PAST EVENTS

2023

December 4, 2023 - Volunteering at the Junior Special Agent Program Holiday Party

The FBI Washington Field Office is planning a holiday party for the students enrolled in their Junior Special Agent program on Monday, December 4 at JC Nalle Elementary in DC.  Alumni members are invited to volunteer and assist with the facilitation of the party. The students will be playing games and partaking in some treats. 

AUGUST 4, 2023 - WFO Citizens Academy Alumni Range Day

The FBI Washington Field Office Community Outreach Team will be hosting a Citizens Academy Alumni Range Day held at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA. Please join us for a firearms demonstration and the opportunity to mingle with other alumni members.

AUGUST 1, 2023 - National Night Out

On Tuesday, August 1, thousands of D.C. residents will join their neighbors, police officers, and other community leaders to celebrate National Night Out (NNO). From community cookouts to open houses, block parties, candlelight vigils, and athletic events, D.C. is gearing up for the annual celebration of “America’s Night Out Against Crime.” In addition to the numerous activities at the kickoff event, communities across D.C. – in all seven police districts – have scheduled NNO events during late afternoon and evening hours on August 1. Times vary based on the selected District. Refer to the website below for times.

The NNO campaign involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations, and local officials from 9,500 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide.

The NNO is designed to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

For more information about the events in D.C., visit https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/national-night-out.

JULY 28, 2023 - Tour of the FBI Threat Screening Center

This is our 2nd in-person tour of the phenomenal, powerful, and moving FBI Threat Screening Center (TSC) in Vienna, VA (previously known as the Terrorist Screening Center). The TSC keeps the American people safe by sharing terrorism-related information across the U.S. government and with other law enforcement agencies.

Come join us for this rare opportunity to see behind the doors of the TSC and gain a better understanding of the importance of the work they do here.

JULY 18, 2023 - Meet Katrina King, Recipient of a 2022 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award

Katrina King, a devoted mother and grandmother, lost her 20-year-old daughter Kirstyn to an opioid overdose. Once a successful corporate account exec with telecom, Katrina found purpose years after her daughter died through her involvement with The FBIs Chasing the Dragon documentary. Since then, she's served as a certified SUD recovery professional to build/improve systems while assisting hundreds of young adults and returning citizens from incarceration (and families), through crisis stabilization beyond recovery. Katrina resigned from George Mason University after five and a half years as a key contributor to the creation and statewide expansion of Empowered Communities Project, a cross-sector collaboration.

She's spoken in schools and public forums, testified to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and advocated for policy change. Katrina now prioritizes self-care while addressing other facets of the SUD crisis. She plans to finish school and publish a book in early 2024, and is launching a podcast in the summer of 2023.

Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg presented Katrina King, senior community coordinator of the Empowered Communities Opioid Project, with the Washington Field Office’s FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) during a ceremony held at the Northern Virginia Resident Agency in Manassas, Virginia, on April 25, 2023. The award recognizes King’s work as a vocal advocate and resource for those struggling with opioid addiction and her assistance to law enforcement in combating the opioid crisis.

JUNE 14, 2023 - Meet Renowned Author Alan Jacobson

Meet USA Today Bestselling Author, Alan Jacobson. He will be speaking primarily about his detailed and intensive research about the FBI and law enforcement, which is featured heavily in his phenomenal thriller/mystery books.

He is graduating from the FBI WFO Citizens Academy on June 3rd, and we are excited to welcome him as a guest speaker!

For more information about him and his books, visit: https://alanjacobson.com/about-the-author/ 

JUNE 3, 2023 - Spring Graduation Lunch at Quantico

Celebration of the graduates from the Spring Citizens Academy at Quantico.

MAY 30, 2023 - FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division

Come learn about the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) from Liaison Specialist Megan Root. The CJIS is a high-tech hub in the hills of West Virginia that provides a range of state of-the-art tools and services to law enforcement, national security and intelligence community partners, and the general public.

Liaison Specialist Megan Root has been with the FBI for over 8 years, with her entire career at the CJIS Division. She entered on duty as a Legal Instruments Examiner in the National Instant Criminal Background Check Section, was a Management and Program Analyst for the NICS Assessment Unit, and then transitioned to a Liaison Specialist for the NICS Business Relations Team.  After completing a TDY with the NCIC Operations and Policy Unit, Ms. Root accepted the position as the Liaison Specialist that leads the Community Outreach Program for the CJIS Division. In the past 2 years, the program has grown exponentially with approximately 250 CJIS employee volunteers who support a variety of events across the nation.  Ms. Root oversees the Community Outreach Program while also fulfilling collateral duties for the Law Enforcement Engagement Unit, such as CJIS’s Field Office Outreach initiative.

APRIL 12, 2023 - Josh Campbell

Josh Campbell is an award-winning CNN correspondent covering national security, guns, and law enforcement. 

He reports both domestically and internationally, and provides analysis across CNN platforms. He can often be found deployed to the scenes of critical incidents, helping lead the network's breaking news coverage of issues involving public safety and security.

Campbell won an Emmy in 2021 for reporting on the murder of George Floyd, and continued to break news in the prosecution of the Minnesota officers charged in Floyd's death. His work has also gained Emmy nominations for reporting on terrorism and immigration issues, and he was part of the CNN team honored with the 2020 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for coverage on the ground in Istanbul reporting on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He joined CNN following a career in national security as a supervisory special agent with the FBI. His work included: continued deployments overseas responding to terrorist attacks and kidnappings as a member of the FBI's global response team; online undercover operations; fugitive apprehensions and extraditions; diplomatic postings to American embassies abroad; spokesperson and crisis communication liaison with the White House and National Security Council; and Special Assistant to the Director of the FBI.

Campbell received four FBI Combat Theater Awards for his work embedded with military special operations and CIA teams abroad, and was honored for his squad's pioneering efforts utilizing cutting edge technology to disrupt imminent terrorist plots overseas. In his years serving overseas, he trained hundreds of foreign law enforcement, military, and intelligence officers in conducting interviews and interrogations, intelligence collection, crime scene management, and the rule of law.

Campbell is an adjunct Senior Fellow with the Center for a New American Security, served as adjunct professor for digital and national security at the University of Southern California, and is the author of a book on the FBI. In addition, he is a reserve military officer with past assignments in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific.

He holds an M.A. in Communication from Johns Hopkins, a B.A. in Government from The University of Texas at Austin, and received Arabic language immersion training at Middlebury College.

March 15, 2023 - Cyber Security Awareness for Small Organizations 

The FBI St. Louis CAAA Chapter hosted a webinar on "Cyber Security Awareness for Small Organizations". The webinar kicked off a year-long initiative by the St. Louis Chapter to educated smaller organizations about low-to-no-cost steps they can take to prevent costly cyber attacks. 

The speaker was Gary Chan, former President of the FBI St. Louis CAAA Chapter and Technology Officer on the board of the Greater St. Louis Area Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Gary helps organizations innovate, stay secure, and meet compliance using information security as the vehicle. 

February 21, 2023 - FBI National Academy

At a time when community trust is a precious commodity for all those who protect and serve, communication is considered a function of leadership. Ken White and Gail Pennybacker are instructors of communication for the FBI. As such, their primary responsibilities for the Bureau are to research, develop and train FBI and global local law enforcement leaders on communication strategies. 

White and Pennybacker will discuss the evolution of law enforcement communion and why “no
comment” is no longer acceptable as a response. They’ve created a strategy taught inside and outside the
FBI that allows police executives to recognize the vital connection between proactive law enforcement
communication efforts and operational effectiveness. Their orientation is for law enforcement to not simply “accommodate the media” but consider their agency’s own ability through social media to directly connect with those they serve.

https://le.fbi.gov/training-resources#National-Academy

2022

November 30, 2022 - Mark Safarik

Mark Safarik was a senior member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, during which time he established himself as an internationally recognized expert in the analysis and interpretation of violent criminal behavior. His law enforcement career spans over 31 years, during which time he worked in all levels of policework, from patrol as a beat cop to a detective working homicides. He served 23 years with the FBI – 12 of those as a criminal profiler. He led the consultation efforts on many high profile national and international violent crime cases and lectured at numerous foreign police forces around the world, sharing his expertise in the analysis of homicide and complex crime scene behavior. 

Mr. Safarik has a graduate degree from Boston University and is adjunct faculty at Boston College. He is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, former faculty member of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and advisory board member at the Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law. He has conducted internationally renowned research on the sexual assault and homicide of elderly females and received the prestigious Jefferson Medal from the University of Virginia for this groundbreaking work. He was awarded the Silver Medal from The Spanish Society of Criminology and Forensic Science, the first non-European to receive this honor. He is a member of the highly respected Vidocq Society, a criminological group that donates its investigative resources to solving cold case homicides. He is well-published in international journals, including the Journal of Forensic Sciences, International Journal of Homicide Studies, and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. He has authored numerous book chapters on homicide including in the newest text on sexual homicide, the Routledge International Handbook of Sexual Homicide Studies. His book Spree Killers: Practical Classifications for Law Enforcement and Criminology has been hailed as the definitive textbook on this type of multicide. 

Mr. Safarik has reviewed and consulted on thousands of national and international crimes of violence including all types of homicide; serial, mass, spree, and multiple murders, sexual assault, and equivocal death analysis. His expert testimony has been utilized by attorneys in both criminal and civil courts. He has lent his expert case work to understand many of the world’s most infamous people including Robert Lee Yates, the Spokane Serial Killer, the Bakersfield mass murderer, the Dating Game Killer Rodney Alcala, serial killer Derrick Todd Lee, female serial killer Sheila LaBarre, family mass murderer Christopher Coleman, Scotland’s World’s End serial killer Angus Sinclair, and three high profile California police homicides. 

He has appeared on Dateline, Court TV, Forensic Files, New Detectives, A&E, History Channel. Oxygen, Discovery ID and numerous news networks to discuss his cases and analyses. His television series, Killer Instinct, premiered in 2011. He was a longtime consultant for the popular television series CSI: Las Vegas, Bones, and The Blacklist. He has two seasons of Cold Case Homicide television shows in both Sweden and Denmark.

September 30, 2022 - FBI Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) Tour

FBIDCCAAA is attending a private tour of the FBI Terrorist Screening Center. Information about the TSC can be found here:

https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism/tsc

August 2022 - FBI Future Agents in Training (FAIT)

The FBIDCCAAA provided lunches to two groups of high school students who attended the prestigious Future Agents in Training program. The Future Agents in Training - Teen Academy program allows high school students an opportunity to get a comprehensive look into today’s FBI. Students are provided with several presentations on topics including terrorism, cyber crime, public corruption, polygraph exams, evidence response, SWAT, and the day-to-day operations of a typical FBI office. Students also learn from special agents, intelligence analysts, language specialists, and professional staff about investigative tactics that include gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and assisting with cases.

August 20, 2022 - National Night Out, Washington, DC

The FBIDCCAAA attended the annual National Night Out in support of our partners at the FBI Washington Field Office and local law enforcement agencies in the Washington DC area. 

June 28-30, 2022 - FBI National Citizens Academy Alumni Association Leadership Conference - Norfolk, VA

Several members and Board Members from the FBIDCCAAA attended the annual FBINCAAA Leadership Conference in Norfolk, VA. Presentations offered alumni in-depth knowledge on topics to help Chapter leaders and members build and maintain high-performing, successful FBINCAAA Chapters. Chapter leaders shared their 'recipes for success' in outreach programming. The 2022 NLC keynote speakers included FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate; Brian C. Dugan, SAC for the FBI Norfolk Division; Michael A. Mason, former FBI Executive; Ryan C. Gaynor, ASAC for the FBI Norfolk Division; SA Desiree Maxwell, FBI Norfolk Division; Darren Spencer, FBI Senior Digital Forensics Analyst; SA Michael Gimbel, San Francisco Division; and Kenneth C. Alexander, Mayor, City of Norfolk.

April 26, 2022 - Cody Perron (Former Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent)

Cody is a former Special Agent of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and a former United States Marine. He is the author of the non-fiction book, Agents Unknown - True Stories of Life as a Special Agent in the Diplomatic Security Service and currently serves in Senior Management for Security at a medical technology company.

Cody’s experience in leadership, law enforcement and security in the government, military and private sector spans over two decades. As a special agent he led hundreds of personnel worldwide, managed global security programs, conducted federal investigations, and performed protective security operations for U.S. Secretary’s of State and visiting foreign dignitaries. During his decade as a special agent Cody was assigned to domestic offices in San Diego, CA, and Houston, TX and U.S. diplomatic facilities in Erbil, Iraq, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Baghdad, Iraq, and multiple international temporary assignments. 

Cody also served in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Squad Leader and Marine Embassy Guard at assignments in Twentynine Palms, CA, Okinawa, Japan, Seoul, Korea, and Moscow, Russia. 

Cody earned his Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs from George Mason University and his Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership from National University. He is a board certified protection professional and the recipient of numerous awards including the U.S. State Department’s Superior Honor and Meritiorous Honor Award for effective leadership in furthering United States counter-terrorism, law enforcement and investigative goals.

Cody is the founder of Off The X Inc where he provides mentorship, guidance, and direction to aspiring federal law enforcement and security professionals. He currently resides in San Diego, CA with his wife Krystine, daughter Balyn, and son Lincoln. 

March 29, 2022 - Assistant Section Chief (ASC) Raelene Ryerson

Assistant Section Chief (ASC) Raelene L. Ryerson was designated the ASC for Information Services Section, Information Management Division in April 2021. In this role she oversees records maintenance and digitization of FBI closed files stored at the Central Records Complex in Winchester, Virginia. Prior to her assignment, she served as Unit Chief (UC) of Intelligence and Investigative Training Unit 2 (IITU 2), Training Division, in July 2019, after serving as the Acting UC from January 2019 until her selection. From November 2016 to January 2019, ASC Ryerson served as the Team Lead Instructor for Staff Operations Specialist Basic Training.  Prior to her assignment in the Training Division, she was assigned to the Seattle and San Diego Divisions. She graduated from FBI New Agents Training in April1998. Following graduation, she was assigned to the San Diego Division. ASC Ryerson worked in the North County Resident Agency, primarily on violent crime/major offender and white-collar crime violations, and also the Arrellano-Felix Organization Task Force. In May 2004 ASC Ryerson transferred to the Seattle Division as an Intelligence Analyst.In July 2006, she was selected as a Supervisory Intelligence Analyst (SIA)for tactical analysis and intelligence production.In January 2012, she was designated as the Intelligence Program Coordinator and supervisor for the Central Strategic Coordinating Component. In March 2014, ASC Ryerson was assigned as the SIA for tactical analysis and intelligence production. In July 2016, UC Ryerson became the Chief Reports Officer.

ASC Ryerson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. She was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy from May 1989 until December 1997 and stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Washington. She served as an Operations Watch Officer for the Anti-Submarine Warfare community; Maintenance Division Officer for the A-6 Intruder Replacement Air Group; and Administration Officer for Patrol Wing 10.

February 22, 2022 - FBI Citizens Academy Refresher - Public Affairs  - FBI Washington Field Office

Three members of the FBI WFO Public Affairs team provided a virtual "Citizens Academy Refresher", with a focus on Public Affairs and their regular interactions with the media.

January 19, 2022 - Eric O'Neill

Eric O'Neill is an attorney, author, cybersecurity expert and former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative. He is the founder of the Georgetown Group, a premier investigative and security services firm; serves as the National Security Strategist for Carbon Black; and is the General Counsel for Global Communities, an international charity. Eric lectures internationally about espionage and national security, cybersecurity, hacking and fraud, and corporate diligence and defense, and has appeared as a national security expert on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, Bloomberg News and the CBS Evening News. His writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, The Hill, TechCrunch, USA Today and Mashable. O’Neill is a graduate of Auburn University and the George Washington University School of Law. Eric is also the author of Gray Day, the thrilling story of how Eric helped take down notorious FBI mole Robert Hanssen, the first Russian cyber spy.

2021

November 9, 2021 - Ali Soufan

Ali Soufan is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Soufan Group. A leading national security and counterterrorism expert, he plays a significant advisory role in global intelligence issues.

As an FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Ali investigated and supervised complex international terrorism cases, including the East Africa embassy bombings, the attack on the USS Cole, and the events surrounding 9/11. He is the author of Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State and the New York Times top-10 bestseller The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda, winner of the 2012 Ridenhour Book Prize.

He had a distinguished career in the FBI, including serving on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, New York Office, where he coordinated both domestic and international counterterrorism operations. He often operated out of hostile environments and carried out sensitive extraterritorial missions and high-level negotiations, and he has received numerous awards and commendations for his work. These include the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence, the Respect for Law Enforcement Award for “relentless pursuit of truth and bringing terrorist subjects before the bar of justice,” and a commendation from the U.S. Department of Defense that labeled him “an important weapon in the ongoing war on terrorism.”

October 27, 2021 - Michael Hynes

FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Michael Hynes oversees the Training and Outreach programs for the Washington Field Office. He joined the FBI in 2002 and has served as both an Intelligence Analyst and Special Agent in numerous field offices. As an instructor for the FBI Academy, SSA Hynes has traveled extensively around the country to teach local and state law enforcement on best practices with interviewing skills and informant development/handling.

SSA Hynes has been a valued partner in serving as our chapter’s primary point of contact with FBI WFO. We are grateful for his leadership over WFO’s Community Outreach Squad and for his collaboration and partnership with our chapter.

August 25, 2021 - Bill Andrew

Bill Andrew is a retired FBI Special Agent with 32 years of distinguished service. He entered on duty in May of 1972 and following a headquarters assignment and New Agent’s training, Bill spent much of his career in the New York Field Office. His early assignments included Gambino and Bonanno Organized Crime investigations, and surveillance operations.

In 1984, Bill was placed in charge of implementing the FBI’s Special Operations Training Center which included the FBI’s Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) driving schools. These were provided to Special Operations surveillance personnel and New Agent’s training.

In 1986 Bill introduced the Anti-terrorist Evasive Driving Course for Legal Attache’s, undercover personnel, and others who may be exposed to the risks of being taken from their vehicle against their will. This program focused on offensive driving techniques and environmental awareness.

In 1993 Bill transferred to the FBI Training Division’s new Tactical and Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (TEVOC) facility at the FBI Academy. He became the Unit Chief for TEVOC and the Practical Applications Unit. In 1998 he was assigned as the Unit Chief of the FBI’s National Academy Program. He was responsible for the oversight of approximately 6,000 FBI National Academy graduates in a residential learning environment spanning 6 years and 24 sessions.

May 28, 2021 - Jerri Williams

Jerri Williams has always been a storyteller and, after serving 26 years as a special agent in the FBI, she has plenty of stories to tell. During most of her Bureau career, she worked major economic fraud investigations and is amazed at the schemes and deceptions con-artist and corrupt corporate and public officials devise to steal other people’s money. She notes that with a gun, they can steal hundreds. But with a lie, they can steal millions. She is using her prior professional experiences with scams and schemers to write crime fiction about greed and often jokes that she is reliving her glory days by producing and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast with over 5 million downloads and more than 240 episodes where she interviews retired FBI agents about their high-profile cases and careers. Based on her experience as an FBI spokesperson, she also debunks misconceptions about the FBI and is under contract as a technical consultant for major TV networks and production companies wanting to create authentic FBI dramas and characters. 

March 18, 2021 - Counterintelligence 101 - FBI Washington Field Office

An active FBI Special Agent with the Washington Field Office provided a virtual "Citizens Academy Refresher", with a focus on Counterintelligence. 

February 18, 2021 - Susan Goggin

Susan Goggin is the Head of Global Safety and Security for Airbnb, and recently retired from her exemplary career as a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent.

January 28, 2021 - Gary Rossi

Gary Rossi is Vice President of Security Services at Fidelity Investments. Mr. Rossi has more than 30 years of experience as a private sector and law enforcement security professional with deep expertise in investigations, cyber security, risk mitigation and strategic planning. He joined Fidelity Investments in 2003 and served as Fidelity’s Head of Corporate Investigations for nearly a decade, which included leading all Customer Fraud/Identity Theft matters, Anti-Money Laundering cases and Cyber-related investigations.  

Prior to Fidelity, Mr. Rossi served for 14 years as a special agent for the FBI. He specialized in a wide variety of white-collar crime investigations, which included sophisticated financial frauds, cybercrimes and public corruption matters. Gary functioned as the Chief of the FBI's Undercover and Sensitive Operations unit at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. This unit was responsible for overseeing many of the FBI's most sensitive and complex cases. 

2020

December 15, 2020 - Faces of Fraud Seminar

On December 15, 2020, Colorado State University's Family and Consumer Sciences program partnered with the FBI and several state and federal agencies to present The Faces of Fraud, a generations seminar focused on fraud trends, identification, prevention, and reporting.

​Consumer fraud affects people of all ages and in all stages of life. As part of its mission to provide information that makes a difference in the lives of others, the recording of this seminar is provided for public viewing.

​To combat fraud and protect our families from predatory cyber criminals, the FBI and FBI Denver Citizens Academy Alumni Association are partnered with key state/federal agencies, AARP, Colorado State University’s Family and Consumer Sciences program, and the Daniels Fund to strike back against scammers! 

September 15, 2020 - Gary Noesner

Gary Noesner retired from the FBI in 2003 following a 30 year career as an investigator, instructor, and negotiator. A significant focus of his career was directed toward investigating Middle East hijackings in which American citizens were victimized. In addition, he was an FBI hostage negotiator for 23 years of his career, retiring as the Chief of the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit, Critical Incident Response Group, the first person to hold that position. In that capacity he was heavily involved in numerous crisis incidents covering prison riots, right-wing militia standoffs, religious zealot sieges, terrorist embassy takeovers, airplane hijackings, and over 120 overseas kidnapping cases involving American citizens.