BREAKING GLASS CEILINGS

CSG alumna Lucy Kirk ’58 persevered to land coveted roles in the CIA

When Commencement speaker Lucy Kirk ’58 entered a special training program upon joining the CIA, she experienced a major culture shock.

Kirk, who had for the majority of her educational career attended all-girl schools, found herself in a class with nine women and 90 men.

“I wasn’t prepared for that,” she said.

But throughout her career in the CIA, which spanned from 1967 to 2000, Kirk worked to overcome the adversity she faced as a female in a male-dominated field. And throughout it all, she used the foundational skills she said her education at Columbus School for Girls provided her.

“I just got a fabulous education there,” she said.

Kirk first attended CSG in kindergarten, but later left to attend public school, returning to CSG in Form VIII and staying through Upper School. During her time as a Unicorn, Kirk was heavily involved in student council, serving as Secretary her junior year and President her senior year.

After graduating from CSG, Kirk knew she wanted to do something different, but was unsure exactly what path to take. She headed to Wellesley College and earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies.

One of the defining moments of Kirk’s early life came after she earned her undergraduate degree, when she spent time living with a family in Argentina for the Experiment in International Living program. She fell in love with the area and the culture, and the experience sparked an interest in an international relations career.

After graduating with a master’s degree in International Relations and Latin American Studies, Kirk joined the CIA. As a female in a male-dominated workforce, she faced a considerable amount of discrimination and struggled to get overseas assignments.

“I really didn’t want people to dislike me,” Kirk said. “I wasn’t out to rattle cages and have fights.” Despite these challenges, Kirk persevered. During the course of her career, she held positions of increasing responsibility in multiple cities across the country including New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

From 1989 to 1993, she served stateside as a Chief of Station, working in close collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, The Immigration and Naturalization Services, and U.S. Customs. She served as the liaison officer within the Office of Congressional Affairs from 1993 to 1996 before serving in London as the First Secretary of the U.S. Embassy from 1996 to 1999.

“I had the best assignment of my life,” she said of her service abroad. “It was just wonderful.”

After leaving the CIA, Kirk continued to stay active, pursuing a new career in real estate and teaching courses about the Cold War. In 2020, she published her first book, The Poison Factory: Operation Kamera, a spy novel set in 2012.

In addition to spending time writing her own stories, Kirk has remained focused on learning the stories of others. Though time has passed since Kirk first received her education at CSG, she’s very much still a student, taking courses in literature and history where she lives in New York City.

Lucy Kirk ’58