Washington, D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
September 13, 2021

J. William Rivers Named as Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Field Office

Director Christopher Wray has named J. William Rivers as the special agent in charge of the Cincinnati Field Office. Mr. Rivers most recently served as a section chief and the director of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Mr. Rivers joined the FBI as a special agent in 2002 and was assigned to the Washington Field Office to investigate counterintelligence matters. In 2006, he was certified as a technically trained agent and worked on WFO’s Technical Operations Squad to support investigative programs. He also served on the SWAT team as the technical coordinator and as a certified sniper.

In 2013, Mr. Rivers was promoted to supervisory special agent. He remained on WFO’s Technical Operations Squad and provided technical investigative support to criminal, intelligence, and national security squads. He supervised 20 other technically trained agents and served as a liaison to the Operational Technology Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington and to outside partners.

Mr. Rivers was promoted in 2015 to unit chief of the TTA Operations and Development Unit in the Operational Technology Division at Headquarters and was responsible for the success of the FBI’s technical investigative personnel.

In 2018, Mr. Rivers was appointed assistant special agent in charge of the Norfolk Field Office in Virginia. He was responsible for all criminal, cyber, and administrative programs. He was promoted in 2020 to section chief and director of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center. TEDAC is a multi-agency center that coordinates bomb-related evidence and intelligence collection for the U.S. government.

Mr. Rivers earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining the FBI, he was a project manager and engineer for a private general construction company in Kentucky.