President's Message

This year is off to a busy start. Our Child Protection/Human Trafficking Team is planning to have a Speaker’s Bureau to provide programs and content on Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Awareness. All of us will be responsible for finding community centers, civic clubs, churches and schools to get our speakers places to present these programs. Look for more details on how you can help in the weeks ahead. By the time you read this our Elder Fraud Team will have presented this year’s first Financial Fraud Prevention Workshop at Birmingham’s CrossPlex. They too are looking for more locations to send our team of fraud prevention speakers, FBI Agents and law enforcement personnel to present these programs. You’ll be hearing more from them as well in the coming weeks. Our 2026 Officers were approved at our most recent Board meeting on January 20th. President – Rish Wood VP Birmingham- Alex Brewer VP Huntsville- Terry Turpen Secretary- Ann Kepner Treasurer- Stacy Kirkner Membership Coordinator- David Little Please give these new Officers a hand in helping our Chapter grow, in numbers AND in making a positive difference in our community.

And, a final, but important item of business: our Chapter raised $ 2,527.22 for the WellHouse Christmas Stocking Fund. The employees of the FBI contributed items for the Stocking for the first time. A special thanks to COS Jasmine Fells for making it happen! Thanks to all of you who gave sacrificially and especially Jim Stroud, who handled the “stuffing” of the Stockings. Please note our Save The Date announcement on these pages regarding our March 11th Luncheon at Headquarters. Look for more in-person opportunities coming to give you opportunities to learn more about the mission of the FBI and how you can plug in your network to share important information. Hope to see you there.

Best Blessings,

Rish

Happy New Year!

Auld Lang Syne 2025-Here Comes 2026!

Please join me in thanking Ginger Ory, James Watts and Chris Huys as they rotate off our Board of Directors. These three have been beacons of service for us all as they have served our Chapter. Well done, good and faithful servants! Ginger will continue to help our organization as Special Compliance Officer (she’ll help keep us in good shape from a compliance perspective).

Welcome our six new Board Members: Rodney Robertson, Pat McCay, Ann Kepner and Claudinette Purifoy-Fears, all from Huntsville as well as Birmingham’s Brent Balogh and Stacy Kirkner. They will be great additions to our leadership team.

This year we are planning several events, programs and trips to get more involvement with our community and every one of you will have an opportunity to help. We will have a June trip to FBI Quantico/Washington, D.C. and a tour of the FBI Redstone Campus in the 4^th quarter. We will establish Speaker’s Bureaus for our Child Protection/Human Trafficking and Elder Fraud Teams, respectively. You will be asked to connect our Teams with organizations, schools, groups, businesses, assisted-living / Senior Centers and churches- wherever people gather and need programs and content for their people. Our speakers can make a life-and-death difference to the lives of all in our communities.

We will continue to support the Mission of the FBI and others in law enforcement as we go about our work.

We have a comparatively small Newsletter this month since we did not have a regular Board meeting in December. All the administrative items from November and December will be included in February’s Newsletter.

Our first big event is our Fraud Prevention Workshop on January 31^st, 10:30AM-2:00PM. We will need volunteers to help with registration. We are expecting several hundred people. Contact Terry Collins if you can help: tcollinsfoto@gmail.com.

Looking forward to working with all ya’ll making our communities safer and more informed.

Best Blessings,

Rish

December has arrived — and with it, a joyful flurry of twinkling lights, brisk winter breezes, and the hope and wonder that only the Christmas season can bring. As we look toward the dawn of 2026, our Chapter is excited for the growing opportunities ahead to strengthen public safety and support families across North Central Alabama.

At our Annual Meeting in Cullman on Thursday, December 4th, we were blessed to welcome six remarkable new Board Members: Pat McCay, Ann Kepner, Claudinette Purifoy-Fears, Brent Balogh, Stacy Kirkner, and Rodney Robertson. Their passion and leadership are already lighting the path forward, and we are truly grateful to have them joining our mission in the coming year.

As we celebrate this season of giving, I’d like to share one heartfelt request. Each year, we raise funds for the WellHouse Christmas Stocking Fund, helping provide gifts and joy for the ladies and children served by The WellHouse. This year, we still need help to reach our goal of $2,700, and time is running short. Without your support, some of these precious families may not receive the Christmas surprises they deserve.

Would you prayerfully consider sponsoring one or more stockings at $75 each? Even the smallest act of generosity can help us deliver hope — beautifully wrapped in love.

DONATE HERE:

 https://secure.affinipay.com/pages/fbicitizensacademyalumniassociation/payments?reference=2025%20Wellhouse%20Stocking%20Drive

FINAL DEADLINE: December 12th

Thank You!

From our Chapter family to yours — may your homes be filled with peace, laughter, and cherished time with the people you love most. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Warmly,
Rish Wood

Dear Members and Friends,

Fall is here — and with it comes that wonderful mix of football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, and even ice hockey filling our weekends. The holidays are fast approaching, and there’s a sense of excitement in the air! Amid all that’s happening in our nation and our state, your FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Chapter has been hard at work. 

We’re planning another FBI Redstone Arsenal Campus Tour later this month (pending the end of the Shutdown), our Annual Members Meeting in Cullman on December 4th, and we’re finalizing our Memorandum of Agreement with the FBI for 2026 — a key step toward strengthening our partnership and programs.

I’m especially proud of how our Chapter continues to grow in outreach and impact. Our Fraud Prevention Team is expanding, with new public speaking engagements throughout the Birmingham Division and a community initiative to distribute Elder Fraud Awareness brochures at senior centers, churches, assisted living facilities, and neighborhood gatherings.

Our Speakers Bureau is active and growing, and we’re introducing a Child Protection Team dedicated to educating families about the many evolving threats facing our children today. We’re also forming specialized groups focused on Human Trafficking and Crimes Against Children, each with its own speakers to support and complement presentations by our FBI Agents and Analysts at community events.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for a 2026 Tour to Washington, D.C., featuring visits to The FBI Experience and the FBI Laboratory at Quantico — always a highlight for our members!

We’ll continue to support the FBI Birmingham Division’s Teen Academy, Collegiate Academy, and National Night Out programs, along with our own Annual Members Meeting. In addition, we’re organizing more in-person social gatherings featuring law enforcement professionals and security experts offering practical insights on situational awareness, self-defense, and personal safety.

These programs succeed because of you. We need each of our members — your time, your energy, and your unique talents — to help us educate the public and strengthen the communities we serve. When you’re invited to join a team or lend a hand at an event, I hope you’ll say “yes” and be part of making a real difference.

Please make plans to join us December 4th in Cullman for our Annual Meeting. Along with our FBI Leadership Team, we’ll hear from former FBI ASAC Jeff Brown, who will share powerful insights on how to protect ourselves, our families, homes, workplaces, and places of worship. Details on registration are included below — it promises to be a great event.

Wishing each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving season filled with gratitude for the men and women who protect and serve this great nation we’re privileged to call home.

With appreciation,

Rish

There’s a chill in the air and tailgating going on all over ( I am available for quality control on the food table!) which means we are in planning mode for 2026. We will be looking for new Board Members and some Officers. If you are interested in serving, contact me directly at President@FBICAAA-BHAM.org. We are looking for Members to join Teams to engage our organization in supporting our community. We need help on these TEAMS: Protecting Children; Events; Elder Fraud and Fallen Officer. Reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with TEAM leaders.

We supported a special  9-11 event at the Shelby County Airport. Check out details in these pages!

Some 27 of your fellow Active members are planning on taking the FBI Redstone Campus tour on Thursday October 16^th. Lots to see and be impressed at the facilities and capabilities of the FBI right here in our state.

We’ll be supporting the FBI in two National Nights Out in October: Calera on the 7^th and Montevallo on the 14^th.

Board Members were present and our Chapter provided supper for all the new Birmingham Academy Class participants at HQ on the 9^th. These folks were so appreciative of our support as they began their Academy journey.

Be sure to Save The Date for our Annual Meeting on Thursday, December 4^th, 6:00-8:00PM in Cullman. As always, we meet halfway between Birmingham and Huntsville for the convenience of all. Look for more details on this meeting in the coming weeks.

And mark your calendars to give your support for the Christmas Stocking Fundraiser for the ladies AND children of the WellHouse. These victims of Human Trafficking need our support as they rebuild their lives and go out into society with hope for their future. You can be a part of their lives with your support of our Christmas Stockings!

As you can see, we are doing things that make a difference AND support the men and women of the Birmingham Division of the FBI in their mission to make our community a safer place to live.

Best Blessings,

Rish

Time is flying, the days are getting shorter and Christmas will be here before you know it! Well maybe not quite so drastic except the days are beginning to get cooler and football has started!

We are excited for all our new programs concentrating on our Elder Fraud and Child Protection Teams. You’ll all have an opportunity to get materials in the hands of members of our communities and have subject matter experts make presentations on these topics. The collective of the whole of us is much stronger than the sum of its parts. We hope to be like McGruff The Dog and “take a bite out of crime” and make our communities aware of the dangers facing our kids and our elders- both parts of the most vulnerable members of society.

We encourage all of you to become active Chapter members and get involved in helping spread awareness across the entire Birmingham Division.

We are looking for volunteers at National Night Out in Calera on October 7^th and in Montevallo on October 14^th. Both starting at 5:30 in the afternoon. Please let me know if you can participate in handing out materials to the public at the FBI table/tent. Email president@fbicaaa-bham.org. You’ll be glad you did!

Pencil in December 4^th at 6:00PM  for our Annual Members Meeting in Cullman. There will more details coming soon.

Looking forward to sharing details on our new Teams next month. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and go to work!

Until next month,

Best Blessings,

Rish

I don’t know about you but the Dog Days seem to be early this year. All the heat and humidity drain one’s energy and activity. This has not stopped our Chapter from putting together events and participating at FBI HQ with outreach activities.

Several Members shared their experiences ( see Teen Academy on other pages in this Newsletter) in working in the community and giving back the blessings we received over the years. We also have two Social events on the calendar. By the time you read this the  events will have happened. Look for photos in these pages next month.

The First Annual All-Class Reunion was held at HQ on July 24^th. Some 35 Academy graduates heard from FBI Leadership and staff, and caught up with other classmates during the afternoon. A great time was had by all and the consensus was “Let’s do it again.”

We discussed our plans to work with the National Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville and it’s affiliate organizations in Jefferson and Shelby counties. These efforts will be coordinated by our new Child Protect Team. Keep an eye out for more details in coming weeks.

We also talked about volunteers needed to work with our Elder Fraud Team to distribute brochures to all assisted living facilities in the counties where we live. More on this later.

Thank you for responding to our requests for Board Member suggestions and other volunteers for our Teams. You all will be contacted soon to discuss your interests and the Chapter’s needs.

Watch out for an announcement soon about our Chapter Tour of the FBI’s Redstone Campus.

That wraps up this month’s news. I trust you all will have a fruitful and safe August!

Best Blessings,

Rish

Welcome to Summer!

There’s lots going on at our Chapter this Summer, including supporting the FBI Teen Academy and conducting our 1 st Annual All-Class Reunion, both in July and both at FBI HQ in Birmingham. In addition soon after the Reunion we will hold two social events, also open to ALL Alumni, one in Birmingham and one in Huntsville. Keep an eye out for details on those socials. Thanks to the two Terrys (Collins and Turpen) for setting up those socials!

And- a special shout-out to COS (Community Outreach Specialist) Jasmine Fells for all her good work on coordinating the Huntsville Academy Class, the Reunion and Teen Academy. New SAC Dave Fitzgibbons is looking forward to meeting many of you this summer and his newest ASAC, Matt Tootle wants to renew acquaintance with many of you who know him. ASAC James DeLoatch rounds out the Birmingham Division Leadership Team.

Speaking of the Reunion, be sure to go ahead and register NOW. There’s information on the Agenda and Registration in this Newsletter. We already have almost 50 registered (the capacity is 70), so don’t be left out! I attended the National CAAA Conference in Tampa June 25-28 and will have a complete report in our August Newsletter. We’ll also report on our new initiative supporting the National Child Advocacy Center and other CAC’s across the Division. We will need volunteers to serve on Teams to make this initiative happen. 

Finally, we are making an appeal for Members to serve on our Board in the following positions: VP for Birmingham, VP for Huntsville, Secretary and Membership Director. Several of you have already shown interest in these positions as well as being on our Communications Team and IT Team. We need more. Please reach out to me : President@fbicaaa-bham.org and we’ll share job descriptions and talk about it.

Looking forward to seeing ya’ll at these upcoming events and meetings.

Enjoy your summer!

Best Blessings,

Rish

Summer is here and things are popping up all over our FBI Birmingham Division. We are welcoming our new Special Agent in Charge David R. Fitzgibbons who has already hit the ground running. He hails from South Texas and was most recently Deputy Assistant Director at the Redstone Campus in Huntsville. He will be more officially welcomed soon and we will have an opportunity to meet him in person.

May has been full of activities and events. The Huntsville Academy Class has been meeting since April and will have graduated by the time you receive this Newsletter. There are 31 graduates in this Class and we want to extend our best wishes and look forward to getting many of them in our Chapter.

Our latest Fraud & Scams Conference in Arley served some 55 community members in Arley on May 1. Many thanks to our own David Little for putting together this event and Terry Collins for his support. Look for more of these Elder Fraud Conferences.

On May 13th we had 19 Chapter Members at a Lunch & Learn at the National Child Advocacy Center (NCAC) in Huntsville to hear ALEA and FBI Agents discuss the situation involving crimes against children in our Division. This briefing has spawned an interest in our Chapter becoming involved with the NCAC and other Centers like it throughout the Birmingham Division. We will be meeting with the leadership at NCAC the first week of June. Keep your eyes peeled on these pages for more information.

Fifteen more Huntsville Chapter Members came together for a social event at StoveHouse on the evening of May 22. Lots of fellowship and talk about how we can make a difference in our communities in 2025. It is the first social mixer we have had post-Covid and the folks were enthusiastic about plans for the future. Thanks to VP Chris Huys and Board Member Ginger Ory for putting the event together.

Teen Academy will be held at FBI HQ Birmingham in July and several Birmingham Chapter Members will be sharing a portion of the program discussing with the students about community service and volunteerism.

Look in this Newsletter for details on our First Annual All-Class Reunion July 24th at Birmingham HQ. All are invited from all Classes 2003-2025. You need to sign up early and plan for a great experience. We will also be sharing soon details on our Third Annual Redstone Tour in October, It has been a highlight of our year and this year will be the best ever. Come join us for a look at the FBI’s HQ2!

That’s all for now. Have a great Summer kickoff!

Rish Wood

Our Chapter is on the move.

Our Huntsville Academy Alumni have two opportunities to re-connect with Board members and each other on May 13 and May 22. You can find details in this Newsletter.

By the time you read this our Elder Fraud Team will have presented a Fraud and Scams Conference in Arley, serving Walker and Winston counties (Smith Lake area) and the Huntsville Academy Class will be half-way through with 31 prospective Alumni Members. Their Graduation is June 3rd.

The Birmingham Fall Class is still accepting nominations through June 30th. Please be thinking of friends you can share this opportunity with and get them involved.

Please mark your calendar to save the date of July 24 for our First Annual Class Reunion of all graduates! It will be held at Birmingham HQ 3:30PM- 7:30PM and optional dinner after at a local restaurant. You’ll get a VIP update and hear from our FBI team on the latest information and tour ( kind of a mini- Academy). Look for more information coming soon!

Teen Academy is coming to HQ July 9-11. You can share information to possible candidates so they can register. We will also need Members to come visit and briefly share your experience in serving our community through the CAAA. We will be providing lunch to the students all three days.

And…our Annual FBI Redstone Campus Tour is coming in October. It’s a highlight for all of us and plan on being on that bus!

Lots happening and more to come.

Have a wonderful May!

Rish