to be 

at the forefront of the counterterrorism mission to help preempt another attack against 

the U.S. As the only Pakistani and Urdu 

speaking member of my team, I am able to 

add cultural, linguistic and historical context 

when things are ambiguous, which really 

enables me and my colleagues to make a 

greater impact on the mission.”

But Fatima’s dedication to mission isn’t always easy. Because she is a covert officer, 

Fatima must use discretion when talking 

about her employment. Her friends—and 

until recently her own family—do not know 

where she works. 

“I just recently told my father where I work, 

and my mom still doesn’t know,” Fatima 

explains. “My parents are very traditional, 

and had a much different vision for my life 

than I did, which has caused a bit of tension 

within my family. My decision to serve at 

CIA took a lot of courage, but for me, the 

greater good of helping protect the country 

I love is well worth it.”
At CIA, we recognize that our people are our greatest 

resource. Every day, we count on our workforce to come up 

with innovative ways of accomplishing mission; to develop and 

apply expertise to the intelligence challenges facing our agency; 

and to work as a team to protect our nation’s security. Accordingly, we must do everything possible to attract individuals from 

every segment of society and from all manners of backgrounds, 

cultures, and ethnicities. The United States has a remarkable 

reservoir of talent. It is up to us to make full use of it and to 

welcome diversity of thought in the workplace to achieve the 

best result for our national security objectives.

— CIA Executive Director


A PUBLICATION FROM 

THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

WWW.CIA.GOV

JULY 2014

DESIGNED AND PRINTED BY IPS #10012383112

*all stories contained in this publication are real. however, the images used are commercially available stock photos and not 

those of cia employees.