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From D.C. to DeSales: Raymond Duda Takes Students Inside the FBI
Raymond Duda compares his role in the FBI to that of a sheep dog.
While the vast majority of Americans are unaware of the dangers that exist, the assistant director of the bureau’s international operations division warns there are wolves out there.
“We’re the sheep dogs in that line of defense between the wolves and the sheep, willing to risk our lives to keep folks safe.”
Duda shared insights and stories from his three decades in the FBI with criminal justice and homeland security students from the Hoover Building in downtown Washington, D.C., via Microsoft Teams. DeSales’ Center for Homeland Security sponsored the virtual visit.
Duda was an undergraduate student in Pittsburgh in the 1980s when he seriously began considering a career in the FBI. He joined the bureau in 1991 at the age of 24 for two main reasons—that on-the-job adrenaline rush and the ability to help people.
“It seems like just yesterday I was in your seat trying to figure out what my career was going to look like,” he said. “Fortunately for me, this is what I always wanted to do, and it worked out fantastically for the last 31 years.”
The bureau’s primary work, he told students, is driven by the field—collecting intelligence and initiating investigations. Counterterrorism remains the top priority, and Duda noted the recent shift in focus from international terrorist groups to acts of violence driven by domestic ideology—a trend that’s also evolving in Europe, Australia, and other parts of the globe.
Duda’s work also centers on a range of other areas—from counterintelligence activities, cybercrimes, and gang violence to public corruption, civil rights, and human trafficking. Overall, he calls a career in the FBI one of the most noble professions. While acknowledging that it does come at a cost, he notes the country truly needs those professionals who are drawn to pursue it.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in situations where something bad is happening and everybody is running away,” he said. “But there are one, two, or three men or women running toward the situation. It takes a special kind of person to do that. ... If you choose to go down this path, it’s honorable and it’s challenging, there’s no doubt about it. But I hope to see you out in uniform or here in the halls of the Hoover Building someday.”
