Access to information is crucial for the conduct of international diplomacy and cooperation. The U.S. State Department maintains its own intelligence shop for this purpose. As U.S. diplomacy has changed in response to the nature of global challenges, the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research has had to evolve as well. In honor of International Women's Day, Ellen E. McCarthy MPP ’88 will discuss how the bureau has adapted to recent global challenges and about her experiences as a woman in the field of international security.