“When I first went into the CIA, I was looking for a mentor, a woman moving up the ladder ahead of me, and I could not find one,” she said. Determined and ambitious women ahead of her remained secretaries. She told the audience, “I have learned, as you have, that change comes very slowly.”
Ironically, Plame noted that during World War II, many women "served brilliantly" in the CIA's predecessor organization, the Office of Strategic Services. Some provided valuable intelligence from behind enemy lines. But after the CIA was established in 1947, women went back to their traditonal roles as secretaries and analysts.
Now, she said, she wants to encourage women to be part of the decision-making process.