Janeen DiGuiseppi, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albany Field Office, announced Syracuse University Professor Dr. Robert Silver as the division’s 2021 recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA).

Dr. Silver has been an invaluable member of FBI Albany’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Working Group since its inception in 2015. Prior to the creation of the working group, he routinely provided vital assistance and insight into various matters being handled by Albany’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

Through his tracking work with Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Silver provided timely and detailed briefings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The information he was able to share was instrumental to multiple agencies in their shared goal of ensuring the health and safety of all the communities within the Albany Division.

“Despite a busy schedule as a full-time Professor of Forensic Biology at Syracuse University, Dr. Silver is constantly finding time to provide critical information to our JTTF,” said SAC DiGuiseppi. “The knowledge and assistance he provides is critical to our mission and I’m grateful to have such a strong partnership with someone so dedicated to helping us keep our communities safe.

The FBI created the Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) in 1990 to honor dedicated individuals and organizations for their extraordinary contributions to strengthening communities and reducing crime and violence. Every year, field offices select recipients for this award on behalf of the FBI Director to recognize their tremendous support.