do they usually come from the ranks of the CIA itself, or from outside places..?
The head of the CIA is given the title Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), ODCI means Office of the Director of Central Intelligence. The DCI is not only the head of the CIA but also the leader of the entire U.S. intelligence community and the President's principal advisor on intelligence matters. A list of DCIs (in chronological order) follows.
| Rear Adm. Sidney W. Souers, USNR | January 23, 1946 - June 10, 1946 |
| Lt. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, USA | June 10, 1946 - May 1, 1947 |
| Rear Adm. Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, USN | May 1, 1947 - October 7, 1950 |
| Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, USA | October 7, 1950 - February 9, 1953 |
| Allen W. Dulles | February 26, 1953 - November 29, 1961 |
| John A. McCone | November 29, 1961 - April 28, 1965 |
| Vice Adm. William F. Raborn, Jr., USN (Ret.) | April 28, 1965 - June 30, 1966 |
| Richard M. Helms | June 30, 1966 - February 2, 1973 |
| James R. Schlesinger | February 2, 1973 - July 2, 1973 |
| William E. Colby | September 4, 1973 - January 30, 1976 |
| George H. W. Bush | January 30, 1976 - January 20, 1977 |
| Adm. Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret.) | March 9, 1977 - January 20, 1981 |
| William J. Casey | January 28, 1981 - January 29, 1987 |
| William H. Webster | May 26, 1987 - August 31, 1991 |
| Robert M. Gates | November 6, 1991 - January 20, 1993 |
| R. James Woolsey | February 5, 1993 - January 10, 1995 |
| John M. Deutch | May 10, 1995 - December 15, 1996 |
| George J. Tenet | July 11, 1997 - current / June 3, 2004 |
the next Director will be Rep. Porter Goss (R-FL)
William Casey remains the best of the CIA directors in my book.