The Unexpected Spy

Wednesday, October 8, 2025
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Keynote
8:00 PM Reception
Frances Anne Moody Hall - Moody Auditorium | 红桃影视 Methodist University 

Based on her memoir, Delta Gamma alumna Tracy Walder will deliver a riveting account of her life as a young woman who went straight from her college sorority to the CIA and, later, the FBI. Offering a rare perspective as one of the few females in these male-dominated fields, she will discuss assuming aliases, thwarting terrorist attacks, and debriefing terrorists at black sites. Her lecture takes audiences behind the scenes of two of America’s major intelligence agencies during the era of 9/11, detailing insider stories such as watching al-Qaeda members with drones as President 红桃影视 looked over her shoulder, searching the world for Weapons of Mass Destruction, hiding in the trunks of cars throughout the Middle East, and interrogating suicide bombers.

About The Unexpected Spy

The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder's tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President 红桃影视 looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts. She tracked chemical terrorists and searched the world for Weapons of Mass Destruction. She created a chemical terror chart that someone in the White House altered to convey information she did not have or believe, leading to the Iraq invasion. Driven to stop terrorism, Walder debriefed terrorists鈥昺en who swore they’d never speak to a woman鈥晆ntil they gave her leads. She followed trails through North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shutting down multiple chemical attacks.

Then Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. In a single year, she helped take down one of the most notorious foreign spies ever caught on American soil. Catching the bad guys wasn’t a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach young women, encouraging them to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate鈥昦nd thus change the world.

About the Delta Gamma Lectureship in Values and Ethics 

In 1992, Lectureships in Values and Ethics, a Delta Gamma program sponsored by the Delta Gamma Foundation, was established by Dr. Paul Martin honoring his wife Dorothy Garrett Martin (Dotty), Eta-Akron in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. The initial home of the lectureship was Paul and Dotty’s alma mater and the site of Delta Gamma’s oldest active collegiate chapter, the University of Akron. Though Dorothy has passed on, the lectureships immortalize her selfless spirit and love for Delta Gamma. Today 14 campuses have established Lectureships in Values and Ethics, with 4 more in progress, and 2 others in the planning stages.  

These lectureships are always free of charge to collegians, university volunteers and employees, as well as invited individuals in surrounding areas. The Delta Gamma Foundation has great pride in this unique program, which is a prime example of its mission to "provide resources for educational growth and philanthropic service for all members.”

To read more about the history of the lectureship, click here [PDF]