2017 Director's Community Leadership Awards

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Video Transcript

Narrator: Fifty-seven individuals and organizations were honored at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., during the Director’s Community Leadership Awards ceremony on April 20, 2018.

Director Christopher Wray recognized the award recipients for their contributions to education and to the prevention of crime and violence within their communities.

Director Christopher Wray: These are people who are out on the front lines and who know their communities really, in many ways better than anybody, and they’ve identified specific concerns and challenges, and they’ve rolled their sleeves trying to deal with those challenges. So it’s an inspiring group of people, and I think it’s great that the Bureau has a way to thank them and show our appreciation.

Narrator: The awards have been presented each year since 1990 by FBI field offices around the country to publicly recognize those who have answered the call to service.

DCLA recipients like The Ziegenfelder Company were recognized for selfless contributions to their communities.

Lisa Allen: What we do in our company, we have intentional hiring practices—we refer to them as compassionate hiring practices—and we hire second-chance citizens, re-entering citizens, from the federal or state system as well as former drug addicts. Everybody has the opportunity—or should have the opportunity—to, unfortunately, make a bad decision and have a second chance at rebuilding their lives.

Narrator: Other recipients included Dr. Meenakshi Brewster, who has worked with local partners to combat the opioid crisis in her community.

Meenakshi Brewster: Through our combined efforts as a community in addressing the opioid epidemic, we’ve worked very closely with our local law enforcement and, of course, all of our criminal justice system and investigative system here at the local level, and it’s just a very, very amazing gesture from the FBI to even do this and to recognize some of the local partnerships.

Narrator: The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas was recognized for its efforts to prevent hate crime and advance cooperation between law enforcement and ethnic and minority groups.

Steve Hunegs: The JCRC likes to see itself existing at the crossroads of community security and civil rights, that’s something, of course, that the FBI does at the same time. So there’s a lot of ways in which our missions mesh. We work particularly hard together on community security, the FBI has been a wonderful resource.

Narrator: While the 2017 award recipients come from different backgrounds and professions, they are united by a single effort: to serve their communities and inspire others.

Director Wray: And we in the FBI are so proud to be able stand with partners and leaders like you. So thank you for your service to others, thank you for your partnership and support to the Bureau, and thank you for what you do.