ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q2-2025

ASSOCIATION PERSPECTIVE

Craig Petersen

G reetings all! This is an exciting time to be a member of the FBI National Academy Associates. We have so many wonderful things happening around our association, and I am excited to share some of them with you. First, we welcome our most recent members, the graduates of Session 294! I welcome you to the FBINAA family and encourage you to get involved in your local chapters and remain active in the Association. By staying active, you will continue to expand your network, receive quality training, and experience the unique events that are held by each chapter around the world. Speaking of chapters, we had an amazing Chapter Leadership Summit in March at the FBI Academy in Quantico. A huge thank you goes out to our National Office Team who worked extremely hard to plan and execute such an effective and wonderful summit. The summit consisted of presentations, panel discussions, and networking among the chapter leaders. Ideas were exchanged and valuable information was gained. Based on the feedback I have received, the summit is one of the best and most productive in recent years. Thank you to our chapter leaders that work hard every day to support this association. We also had a fantastic expo day with our Strategic Partners as well. We thank them for their year-round support of our association. We concluded the summit with a social mixer sponsored by Justice Federal Credit Union followed by the iconic 5.11 steak night. Special thanks to JFCU and 5.11 for their sponsorship of such a great evening. While at the CLS, in an emotional moment for me, I also presented Immediate Past President Scott Rhoad with his gold membership card, a special recognition of Scott’s nine years of service to the National Board. Scott’s last conference as a National Board member will be the upcoming National Annual Training Conference in Baltimore. Scott has served the Association very well. He has a servant’s heart and has always put the best interests of our members first. Personally, he has mentored me, and I am proud and fortunate to call him my friend. I know we will continue to see Scott and his family at FBINAA events. We thank Scott for his exemplary service to the FBI National Academy Associates. Regarding the National Annual Training Conference in Balti more, we have a fantastic conference planned for our members. The Maryland-Delaware Chapter, the National Office Team, and the Eventive Group have worked for months to bring our members an experience they will not forget. We are excited to have Tim Tebow as one of our keynote speakers this year! Our co-host com mittee has also booked .38 Special for a concert on FBINAA Night. If that is not enough, they have planned not one but two crab feasts. There is also a whiskey tasting event, a 5k run, and golf to name a few of the activities. Our training committee worked hard to select our trainers for the conference. We will be offering 28 breakout sessions and six keynote speakers this year. Our vendor hall will be one of the largest we have ever offered, so you will not want to miss the opportunity to learn about all of the latest goods and services offered to public safety. Exciting new benefits are here for our members! When Executive Director Jeff McCormick was hired, one of his goals was to provide so many member benefits that it would be foolish not to be a member of the FBINAA. He and the membership

team are keeping their promise. Our membership team secured discounts from three of the major airlines for our members who will be traveling to Baltimore for the National Annual Training Conference. This is a first for the Association. Our membership team also added a benefit called “Member Deals.” You can find access to this amazing benefit on our website in the members only section. Member Deals offers discounts to our members on just about anything you can think of, travel, theme parks, hotels, rental cars, concerts, sporting events, movie tickets, jewelry, electronics, and more. This is one of the most significant member benefits we have ever offered. I encourage you to take advantage of this incredible offer. Lastly, this will be my last article in the Associate Magazine as your Association President. The past year has been truly incredible, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve you, our members. My favorite part of this past year is, without a doubt, meeting so many wonderful people and making new friends. Our Association is special and the reason for that is the people who comprise it. I would like to thank all who have supported Michelle and me on this journey. We are thankful for your friendship. To our National Board Members, I thank you for your support, your counsel, your friendship, and for your service to this Association. To Scott Rhoad and Mike Hardee, who end their terms on the board this year, thank you for putting your heart and soul into this Association and for your service to our members. To our National Office Team, I say it all the time, but I will say again, you are the best in the business. I do not know of a harder working, more committed group of people in any organization. I have seen what you do behind the scenes for our members, and it is incredible. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Serving as your Association President has been one of the great honors in my life and I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve you.

God bless,

Craig Petersen 2024-2025 FBINAA President NA Session 245

4 FBINAA.ORG | Q2 2025