Another Groundbreaking Boomer - Will She Be Next to Lead CIA?
By Cheryl Harbour

You may not be familiar with her name – the CIA prefers its people to keep a low profile. But Gina Haspel, now under consideration for CIA Director when Mike Pompeo steps into the role of Secretary of State, has worked for the CIA since 1985 and served as deputy director since February 2017.

If confirmed, Gina Haspel (born 1956) would be the first woman to lead the agency, after a string of 24 male directors. Similarly, the FBI has had 20 directors, but none of them was female.

Some other baby boomers have blazed trails in fields not typically open to women. Gen. Ann Dunwoody (born 1953) is the first woman to achieve four-star rank in any service. Mary Barra (born 1961), chair and CEO of General Motors, is the first woman to serve as CEO of a top-10 company in the Fortune 500.

Since Gina Haspel’s name was mentioned as the likely nominee for the next CIA Director, colleagues have praised her for her integrity and skillset, but her appointment is not without controversy.  During her long career with the CIA, she has been chief of station of multiple CIA outposts abroad, including a secret prison in Thailand where there are claims that waterboarding took place.

Click here to read more about the history of women in the CIA.

Photo: By Central Intelligence Agency, Public Domain, Wikipedia (cropped)

 




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