In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, CIA Director Bill Burns welcomed Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), to CIA Headquarters for an event hosted by CIA’s Hispanic Advisory Council (HAC). Director Burns took note of Congressman Castro’s commitment to diversity, and what diversity means to CIA.
“At CIA, we should not only admire Congressman Castro’s steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion. We should model it,” said the Director. “This means recruiting—and retaining—a diverse workforce to take on the diverse global challenges we face.”
Congressman Castro spoke to the workforce about the importance of persistence and resiliency, and reinforced core CIA values such as teamwork and courage.
“We’ve worked hard in HPSCI to challenge the Directors of each of the Agencies to challenge the Agency culture where necessary, so that it’s more inclusive, more representative of the people who make up the country. And so we’re going to continue that work,” said Congressman Castro. “I hope you all will take every opportunity, to the extent that you can, to work with the Hispanic groups at other intelligence agencies to do the same thing and push in the same way. Because I think your pushing from the inside and our pushing form the outside will make a difference and improve the representation of Latinos and Latinas here at the CIA and within the intelligence community.”
This event was part of the HAC’s broader goal of recognizing not only the Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx officers’ contributions to CIA but also their diverse heritages. During the month, we are celebrating our Hispanic officers who represent a range of countries, backgrounds, and shades, with the theme of HerenCIA or Heritage. Throughout the month, the HAC is hosting events celebrating and educating CIA’s workforce on this rich and diverse community.
“In short, Hispanic and Latinx Americans are a major source of strength for both our Agency and our country, and I’m honored to recognize their achievements and pay tribute to their rich heritage,” Director Burns said. “The Hispanic Advisory Council has done tremendous work to move us in this direction. [They’ve] worked to both recruit the next generation of officers and to develop our existing workforce. [They’ve] sharpened CIA’s focus on diversity and inclusion. And [they’ve] promoted an environment where officers can perform to their full potential.”
At CIA, we strive to foster an environment that’s not just leveraging diversity but embracing and celebrating it. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as job opportunities, in our careers section.
