FBI Announces New Role for Maureen A. Baginski

Maureen A. Baginski, the executive assistant director for Intelligence, is taking on a new role at the FBI. After two years of leading the FBI's intelligence program, she plans to retire from government service and return as a senior advisor to the FBI.

Under Ms. Baginski's leadership, the FBI has considerably enhanced its capacity to fuse intelligence from across the Bureau and is using intelligence to direct and guide collection. Ms. Baginski developed and built an intelligence infrastructure with dedicated intelligence groups in every field office and the Directorate of Intelligence at Headquarters to manage all FBI intelligence activities—from collection to dissemination—to ensure that the FBI's intelligence activities are integrated with its investigative operations. Ms. Baginski also led the development of a professional intelligence career service and implemented new hiring practices, training, and a clear career path that gives intelligence professionals opportunities for development and advancement to upper management ranks.

The president, in his June 28, 2005, memorandum, and the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD Commission) in its report, noted the FBI's significant improvements in its intelligence program.

Director Mueller said, "Our progress of the past two years would not have been possible without the efforts of Maureen Baginski. The National Security Branch is the next step in the FBI's evolution and will be constructed on the strong foundation that Maureen built. I have asked her to return as a senior advisor to the FBI to continue to bring her considerable vision and energy to our overall transformation efforts."

She will divide her time between work at the FBI and other service of critical importance to the national security community.