Home Knoxville Press Releases 2009 Longtime Knoxville Community Activist Mr. Gene Rosenberg Receives Federal Bureau of Investigation Director’s Award...
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Longtime Knoxville Community Activist Mr. Gene Rosenberg Receives Federal Bureau of Investigation Director’s Award for Excellence

FBI Knoxville November 02, 2009
  • Public Affairs Specialist Joyce McCants (865) 544-0751

On 10/28/2009, longtime community activist Mr. Gene Rosenberg was awarded the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence for Exceptional Public Service. The awards ceremony took place at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. where Mr. Rosenberg was recognized for his work with the “Traveling Trunk” exhibit promoting racial and cultural diversity.

Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Rosenberg has tirelessly devoted himself to the betterment of the Knoxville Community through education and direct involvement. He is a valued, long-time member of the East Tennessee Civil Rights Working Group promoting racial and cultural diversity. In 1999, Mr. Rosenberg was instrumental in developing the “Traveling Trunk” exhibit to educate children and adults about hate crimes and the consequences of racial, religious, ethnic, and other types of persecution. The presentation demonstrates the dangers of hate crime and the attitudes and behaviors which give rise to them. Since its inception, approximately 17,000 people have seen Mr. Rosenberg's presentation of the exhibit, and its message is planting important seeds to educate and inspire people. Mr. Rosenberg has traveled throughout the United States in support of multiple FBI Divisions.

Richard Lambert, Special Agent in Charge of the Knoxville Field Office, offers, “It sends a very powerful message about hate to anyone who sees it, and I think it has a long-lasting and positive impact.” The FBI Director’s Awards for Excellence are considered some of the most prestigious in the FBI, and a nomination in itself is considered an outstanding achievement and testament to an individual’s service to our nation. Mr. Rosenberg was chosen as the single winner from numerous nominations submitted from across the United States.