The Power in Diversity Recruitment: A Conversation with Shirley Sulick, Former CIA Official

October 12, 2016  |  11:45AM - 1:00PM
SAC 2.120

The CIA is vital to our Nation’s security, and it routinely appears as the top of rankings of best government employers.  Learn how the CIA seeks to attract, retain, and reward a diverse, inclusive workforce to help our leaders understand a complex world. Registration for UT students, faculty, and staff can be accessed here.

Shirley Sulick completed a quarter century career in US Government service as a CIA project manager specializing in diversity recruitment. In this role, she developed an ambitious hiring plan to increase diversity recruitment for CIA’s National Clandestine Service. To implement this plan, Mrs. Sulick pioneered and nurtured relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), and various minority civic organizations. She founded the CIA Diversity Advisory Council that monitored hiring procedures for the Clandestine Service and arranged several high level meetings and forums on diversity hiring between CIA directors and leaders in US higher education.

Prior to her service in diversity recruitment, Mrs. Sulick served in a number of positions in CIA headquarters as a personnel and human resources officer in various geographic components and an executive officer providing support to operations in the Middle East. She also provided support to clandestine operations while stationed overseas in Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In addition to her CIA service, Mrs. Sulick also worked for the Department of State as a consular assistant in Moscow and personnel officer in Warsaw, Lima and Tokyo.

For her service, Mrs. Sulick was awarded the CIA Career Commendation medal and the Agency Seal medal. After retiring from the CIA, Mrs. Sulick continued to work as a contractor for GEOCOM and CACI International specializing in diversity recruitment for the US intelligence community.