Troy A. Miller

Acting Commissioner

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Troy A. Miller is the Acting Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In this role, he leads more than 60,000 employees and ensures the advancement of the agency’s mission, strategic objectives, and related Administration priorities. He directs CBP’s three core missions of counterterrorism, border security, and trade enforcement, while facilitating $4 trillion in trade and facilitating travel of over 410 million people through ports of entry.

Acting Commissioner Miller also served in this role from January to December 2021. During his prior Acting role, Mr. Miller led the agency through a myriad of challenges, to include the COVID-19 pandemic, surges of migration along the Southwest border, hurricane relief efforts, and Operation Allies Welcome – the substantive effort to process refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Mr. Miller also made workforce resiliency a top priority during his initial tenure as Acting Commissioner of the nation’s largest law enforcement agency.

Between December 2021 and November 2022, Acting Commissioner Miller served as CBP’s Deputy Commissioner. In this role, he was the agency’s senior career official, overseeing the daily operations of CBP’s expansive mission, including matters relating to trade, travel, and national security.

Acting Commissioner Miller also previously served as the Director, Field Operations for CBP’s New York Field Office. As the DFO, he directed the activities of almost 3,000 CBP employees and an area with: two of the country’s busiest international airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR); the east coast’s largest container seaport (New York/Newark); and the Pharmaceutical, Health and Chemicals Center of Excellence and Expertise (PHC Center). Mr. Miller oversaw CBP’s national security and anti-terrorism operations; immigration and agriculture inspections; and the agency’s trade enforcement efforts throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Prior to his role as DFO, Mr. Miller also served as the Executive Director, National Targeting Center (NTC), where he directed over 800 employees and was responsible for providing advance targeting, research, analysis, and coordination among numerous law enforcement and intelligence agencies in support of CBP anti-terrorism mission on a 24/7 basis. The NTC is the principal organization responsible for developing and implementing CBP’s counterterrorism strategy. Mr. Miller implemented several intelligence and targeting units that support CBP’s primary mission to secure America’s borders, and he oversaw staff that use a multi-layered risk-based approach, which included collecting and analyzing advance traveler and cargo information.

From 2013 to 2015, Acting Commissioner Miller served as the Acting Assistant Commissioner, Office of Intelligence and Investigative Liaison, where he initiated an organizational restructuring in direct support of field components and border enforcement entities that partner with them and promoted initiatives to transcend physical borders. In addition, he has held numerous leadership positions including Assistant Port Director, Seattle; Director of Targeting and Analysis, Office of Intelligence and Operations Coordination; and Director of the National Targeting Center-Passenger.

Mr. Miller began his federal career with the U.S. Customs Service in 1993 as a Customs Inspector. Most recently, he was awarded the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award in 2021, and he is a prior recipient of the Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award in 2016. Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degrees from Bemidji State University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executive Fellows program.

Sheree L. Mixell

Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Retired) Chair, Board of Directors, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, Inc.

In 2021, Sheree L. Mixell was selected as the Chair of the Board of Directors, WIFLE Foundation, Inc., and WIFLE, Inc. Ms. Mixell previously served as Vice President/Deputy Executive Director of the WIFLE Foundation, Inc. and WIFLE, Inc. respectfully. After 25 years of distinguished law enforcement service, Ms. Mixell retired January 31, 2013, as the ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Field Division. As the SAC, she directed ATF’s law enforcement operations and industry regulation activities of special agents, industry operations investigators, task force officers, and administrative staff, throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Ms. Mixell also served on ATF’s Director’s Advisory Committee that advises on policy, management and operational issues impacting ATF offices around the country. In 2007, Ms. Mixell was selected to participate in ATF’s Senior Executive Service (SES) program. Ms. Mixell has attended executive development programs at the University of Virginia, Treasury Executive Institute, Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Executive Leadership Program, and the White House Offices of Cabinet Affairs and Presidential Personnel. Ms. Mixell has been a member of the federal Senior Executive Service since 2009, when she earned her OPM SES Certification.

In December of 2011, she was promoted to Special Agent in Charge, Philadelphia Field Division.

She began her career in law enforcement with the United States Secret Service in Washington, D.C. In 1990, she became an agent with ATF. In 1997, she was promoted to ATF Headquarters as a Program Manager in the Office of Liaison and Public Information. She also served as the Group Supervisor for the Washington Field Division Intelligence Group and Regional Crime Gun Center. In this capacity, she coordinated ATF support to major events and investigations, which included the 2001 Presidential Inauguration, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank events and the Pentagon investigation on September 11, 2001. She was later promoted to the Chief of the Office of Public Affairs at ATF’s National Headquarters serving as the agency’s national spokesperson. She also served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Baltimore Field Division.

Ms. Mixell received numerous Department of Treasury and Department of Justice Special Act and Service Awards and was named a Woman of Distinction by the Philadelphia Business Journal. She has served as the Vice President and President of the WIFLE Executive Committee and is a founding and lifetime member of the organization. She is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Candice Moore Chief Equity Officer Office of Equity and Racial Justice City of Chicago

Upon taking office in 2019, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, appointed Candace Moore to serve as the City’s first Chief Equity Officer. Charged with leading the new Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ), Candace was tasked with advancing policies and practices that promote equitable outcomes across Chicago.

Under Candace’s leadership, OERJ’s early wins included organizing city departments to create and be accountable to Racial Equity Action Plans, advancing a Community Wealth Building agenda with a $15 million investment, and leading the Together We Heal initiative that resulted in $5 million for community-led healing projects. In 2022, both OERJ and the role of the Chief Equity Officer were codified into municipal law ensuring sustainability for future work.

Candace often says, “There is no finish line when it comes to advancing racial equity – instead, our goal is to strengthen a ‘muscle’ for equity strong enough to build a more fair and just Chicago.”

Margaret M. Moore

Founder, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, Inc. Deputy Assistant Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Retired)

Chair, Board of Directors, WIFLE Foundation, Inc.

Margaret Moore began her law enforcement career in New York City in 1973. While serving as an undercover narcotics police officer in the Organized Crime Control Bureau of the New York City Police Department, she received a Commendation from NYPD for her heroic accomplishments. In June 1976, she was appointed as a special agent for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and was assigned to the New York Office. ATF. Ms. Moore went on to join other experienced undercover agents at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to develop an undercover training course for new ATF agents, which still remains in the curriculum today. With continued success came assignments of increased responsibility, including the command and control of two highly successful task forces for the Bureau in 1989 and 1991, in Washington, D.C. Both of these operations earned ATF high visibility among other agencies and in the media for its concentrated attack on violent crime. Ms. Moore was again promoted, earning her the title of the agency’s first woman Special Agent in Charge (SAC). She served as the SAC for both the Baltimore and Seattle Field Divisions and, as the Deputy Assistant Director for Science, was the highest-ranking woman agent in the agency. In 1999, after 23 years of federal service and many decorations for distinguished service, including the Treasury Department’s highest honor, Ms. Moore retired.

In June 1999, Ms. Moore incorporated WIFLE, Inc., a non-profit organization that she founded, along with several other founding mothers. By September of 1999, while serving as WIFLE’s Executive Director, Ms. Moore joined the ranks at Feminist Majority Foundation, a notfor-profit organization where she served as the chief point of contact to federal, state, and local law enforcement for the National Center for Women and Policing (NCWP). Later, as Director of the NCWP, Ms. Moore conducted annual leadership training conferences with a focus on women and leadership, police reforms, and strategies to increase the numbers of women in policing and effectively address violence against women. In March 2006, Ms. Moore incorporated and founded the WIFLE Foundation, Inc., serving as President. Most recently, she founded the WIFLE Executive Leadership Institute. After 13 years of leadership within the WIFLE organizations, Ms. Moore officially retired from both WIFLE and the Feminist Majority on December 31, 2012. In her retirement, she continues to serve as an Advisor to the Feminist Majority and as the Chair of the Board for WIFLE.

Qiana Newell

Assistant Special Agent in Charge

U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Qiana’s law enforcement career began in 2001 as a police officer in Indiana. She transitioned to Northwestern University Police Department working patrol while studying for her master’s degree.

Her federal service began in 2007 with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service working in Chicago and Las Vegas; conducting mail theft, mail fraud, and narcotics investigations while serving as the national diversity committee chair. This is where her interest and skills in personal development, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I), coaching, and mentorship were honed.

In 2018, Qiana joined the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General in Atlanta, conducting mail theft and narcotics investigations. Within a year, she was mentoring others and putting her passion, knowledge, and experience in DE&I to use. She earned her DE&I certification from Northwestern University and helped the agency establish many “firsts” in that space.

In 2022, Qiana was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) leading a team in Miami and West Palm Beach, while still leading DE&I efforts nationally.

Qiana’s vision for women’s wellness and personal development led her to launch Wholelistic for her LLC (Whole-Lis-Tic). With over 1,100 members worldwide, Wholelistic’s focus is women’s self-care and empowerment; encouraging them to connect, find balance, and exceed their goals. Qiana has a professional coaching certification in life, goal setting, career, and happiness and she offers individual and group coaching, wellness retreats and other services, all rooted in empowering women.

When she’s not working or traveling the world with her husband of eight years, you will probably find her hanging out with her puppy on the beaches of Florida!

Susan Ocampo

Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations

Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General

As Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Ms. Ocampo supervises the day-to-day investigative activities of 115 personnel in Headquarters and five Regional Offices. DOT OIG conducts investigations related to DOT’s programs, operations, and personnel, ensuring the safety of the traveling public and combatting fraud of the roughly $50 billion granted annually for transportation-related work across the country.

Ms. Ocampo began her law enforcement career as a military Special Agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), where she worked a variety of criminal and civil investigations. After the September 11, 2001, attacks, she turned her attention to counterintelligence and counterterrorism and supported high-risk deployment operations.

In 2004, Ms. Ocampo became a civilian Supervisory Special Agent and then Director of Operations for AFOSI’s Region 4 in San Antonio, Texas. She provided oversight of criminal, civil, and counterintelligence investigations for 14 offices across eight states.

Ms. Ocampo moved to the DoD OIG’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2008. In a variety of progressively impactful roles, she supported Federal fraud investigations around the world. She also ensured the integrity and reliability of the agency’s reports to DoD, Congress, the media, and the general public.

In 2016, Ms. Ocampo joined DOT OIG as the Special Agent-in-Charge of Headquarters Operations, Washington, D.C. She implemented an innovative Regional Desk Officer detail and improved DOT OIG’s relationships with key partners. She was selected for the Senior Executive Service in 2019.

Ms. Ocampo holds a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and an M.A. in Public Policy Management from Georgetown University. Her contributions have been recognized with multiple awards from the offices of inspector general of the Air Force, DoD, and DOT.

Elizabeth Osborne

Public Health - Law Enforcement Advisor/Instructor Enforcement and Removal Operations Training Division

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

CAPT Osborne is commissioned in the U.S. Public Health Service detailed to the ERO Basic Training Unit at FLETC, Glynco, Georgia where she provides public health instruction on access to care and medicolegal implications for individuals in custody; infectious disease prevention; emergency and disaster response; and occupational health during international travel. On an ad hoc basis, she provides Trauma Informed Care training for ICE investigators of sexual assault allegations. She is also a faculty member at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (the military’s medical school) in Bethesda, Maryland for the tactical medical battlefield practica.

CAPT Osborne is a former U.S. Army nurse who gained broad medical-surgical experience before progressing to Chief of Medical Education and Staff Development with the Army Medical Department (AMEDD). She joined ICE in 2003 and the USPHS later that year as a health systems consultant. She was promoted to the role of

Executive Officer and served in that capacity during Operation Crescent City Relief. In 2005, CAPT Osborne became the Associate Director for Management with Immigration Health and began an ancillary position with the ERO Academy.

She has been certified in Combat Casualty Care, Trauma Nursing, Advanced Trauma Life Support, and Instructional Systems Design. She holds a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and graduated from the AMEDD Advanced Leadership Academy in San Antonio, Texas.

Alisa Petrakis

Chief Engagement Officer

Executive Director for Strategic Talent Recruitment, Inclusive Diversity and Engagement

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Alisa has been with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since inception, March 2003, when she transitioned into DHS from the General Services Administration, Federal Computer Incident Response Center (FedCIRC) which was one of the Department’s 22 legacy organizations.

She currently serves in the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO), Strategic Talent Recruitment, Inclusive Diversity & Engagement (STRIDE) Division as the Program Manager for both our DHS Employee Association (EA) Program and our Department-wide Joint Recruiting and Hiring.

In her role as the DHS, EA Program Manager, Alisa works with Leadership and both our department-wide and component level EA’s to continue building a culture of inclusiveness and support for our employees across the Department.

As part of her role as the Program Manager for our department-wide recruiting and outreach, she serves as the Department lead for the DHS, Women in Law Enforcement 30x23 Initiative which aims to increase the representation of women in law enforcement new hires to 30 percent by 2023 in addition to ensuring the hiring, retention, and career advancement of our current women in law enforcement is a top priority across the Department. Alisa has been in Federal service for 33 years and spends her free time volunteering at her local church/food pantry, golfing, and most importantly, spending time with family.

Tonya Price

Supervisory Special Agent

Homeland Security Investigations

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Tonya Price is an HSI Supervisory Special Agent over the human trafficking and child exploitation group, currently on detail to represent HSI in Congress. Tonya is a subject matter expert in human trafficking, having investigated over 70 trafficking investigations. She is the lead case on Bangkok Dark Nights. She is also a Peer Support Member, Recruiter, and worked as a certified undercover agent for 10 years.

Deanne L. Reuter

Special Agent in Charge

U.S. Department of Justice

Drug Enforcement Administration (Miami Field Division)

Ms. Deanne L. Reuter, a 25-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Administration, reported as the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Division in November 2021. Prior to this assignment, she was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in October 2019, as the Special Agent in Charge of the Denver Field Division.

Ms. Reuter earned Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Utica College of Syracuse University and entered the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Ordinance branch in 1992. She served on active duty for over four years and obtained the rank of Captain. Ms. Reuter began her law enforcement career in 1996, as a Police Officer with the Seattle Police Department.

Ms. Reuter joined the DEA as a Special Agent in July 1997, in Seattle, Washington. Soon after, she was assigned to the Los Angeles Field Division where she worked as a field Special Agent until she was promoted to a Supervisory Special Agent position at the Los Angeles Field Division in January 2009. During this time, she led a busy enforcement group comprised of DEA Special Agents and deputized state and local Officers, working Israeli organized crime, marijuana eradication/ enforcement efforts, and regional drug investigations.

In July 2015, Ms. Reuter reported to DEA Headquarters as an Inspector in the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), where she investigated allegations of misconduct levied against DEA employees. In June 2016, she was promoted to Senior Inspector in OPR, and in December 2016, she was again promoted to Associate Deputy Chief Inspector in OPR.

Ms. Reuter reported to the Denver Field Division in December 2017, as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge responsible for seven active enforcement groups and several Tactical Diversion Squads in Colorado and Montana. In October 2019, she was promoted in place to the position of Special Agent in Charge, where she oversaw a staff of over 300 personnel in 13 offices in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.

As the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Division, Ms. Reuter has oversight responsibility of the investigative, enforcement, intelligence and regulatory strategies of the entire state of Florida, in efforts to target the highest echelon of international drug traffickers, transnational criminal organizations, and violent offenders and gangs, while simultaneously dismantling local distributors impacting communities. She oversees a staff of over 700 personnel including Special Agents, Diversion Investigators, Intelligence Analysts, Task Force Officers, Professional Staff, and Contractors in 15 offices covering the state of Florida.

Dr. Corina Rice

Senior Consultant - People Insights Team BetterUp

Corina Rice, Ph.D., is a Senior Consultant on the People Insights team at BetterUp, where she works to advance the science and practice of evidence-based coaching to help transform workplace behavior. She earned her Ph.D., in Experimental Research in Psychology from the University of Memphis. Corina is an industrialorganizational psychologist by training with nearly 20 years of experience, specializing in the selection and development of talent.

Prior to BetterUp, Corina has spent time in a variety of SME roles, including at PSI Services where she designed executive assessments and leadership development programs for clients in both public and private organizations; Amazon, where she served as the Manager of Talent Assessment for Worldwide Operations; and for the U.S. Navy, during which time she developed and implemented a mental resilience assessment to determine Navy SEAL recruits’ likelihood of success in special warfare training.

Shimon Richmond

Assistant Inspector General for Investigations

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General

Shimon Richmond serves as the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIGI). He is responsible for leading a comprehensive nationwide program for the prevention, deterrence, detection, and investigation of criminal, civil, and administrative misconduct impacting FDIC programs and operations. His office conducts criminal investigations and law enforcement operations throughout the United States and internationally. The matters investigated by OIG’s Special Agents involve complex multi-million-dollar schemes of bank fraud, obstruction of bank examinations, theft, embezzlement, money laundering, contract/cyber frauds, and other crimes. Richmond and his staff routinely work in partnership with the Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Offices, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the

IRS–Criminal Investigation Division, other OIGs, and state and local law enforcement entities.

Before joining the FDIC OIG, Richmond was an AIGI for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG). In that role, Richmond provided executive leadership and oversight to criminal investigators, analysts, and IT forensic examiners, who carried out the mission of protecting the integrity of HHS programs and the health and welfare of program beneficiaries.

Richmond previously served as the Special Agent in Charge of HHS OIG’s Miami Region, as a headquarters supervisor with coordination and oversight responsibilities for HHS OIG’s investigative operations, as a supervisor in the National Training & Emergency Operations Branch, and as a member of the Department of Justice’s Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Before joining HHS OIG, Richmond worked for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and as a police officer.

Richmond is a Senior Fellow with the Partnership for Public Service’s Excellence in Government Fellows program, a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, and holds several other certifications. He has received numerous awards during his career, including a Department of Justice leadership award. He is a graduate of Champlain College and the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he also received a Wharton Leadership Certificate.

Dr. Ginnette Rivera Hernández

Employee Assistance Program Counselor

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Dr. Ginnette Rivera Hernández is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 21 years of experience in the mental health field. She is certified in Level I & II Trauma Inform Care and has extensive experience working with a wide range of needs including trauma/PTSD, anxiety, depression, and grief, as well as relationship conflicts and high-profile cases. Her professional experience also includes conducting psychological and psychometric evaluations. She currently serves the FBI as an Employee Assistance Counselor within the Employee Assistance Unit at the Headquarters office.

For the past six years, Dr. Rivera has been the Program Manager of the FBI’s Post-Critical Incident Seminars (PCIS) and the Victim Service Resiliency Seminar (VSRS), where she manages quality, performance, processes, and the clinical agenda, and is also responsible for providing clinical support to all Bureau employees involved with and exposed to critical incidents based on their work. Dr. Rivera has authored several articles on wellness, resiliency, chronic stress, and human trafficking published in the FBI EAP Newsletter, and has worked on various research studies including psychological interventions, and group therapy programs. Her most recent and ongoing study is “FBI Post Critical Incident Seminar (PCIS): Assessing the Impact of the PCIS on FBI Employees Exposed to Critical Incidents.”

When not working, she loves being with her husband and four daughters doing outdoors and fun activities. She is a former professional volleyball player who enjoys teaching her daughters about the game.

Ariana M. Roddini

Associate Director for Training Operations

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

Ariana M. Roddini serves as the Associate Director for Training Operations (ADT) for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), overseeing all training operations at FLETC training sites in Georgia, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Maryland, as well as international, state, local, tribal, and territorial training throughout the United States and the world.

Ms. Roddini began her law enforcement career as a fraud investigator for the New York City Department of Health and Human Services in 1994, where she was responsible for the investigation of fraud, waste, and abuse in the welfare system. In 1996, she joined the United States Secret Service (USSS) as a Special Agent. During her tenure with the USSS, she was assigned to the Office of Investigations, Office of Training, and Office of Protective Research. Ms. Roddini served as a member of the New York City Police Department Asian Organized Crime Task Force and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. In 2006, Ms. Roddini transferred as a Senior Instructor to the FLETC in Glynco, GA. She performed instructional duties in the Enforcement Operations Division and the Investigative Operations Division. In 2007, Ms. Roddini was promoted to a leadership position and served on FLETC’s leadership cadre in various divisions or directorates throughout the organization. Ms. Roddini is a graduate of the Senior Executive Service Candidacy Development Program and was executive certified by the Office of Personnel Management. Ms. Roddini’s formal education includes a master’s degree in educational leadership and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Maria E. Ruano Inspector

Uniformed Division

United States Secret Service

Maria Ruano is an Inspector with the Uniformed Division of United States Secret Service. Sworn in as a federal police officer with the Secret Service Uniformed Division in September 2006, she has more than 15 years of federal law enforcement experience. At the conclusion of training from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, and at the James J. Rowley Training Center in Laurel, Maryland, she was assigned to the Secret Service Uniformed Division White House Branch in support of the Presidential Protective Division. In January 2014, she was promoted to the rank of sergeant and remained assigned to the White House Branch as an operational supervisor. During her tenure as sergeant, she was assigned to the White House Branch Deputy Chief’s staff as the administrative sergeant. Sergeant Ruano was also assigned to the James J. Rowley Training Center from 2015 through 2017, where she served as a class coordinator and instructor for all Uniformed Division recruits attending basic training. As a physical fitness coordinator with the Secret Service, she helped recruits reach their fitness goals. In January 2017, Sergeant Ruano was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and was reassigned to the White House Branch as an operational lieutenant where she had responsibility of managing officers and officials. She was also tasked with ensuring the protection of the White House Complex and the first family. In August 2019, she was selected for and reassigned to the Secret Service’s Special Operations Division Canine Unit where she managed Uniformed Division officers and explosive detection and mitigation canines.

Lieutenant Ruano was promoted to the rank of captain in March of 2022 and was reassigned to White House Branch in support of the Presidential Protective Division. She was responsible for the oversight of all officers, sergeants, and lieutenants assigned to the day work shift and ensures compliance with all White House policies and SOPs. Captain Ruano was selected to establish the Uniformed Division Women’s Council (UDWC) in March 2022. As the chairperson, she oversees the first female employee resource group within the Secret Service. Her efforts have assisted in identifying areas of focus to help rectify ongoing concerns as it relates to the women in law enforcement. The UDWC, led by Captain Ruano advocates for changes in policy as it relates to female employees. She has conducted several roundtable discussions with outside agencies and USSS leadership that focus on retaining and recruiting women in law enforcement. She has also increased awareness on the many contributions the women assigned to the Uniformed Division are making daily.

In May 2023, Captain Ruano was promoted to the rank of Inspector.

Claire Russo

Senior Advisor

Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization

U.S. Agency for International Development

Claire Russo serves as a Senior Advisor with the Biden Harris Administration at USAID in the Bureau for Conflict

Prevention and Stabilization. Claire started her career in the Marine Corps as an intelligence officer. During her time in the Marines, she served with the First Marine Expeditionary Force, First Marine Air Wing, and First Intelligence Battalion. In Fallujah, Russo led a team of Marines in targeting critical nodes of insurgent networks across Anbar Province. Following her deployment, Russo worked with the Joint Task Force for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, assisting in the writing of the first ever Department of Defense (DoD) wide assault prevention and response policy. After leaving the Marines, Russo took a position with the Department of Army as a civilian advisor to infantry brigades operating in Afghanistan. Claire spent over a year in Afghanistan building the Female Engagement Team program for the Army and increasing women’s participation in the counter insurgency campaign. After a year in Eastern Afghanistan, she moved to Kabul to serve as a special advisor to General Petraeus. She advised on the employment of women in counter insurgency and the training of female teams to support special operations. Upon her return from Afghanistan, Claire served at the Council on Foreign Relations as an International Affairs Fellow. During her fellowship, she studied the role of women in combat and conflict and assisted in writing the policy to integrate women into combat roles in the U.S. Military. Continuing her work in defense policy, Claire served as a consultant to several implementing partners of the United States Government. In 2019, Claire ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia’s 5th District. Following the campaign, Claire served as Chief of Staff for Veterans for Biden. Claire’s husband Josh currently serves in the U.S. Army, and they live in the D.C. Metro Area with their three children.

Panida Rzonca

Directing Attorney

Thai Community Development Center

Panida Rzonca, JD, is Directing Attorney at the Thai Community Development Center where she manages the delivery of comprehensive social and legal services including trauma-informed, culturally, and linguistically appropriate victim’s rights representation and legal services including affirmative immigration relief, labor claims, victims’ rights advocacy, restitution, victim representation in a criminal setting, civil legal assistance, and family reunification.

Panida graduated from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California. She is a Past President of the Thai American Bar Association and received the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Best Under 40 Award in 2021. Panida currently serves as a Commissioner on the California Access to Justice Commission.

Catherine W. Sanz

Immediate Past President, WIFLE Foundation, Inc., and Immediate Past Executive Director, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, Inc.

Assistant Director, Office of Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Retired) Treasurer, WIFLE Foundation, Inc.

Catherine Sanz started her law enforcement career in 1977 as a Northeastern University Criminal Justice coop student with the Federal Protective Service. In her 31 years of service she served as an instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Center, special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Customs Service. She supervised undercover child pornography and money laundering operations, general smuggling, commercial fraud, and money laundering investigations.

In 1998, Ms. Sanz transferred to Customs headquarters and managed the Asset Forfeiture Program and served as the Assistant Director for the Department of Treasury’s Executive Office of Asset Forfeiture. In 2003, she developed, implemented, and ran the asset forfeiture program for the newly formed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency under the Department Homeland Security. She was promoted in 2006, to the Senior Executive Service as the Assistant Director for Mission Support for ICE Office of Investigations. As Assistant Director, she managed a budget of $1.4 billion and was responsible for all budget formulation and execution.

Ms. Sanz served as WIFLE Secretary, Vice President, and President in 2007. Since 2008, she has served as a member of the Past Presidents Committee and more recently as a Board Member of the WIFLE Foundation, Inc.

Ms. Sanz holds a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in Boston and a M.A. in Forensic Psychology from Marymount University, Arlington, VA.

In January 2012, Ms. Sanz became the Vice President for the WIFLE Foundation and Deputy Executive Director for WIFLE, Inc. and, in 2013, became the President and Executive Director for each respective organization. She has been an integral leader and impactful role model in WIFLE over the past 10 years.

Nicole M. Shepard

Course Developer/Instructor

Enforcement and Removal Operations Training Division

Academy Firearms Division

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officer Nicole Shepard currently serves as a Course Developer/Instructor for the U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Training Division. She is a Lead Firearms

Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia.

Officer Shepard began her career in ERO in 2007 as an Immigration Enforcement Agent in Lancaster, California. In 2010, she received certifications as a Defensive Tactics Instructor (DTI) and Senior Firearms Instructor (SFI) for the Los Angeles Field Office (LAFO).

In 2015, Officer Shepard took a position as a Deportation Officer at the Pacific Enforcement Response Center in Laguna Niguel, California. As a Deportation Officer she identified, located, and apprehended criminal non-citizens throughout the Southern California region. She served as the SFI, DTI and Use of Force subject matter expert for the PERC. She also assisted in certifying additional instructors to form the PERC’s Training Unit.

Officer Shepard joined the ICE National Pistol Team (NPT) at the National Rifle Association National Police Shooting Championships in 2017 where she received honors of Highest Scoring First-Time Shooter and won the National Title in the Two Officer Production SemiAutomatic Pistol event. In 2018, she became a member of the ICE NPT and returned to the National Championships to win Highest Woman Shooter in the Production SemiAutomatic Pistol event and the following year received the National Title in the Four Officer event.

Ms. Shepard holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

John P. Skillestad

Supervisory Special Agent

Federal Bureau of Investigation – Headquarters

Office of Partner Engagement

Violence Reduction Unit Active Shooter Program

Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) John P. Skillestad has served 32+ years with the FBI. During his career SSA Skillestad worked in the Dallas Division investigating Violent Crimes, Drug, and Public Corruption. SSA Skillestad also served as supervisor the Violent Crimes Squad and then the Public Corruption Squad. SSA Skillestad was the Crisis Management Coordinator and a National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes (NCAVC) – Behavioral Analysis Unit Coordinator for the Dallas Division. In those roles he provided training regarding Active Shooter situations to local, state, and federal law enforcement officials as well as community organizations including primary and secondary schools. In April 2018, SSA Skillestad was promoted to FBIHQ and was assigned to the Office of Partner Engagement, Violence Reduction Unit, as the Program Manager for the Active Shooter Program. In this role, SSA Skillestad oversees the annual Active Shooter Study which examines active shooter incidents in the United

States. SSA Skillestad provides training regarding Active Shooter planning, preparedness, response, and recovery to law enforcement personnel, first responders, military personnel, educators, businesses, healthcare workers, houses of worship, and community leaders. SSA Skillestad has implemented the development of active shooter awareness training for the professional staff of the FBI and this training is suitable for use when training the public. SSA Skillestad is also an Assessor for the Special Agent Talent Assessment Program.

SSA Skillestad graduated from the Loyola School of Law (New Orleans, Louisiana) in 1990 with a Juris Doctor and is a member of the Louisiana Bar.

Kristen Sullivan

Deputy Field Office Director

Enforcement and Removal Operations

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Ms. Kristen Sullivan is currently on a temporary detail as Deputy Chief of Staff for the ERO Office of the Executive Associate Director in Washington, D.C. In this role, Ms. Sullivan manages special projects for ERO with the various components within Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As a Deputy Field Office Director for ERO Atlanta, Ms. Sullivan oversees all ERO Atlanta Enforcement Operations and Mission Support as well as suboffices within the States of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Ms. Sullivan started her federal career as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Hartford, CT in 2003 after graduating from Pennsylvania State University. In 2008, Ms. Sullivan accepted a position as a Deportation Officer with ERO Boston and has progressed through the ranks both within the ERO Boston and Atlanta Field Offices.

Jessica Taylor Chief

United States Park Police

On April 3, 2023, Jessica Taylor was appointed as the Chief of the U.S. Park Police (USPP). As the nation’s oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency, the USPP’s workforce serves to protect the public, parks, and the most iconic landmarks in Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco metropolitan areas.

Prior to this appointment, Taylor served as the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division for more than 13 years where she supervised the investigation of environmental crimes, specifically those threatening human health and the environment. In this leadership role, she was responsible for ensuring the protection functions and criminal investigations under Title 18 violations and federal statutes, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

In 1999, Taylor joined federal law enforcement as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in the Washington Field Office. After 11 years with the Secret Service, she served as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge and Special Agent in Charge with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General. Chief Jessica Taylor holds a B.A. in Public Policy from the College of William and Mary. She is a military spouse and has two sons.

Marcia K. Thompson, Esq. Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Aurora

University

Marcia K. Thompson is currently an Assistant Professor at a private university in Illinois, she has had a variety of leadership roles in both private and public sectors. She has been a global human resources executive at Amazon where she served as the global Director of Community Innovation, she is an attorney and brings over 20 years of experience working in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in corporate, academic, and within the public-sector. She started her career working for the Department of Justice (DOJ), where she realized her passion for DEI. During her tenure there she was trained in policy review, consensus building, mediation, and civil rights protections in the workplace and became a volunteer EEO counselor. She worked in that capacity while attending law school and took additional courses to support her interests in DEI at that time. Marcia also created a diversity recruitment initiative while working at DOJ within her agency to assist with creating access to and diversifying one of the core positions. The program’s success won her an award and changed the way recruitment was conducted.

Upon graduating from law school, she continued her work in DEI as a consultant and attorney advising organizations, leaders, corporations, and public agencies on how to create respectful, engaging, and inclusive workplaces. Marcia has conducted organization-wide assessments; race and equity-based reviews; training; and served as a Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO) for an international corporation. She has worked to assist with employee belonging, engagement, organizational development, and change management initiatives across various enterprises.

John

Tschida

Special Agent

Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division

John Tschida is a Special Agent with the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-

CI), currently on assignment to the DEA in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the past 28 years, Agent Tschida has investigated numerous large scale criminal organizations including outlaw motorcycle gangs, drug trafficking organizations, mortgage fraud schemes, ponzi scheme operators, and human sex trafficking organizations, focusing on the illegal money laundering being conducted with the illicit proceeds.

Jennifer Tucker

Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer

Buffalo/Niagara Region

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Ms. Tucker is a Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer with 17+ years Federal Service experience holding positions throughout the Buffalo/ Niagara Region overseeing multiple disciplines, inspection areas, and environments while managing 700+ employees.

Ms. Tucker served as an Acting Branch Chief under the PPAE Directorate, assigned to the Strategic Transformation Office within the Office of Field Operations (OFO), reviewing emerging ideas and technologies throughout OFO.

Ms. Tucker served as the Acting Chief Supervisory Officer over the Tactical Terrorism Response Team and Contraband Enforcement Team in the Area Port of Buffalo, conducting intelligence interviews, enforcement operations, and interagency coordination on suspected terrorists.

Ms. Tucker prioritizes mentoring and development. She is Field Champion in the Law Enforcement, Leadership and Legacy Alliance program in the Buffalo Field Office, building a more inclusive workforce culture within OFO. Over the past two years, she has developed, solicited, and instructed the RIDT course sponsored by the Employee Engagement and Organization Culture Division which has been provided to numerous federal agencies nationwide. Ms. Tucker authored a Structured Interview Course for managers to ensure all processes are systematic and non-bias.

Ms. Tucker earned a BA from SUNY Fredonia majoring in Sociology and Psychology, minoring in Criminal Justice.

Malissa Tucker, Esq.

Associate Legal Advisor

Office of the Principal Legal Advisor

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Malissa Tucker serves as an Associate Legal Advisor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA). Since she joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2016, Malissa has served as a Special Counsel and a Labor and Employment Law Division Attorney. In her current role, she advises agency management on, among other issues, how to avoid employment discrimination and effective labor-management relations. Prior to joining OPLA, Malissa served in the U.S. Army and for the Department of Defense as an intelligence collector, trainer, and analyst, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. Malissa earned her undergraduate degree from American Military University and a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America. Malissa has a son and a daughter and is passionate about advancing workplace equity for all.

Rebekah Tucker

Workforce Management Branch Chief

Human Capital Office

Mission and Readiness Support Directorate

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

Ms. Rebekah Tucker is the Workforce Management Branch Chief, in the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ (FLETC) Human Capital Office (HCO), Mission and Readiness Support Directorate (MRSD) and has been since February 2019.

Prior to this appointment, Ms. Tucker served in HCO as a Human Resources Policy Advisor since September 2018 where she reviewed component and department human resources level polices. Other FLETC assignments include serving as a Management and Program Analyst in MRSD, having developed and managed the Acquisition Management Program, the Balanced Workforce Strategies Program, reimplementation of the FLETC New Supervisor Training Program, and implementation and management of the MRSD’s Look at Leadership program.

When joining FLETC, Ms. Tucker worked for Human Resources and Management Services, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of Homeland Security, in Washington, D.C., as a supervisory and senior staffing specialist, servicing high level customers known for complexity in their recruitment needs. She is a staffing program systems subject matter expert and is adept at resolving difficult situations for management and applicants. With experience in Merit Staffing, as well as Delegated Examining, she is well equipped to provide innovative options to achieve hiring goals while maintaining regulatory compliance. She began her federal career in 2003 as a Defense Logistics Agency Student Training (Human Resources), located in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, and over seven years, evolved to become the Program Manager over the Delegated Examining Program and performed quality control review of the office workload.

Dr. Angela von Trytek Supervisory Special Agent Drug Enforcement Administration

Dr. Angela von Trytek is currently a GS-15 Supervisory Special Agent in federal law enforcement having oversight and jurisdictional responsibility for multiple states in the upper Midwest portion of the United States (U.S.). She collaborates with other federal, local, and state agencies as it pertains to complex poly-drug investigations with regional, national, and international impact. Dr. von Trytek has served as a Liaison Officer with the U.S. Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM) Doral, Florida and served as a Section Chief and Subject Matter Expert (SME) involving human intelligence (HUMIT). Dr. von Trytek has extensive experience in domestic and foreign investigations. Her overseas assignment in Afghanistan allowed her to work with cross functional teams and interagency partners, in furtherance of U.S. counterdrug policies and objectives. Dr. von Trytek served twenty-five years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. During her military career, she was an Enlisted Soldier and a Commissioned Officer before honorably retiring. Dr. von Trytek has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, Texas. She holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management from Sam Houston State University and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. von Trytek’s areas of research interest include transnational criminal organizations as a national security threat, the weaponization of fentanyl and other analogues, and the effects of leadership styles on women in federal law enforcement.

Scena Webb, Ph.D.

Director of Industry Operations

Atlanta Field Division

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

Dr. Scena Webb is the Director of Industry Operations for the Atlanta Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). She serves as the chief regulatory authority for the firearms and explosives industry ensuring compliance with the Gun Control Act, National Firearms Act, and Safe Explosives Act. Before she transferred to Atlanta, Dr. Webb served in the same capacity for the Seattle Field Division, which consisted of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Territory of Guam.

Dr. Webb served 21 years in the Navy. She has a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership, a Master of Science in Psychology, a Master of Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources Administration. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.

She enjoys sharing her leadership experience by reviewing journal articles for the Journal of Leadership Education, serving as a Dissertation Chair for Ph.D. candidates and teaching graduate learners pursuing their master’s in public administration.

She engages in Emotional Display Rules and adapts her outward appearance to various situations. Throughout her career, she has often found herself amongst a handful of women leading diverse organizations. Her workshop shares powerful insights based on research and years of practical application on Emotional Display Rules.

Dr. Webb has been married to her high school sweetheart for more than 30 years. She attributes one of the secrets to maintaining her long relationship as fully engaging in Emotional Display Rules while negotiating her way through life.

Dr. Willidean D. Wilkerson Founder and Chief Executive Officer

The Wilkerson Care Group

Dr. Willidean (Dean) Wilkerson is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Wilkerson Care Group responsible for personal and professional development in the areas of training, career planning, coaching, mentoring, leadership development, and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) consulting.

Dr. Wilkerson is a retired member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Washington, D.C. She retired in September 2018, after serving in several senior leadership positions within the IRS, each with increasing responsibilities. After serving 42 years in the federal government, she wanted to pursue her passion in education for the adult learner.

After retirement, Dr. Wilkerson served as the Faculty Liaison with the Graduate School USA, responsible for facilitating a close working relationship with over three hundred instructors for effective course delivery and curriculum development.

Dr. Wilkerson also served as Lead Instructor for the IRS Candidate Development Program (CDP), 2017 and 2018 and as a Leadership Readiness Program facilitator. In addition, she has also served as an adjunct instructor for Strayer University, Bowie State University and Prince Georges Community College. She enjoys teaching adult learners because it provides an opportunity for continual learning, development, and growth for herself and the learners. Dr. Wilkerson also participates in numerous special emphasis programs and enjoys coaching and mentoring.

Dr. Wilkerson holds a Doctoral of Management degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix; a master’s degree in information resources management from the University of Maryland University College; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Management) from Southeastern University.

Shanita “Shani” Wilkins

Chief of Affirmative Employment, DEIA and Analytics

United States Secret Service

Shani Wilkins currently serves as the United States Secret Services’ Chief of Affirmative Employment, DEIA, and Analytics.

Prior to this, she held the position of Chief Diversity Officer in the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General to conceptualize, define, assess, nurture, and cultivate DEIA as an institutional and educational resource within the OIG.

Shani began her government career 29-years ago as a 16-year-old High School student intern with the United States Secret Service. Throughout her career, she’s held positions at the James J. Rowley Training Center; the Office of Congressional Affairs; the Office of the Director; and the Office of Administration, the Office of Technical Development and Mission Support, the Technical Security Division, and the Presidential Protective Division.

During her Senior Executive Service, Candidate Development special assignment, she worked as the Executive Advisor to the Vice President of Information Technology, Football Solutions in the National Football League during the 2021 football season.

Shani has also served in several collateral duties as a USSS Executive Coach, the Special Emphasis Program Manager for the Federal Women Program, Department of Homeland Security Diversity Dialogues Facilitator, and chaired the Spectrum De-confliction Subcommittee for National Special Security Events.

Shani holds two certifications from American University, one in executive coaching and the other in executive leadership; a master’s degree in Strategy and Leadership from Georgetown University; and a certificate of completion from the Secret Service SES Candidate Development Program. Shani is the proud mother of three young men.

Lynda R. Williams

Professor, Criminal Justice Administration, Middle Tennessee State University

Deputy Assistant Director, U.S. Secret Service (Retired) Board Member, WIFLE Foundation, Inc. and Women in Federal Law Enforcement, Inc.

Lynda R. Williams is currently the Professor of the Practice at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the Department of Criminal Justice Administration; with this appointment in 2017, she became the first individual bestowed this title in recognition of the breadth and depth of her knowledge and expertise in the field of criminal justice and executive security.

Before joining the faculty of MTSU, Ms. Williams led an accomplished career as a United States Secret Service veteran, from 1988 until she retired, as the Deputy Assistant Director/Chief Security Officer in 2017. Ms. Williams has become one of the highest-ranking females in the history of the Secret Service.

Ms. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and a Master of Science in Management from Johns Hopkins University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership & Decision Making at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

Ms. Williams served as the 43rd National President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and serves as a board member of the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE) to name a few. Most notedly, Ms. Williams serves as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Ms. Williams believes in paying forward the many opportunities presented to her; she relishes pouring into the minds of tomorrow’s leaders in the field of Criminal Justice.

In 2021, WIFLE’s Executive Board welcomed Ms. Williams as a member of the Board of Directors of WIFLE Foundation, Inc. and Women in Federal Law Enforcement, Inc.

Melinda A. Williams

Assistant United States Attorney

United States Attorney’s Office

District of Minnesota

Melinda Williams is the Criminal Chief of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota and has been serving in that role since March 2022. Melinda became an AUSA in 2005, in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In 2014, Melinda joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. From 2017 through 2022, she served as Senior Litigation Counsel. Melinda has litigated cases in every section of the office, with a focus on large and complex cases.

Melinda is a 2003 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and of Saint Louis University. After law school, Melinda was a D.C. Bar Fellow with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, joined the law firm of Sidley & Austin, and clerked for Judge Alexander Williams, Jr., in the District of Maryland.

Melinda has been an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School for several years, teaching in the areas of trial advocacy and criminal procedure. In 2019, Melinda received the Federal Bar Association Younger Federal Lawyer Award.

Mary Ann Withrow

Assistant Special Agent in Charge

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations

Mary Ann Withrow is an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations (HHS/OIG/OI) in the Philadelphia Regional Office. ASAC Withrow supervises agents assigned to the West Virginia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania offices. ASAC Withrow started her career in 1996 as an investigator with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Medical Services (BMS) and then with the West Virginia Medicaid Fraud Unit (MFCU).

ASAC Withrow has over 25 years of health care fraud investigative experience conducting complex civil and criminal fraud investigations, to include health care fraud, grant fraud, and drug diversion. ASAC Withrow has assisted as an agent and ASAC with the Western District of Pennsylvania Opioid Fraud and Detection Unit (OFADU) and the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Task Forces. ASAC Withrow earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration and an Associate of Science in Accounting.

Sharon M. Wong

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Chief Engagement Officer

Executive Director for Strategic Talent Recruitment, Inclusive Diversity and Engagement

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Sharon M. Wong is the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Chief Engagement Officer, and Executive Director for Strategic Talent Recruitment, Inclusive Diversity and Engagement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In this capacity, she leads strategic recruitment, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, as well as employee engagement efforts to ensure a diverse workforce and improve morale, engagement, and belonging for the third largest Department in the Federal government, covering nearly 240,000 employees located throughout the country and around the world. Prior to this, Sharon served as the Deputy Director (and Acting Director) for OPM’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion, the office that leads and manages the government-wide diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts. In this role, she was responsible for D&I policy initiatives, coordinating with 60+ Federal agencies to provide technical assistance on implementing D&I strategies and goals, creating and sustaining D&I Councils and Employee Resource Groups, developing and executing the D&I Dialogues Program to improve the inclusion scores of agencies, and building strategic relationships for outreach and collaboration to improve the representation of diverse communities.

Ms. Wong came to OPM in September 2011, after serving as the D&I Officer at NASA/GSFC, where she led the D&I efforts since the program inception in 2000, leaving NASA/GSFC with a #2 ranking for Diversity (out of 220+ agencies) in the Best Places to Work in Government, as well as a detail to NASA HQ to standup the NASA D&I program. Her work experiences include 15 years as a Lead Software Integration and Test Engineer at NASA, and in Strategic Planning and Outreach at NASA HQ.

Ms. Wong is the immediate Past President for OCA, a national Asian Pacific American (APA) social justice and civil rights advocacy organization, where she served for six years as President; she’s a past Chair of the Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN), an organization of federal APA executives; and a Past President of the FAPAC (Federal APA Council).

Ms. Wong served on the Maryland Commission for Women, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Board of Governors. She is a lifetime member of Blacks in Government (BIG) and the Federally Employed Women (FEW). Ms. Wong received a NASA Equal Opportunity Award, the Astronaut Silver Snoopy Award, and an Outstanding Leadership Award. She received AAGEN’s Stanley Suyat Memorial Leadership Award, the Community Catalyst Award by the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), the Lifetime Achievement Award from FAPAC, and was inducted into the Wall of Honor at Wheeling Jesuit University. She has a B.S. in Physics, an M.S. in Engineering Systems Analysis from the University of Central Florida (UCF), and a Diversity Management Certificate from Cornell University.

Dr. Helen H. Yu

Assistant Professor

University of Hawaii-Mānoa

Special Agent, Air Force Office of Special Investigations (Retired)

Board Member, WIFLE Foundation, Inc. and Women in Federal Law Enforcement, Inc.

Dr. Yu received her Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from Auburn University and is currently an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the University of Hawaii–Mānoa, teaching graduate-level courses in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. Her research interests include the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women in federal law enforcement and policy decision-making in policing. She is published in Women & Criminal Justice, Feminist Criminology, and The Police Chief, and has conducted research with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She is also a retired Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and serves as a Board Member for WIFLE Foundation, Inc. and WIFLE, Inc.

Zabrina Zitter

Assistant Special Agent in Charge

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations

Philadelphia Regional Office

Zabrina Zitter is currently assigned as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) for the Philadelphia Regional Office, Office of Investigations (OI), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG). ASAC Zitter’s responsibilities include managing OI operations in Pennsylvania and Delaware. ASAC Zitter began her career in public service as a Paralegal with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office’s Homicide Unit. She has 12 years of Federal law enforcement experience investigating, leading, and supervising a wide variety of offenses, to include health care fraud, drug diversion, grant fraud, and identity theft.

ASAC Zitter is a recipient of several awards, to include Inspector General’s Awards, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) awards, and several awards from the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

ASAC Zitter holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.