First Female FBI Special Agents

The other day, I was flipping through the Old Farmer's Almanac calendar.

Yes, I know it's a strange hobby for someone who's never owned a tractor. But I'm a sucker for a good story.

And tucked in between planting and weather tips was a story I can't stop thinking about.

In 1972, Joanne Pierce Misko and Susan Roley Malone became the first women to train as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents.

And, as a former federal prosecutor who worked closely with the FBI, this caught my attention.

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had long declared that women would never serve as agents under his watch. But after his death, the door cracked open, and Joanne and Susan walked bravely through it.

They were outnumbered 43 to 2 in their training class.
They practiced runs late at night.
They pushed themselves through pull-ups and firearms drills.

They faced skeptics, including one agent who sat down across from Susan and asked flatly, "Why are you here?"

She replied, "I love my country just like you do. I want to serve. And I believe I can."

That's what bravery looks like.

It's quietly preparing for a two-mile run while the world watches, waiting for you to fail.
It's making arrests, chasing fugitives, working bombing cases, and proving, over and over again, that you don't have to look like everyone else to do the job with honor.

Joanne and Susan didn't call themselves pioneers.
They just showed up.

They did the work.
And they made space for everyone who came after.

That's brave leadership.

#StandBrave™ #WomenInLeadership #FBI #LeadershipDevelopment #Storytelling #Trailblazers #BraveryUnderPressure

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