ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q3-2023

National Academy Associate: President Rhoad, congratulations on your appointment to the presidency of the FBINAA. Can you tell our members about your background? Scott Rhoad: Thank you for the opportunity to share my deep appreciation for all the support I have received from our members and partners. I am looking forward to the coming year and where this Association is headed. I started my law enforcement career in 1985 as a student employee of the University of Central Missouri Department of Public Safety while majoring in criminal justice and security. I was soon hired as a police officer with the department and earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice administration. Over the next 35 years I transitioned through ranks in the department while also teaching in the police academy. In 2014, I was named chief of police and UCM director of public safety. Those responsibilities included supervision of not only the police division including the 911 call center, but also, the parking services, access control, and environmental health and safety divisions. After serving several years as chief/director I retired in 2021. I am currently focused on spending time with my family and the FBINAA. NAA: You’ve been on the National Board for the last seven years; what has been the most rewarding accomplishment of the Association during your tenure? SR: While there have been several areas we have focused on as a board, the two that stand out to me most are our financial security and training. As an association, I am proud of the training opportunities the national office has developed and sponsored in cooperation with the chapters. I believe this partnership needs to continue and development into an even more sustainable model. But to pick the most personally rewarding I would have to say working with the AME chapter to select and support a candidate to attend the FBINAA Youth Leadership Program in Quantico. This was a very difficult process primarily due to geography and com munication challenges. They were able to send a candidate two years in a row prior to COVID-19 and again this year. MEET NEW FBINAA PRESIDENT SCOTT RHOAD

chapters is the foundation for our network of law enforcement professionals and those who move on to the private sector.

I hope by focusing on these relationships and showing our mem bers the benefits of them, we can increase the engagement of our members with their chapters. There is an endless pool of resources and experience at the fingertips of our members. Being a graduate of the FBI National Academy may provide you new opportunities in your professional career, but being an engaged, active member of your chapter and this Association increases your knowledge, network, and support to make you successful. NAA: What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the FBINAA? SR: The biggest challenge facing the FBINAA is the same as nearly all other associations is currently facing: decline in membership. However, because of the diligence of our national office staff and chapter leadership boards our overall numbers are better than many other professional organizations. The cancellation of six (6) sessions of the FBINA and a reduced class size of another class ac counts for a reduction of 1,500-1,600 members. This aspect alone accounts for much of our decline. Another challenge our associa tion will be facing is the reduction in class size for the FBINA. This will be an immediate decrease of 200 members each year moving forward. We have traditionally seen an ebb and flow of 1,000 members in and 1,000 members out. We must focus on retaining members who are leaving this association each year by keeping them engaged in our chapters. However, there are NA graduates out there who are not active mem bers of this association. Those individuals are our greatest oppor tunity. The FBINAA is the world’s largest law enforcement network. Let’s continue to build it and make it stronger. I am often asked what benefits there are for retired members or why they should stay active. This network is like a family. We all share a common bond as graduates of the FBINA and being a part of this association gives each of us the opportunity to be part of a network of resources to help others. That is why most of us are in a service-oriented profes sion to begin with -- to help others. Not to mention the great travel benefits. As a retired member I can travel to chapter conferences all over the world. Where else can you renew friendships and make new ones with people with similar interests and backgrounds in an environment as safe and welcoming as an NAA conference? NAA: Do you have any ideas about how to help our new members engage in the association as part of your presidency? SR: As graduates of the FBINA return to their departments one of the first things they should do is find out when the next meeting of their local chapter is going to take place. Ideally, they have already been to a meeting or two leading up to attending the NA. Chapters should encourage recent graduates to get involved by helping plan an activ ity, serving as a committee member, or becoming a chapter board member. I was very fortunate to have a supervisor that believed in the importance of being active in the NAA. He knew the importance of the network and training opportunities to make me a better leader. As a graduate of the FBINA you have obviously been identified as a leader in your department. As a leader, support the NA graduates in your agency by sending them to training, conferences, meetings and social events. These opportunities to build their network of contacts is a benefit to you and the community they serve.

NAA: What are you hoping to bring to the FBINAA as president?

SR: My focus is and always has been to build relationships to enhance this Association. Relationships between our members, our partners, the FBI, and other federal agencies is paramount to our success. The relationships built within chapters and between

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