Amy Jo Lyons Named Assistant Director of the FBI Inspection Division

Amy Jo Lyons has been named assistant director (AD) of the FBI Inspection Division. Director Robert S. Mueller, III appointed her to this position to replace Kevin Perkins, who is now serving as AD of the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters.

“In her new role, Amy will be responsible for oversight of internal investigations and the evaluation of FBI programs to ensure their effectiveness and compliance with FBI objectives, governing laws, rules, regulations, and policies,” said Director Mueller. “Her previous experience in the Inspection Division, coupled with her years of operational work in the field, makes her an excellent fit for this position.”

Ms. Lyons entered on duty as an FBI special agent in January 1990. Upon completion of training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, she was assigned to the New Haven Division. While there, she investigated international drug money laundering cases and led a Safe Streets Task Force focused on the Almighty Latin Kings Nation. After six years, she was promoted to the International Training and Assistance Program at the FBI Academy. She was later assigned to the Latin American Unit in the Criminal Investigative Division’s Organized Crime/Drug Section at FBI Headquarters.

In February 1999, Ms. Lyons transferred to the New York Division, where she managed an Italian Organized Crime Squad focused on the Columbo Organized Crime Family. She served in this position until July 2001, when she was appointed to assistant special agent in charge (ASAC) of the Special Operations Branch. Shortly thereafter, she served as the on-scene commander in the New York Division’s Joint Operations Center in response to the 9/11 attacks. She was subsequently assigned to FBI Headquarters to work on the investigation of Zacharias Moussaoui. Upon her return to New York, Ms. Lyons spent three years as the ASAC of the International Terrorism Branch, supervising the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force.

In August 2006, Ms. Lyons was promoted to an inspector in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters. In this role, she led teams responsible for sensitive investigations and the assessment of FBI operations and performance throughout the country. She was designated as the chief inspector in the Inspection Division in January 2008. She was named special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Division in April 2008.

Ms. Lyons is a native of New Jersey. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in psychology from Ball State University. Prior to her employment with the FBI, Ms. Lyons was a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Newark, New Jersey.