Local First Responder & Youth Safety Supporter Theresa Kent to be Honored by FBI Director
Robert E. Hughes, Special Agent in Charge of the Milwaukee Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is honored to announce his selection of Theresa Kent, founder of the Geiger Family Foundation of Milwaukee (GFFM) as the 2019 recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA). The GFFM is a local 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting partnerships and community outreach with law enforcement, fire rescue, youth education, and safety projects. Mrs. Kent will accompany other community leaders from around the United States in a special ceremony at the FBI’s National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Friday, May 1, 2020. The DCLA is presented annually to an individual or organization that has furthered the efforts of law enforcement. Mrs. Kent will join other honorees nominated by Special Agents in Charge (SAC) from FBI Field Offices across the nation.
Through her efforts, Mrs. Kent provides support to various 501(c) (3) organizations in Southeastern Wisconsin. She has been a great community partner to the FBI and supporter of both public safety and youth outreach in the Greater Milwaukee area. Mrs. Kent has spearheaded efforts in donating much needed equipment for public safety use for law enforcement partners and fire departments in the cities of St. Francis and Racine, Wisconsin, to include arranging the donation of utility task vehicle (UTV) off-road vehicles for use in a wide-range of challenging terrain situations where police squad and fire rescue vehicles cannot reach.
SAC Robert E. Hughes presents a DCLA certificate to Milwaukee recipient Theresa Kent. She will receive the DCLA award from FBI Director Christopher A. Wray in Washington, D.C. on May 1, 2020.
In 2019, Mrs. Kent introduced and coordinated training for using portable Fire Suppression Tool (FST) devices, a new potentially life-saving tool to aid law enforcement, fire rescue, and other first responders. She also launched the Active Shooter Preparedness and Response (ASPAR) program, providing ‘Treat & Go’ first aid kits that were installed and mounted in local school classrooms in the St. Francis School District (SFSD). Working with local first responder partners, Mrs. Kent coordinated in-service training to school staff on topics such as risk identification, awareness, response, and lifesaving skills as a proactive approach to dealing with an active shooter situation. Future plans are to expand beyond SFSD.
Mrs. Kent has also provided direct support to the FBI Milwaukee Future Law Enforcement Youth Academy (FLEYA), a significant, week-long, multi-agency law enforcement youth outreach collaboration presented to high school students from around the state of Wisconsin.
