JWI's Virtual Leadership Lunch Series
Tracy Walder - a Jewish sorority girl-turned-CIA and FBI agent and author of the new book The Unexpected Spy, and co-author Jessica Anya Blau, join JWI to talk about Tracy's career in the CIA, and then FBI, during 9/11, and what it was like to navigate the male-dominated hierarchies of U.S. intelligence.
Tracy Walder worked as a staff operations officer (SOO) in the Central Intelligence Agency's Counterterrorism Center Weapons of Mass Destruction Group, and a special agent at the FBI. During her time at the CIA, Tracy travelled to war zones in many countries. She received numerous awards for her service from both the CIA and from foreign intelligence offices, including the counterterrorism medal and multiple exceptional performance awards. After the CIA, Tracy became a special agent at the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, specializing in Chinese counterintelligence operations. Following her time at the CIA and FBI, Tracy enrolled in both a master's and a teaching credential program. She taught history and a self-created course on national security and foreign policy for over a decade. Tracy now works as an author, adjunct professor of criminal justice at Texas Christian University, and sits on the board of directors of Girl Security, a nonpartisan organization increasing the representation of women in national security by building a pipeline for girls and young women through learning, training, and mentoring support. She has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, and has written national security pieces for Salon, the New York Post, HuffPo, and other publications. Tracy earned her degree in history from the University of Southern California and her master's in education from Chapman University.
Tracy is the author of The Unexpected Spy: My Secret Life Chasing Down Some of the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists (St. Martin's Press, Feb. 2020), which was an audiobook bestseller. Since its release it has been translated into Portuguese, Greek, Hebrew, and Korean. Additionally, ABC network and studio, in conjunction with Calamity Jane and Timberman/Beverly production companies, will create a TV series based on her book.
Jessica Anya Blau is the author of the nationally bestselling novel The Summer of Naked Swim Parties and the critically acclaimed Drinking Closer to Home. Her latest book is the The Trouble with Lexie.
