Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced today his retirement, effective August 20, 2015, culminating 20 years of service with the FBI.

Mr. Holley will conclude his illustrious career where it began. He entered on duty as an FBI special agent in 1995. Following the completion of his training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, he was assigned to the Chicago Field Office. During his time there, he was promoted to the positions of supervisory special agent and assistant special agent in charge. He was subsequently promoted to leadership positions at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., including the role of deputy assistant director in the Counterterrorism Division, and he also served as the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Division. Mr. Holley returned to Chicago in August 2013 to lead the office, the fourth largest of the FBI’s 56 field offices.

Mr. Holley has an extensive counterterrorism background, having completed three separate tours at the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division in Washington, D.C. He has also been deployed to Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Tanzania, and Israel in support of counterterrorism investigations. In 2010, Mr. Holley was appointed to serve as a section chief in the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, where he was responsible for all U.S.-based international terrorism investigations. He played a critical role in some of the FBI’s most significant counterterrorism cases, including the Boston Marathon bombing (2013) and attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi (2012), on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen (2000), and in Mumbai, India (2008).

Looking back on his career, Mr. Holley noted, “I am most proud of having the opportunity to lead the Chicago Field Office and work with these men and women every day. I am amazed by their dedication and what they do for the citizens of the United States every day. I am equally proud of the partnerships I have fostered with our federal, state, and local law enforcement and intelligence agency partners.”

Mr. Holley has accepted a position with Discover Financial Services in Riverwoods, Illinois, where he will be part of their Global Security Team.