4 Days in 50 Minutes: A Remote Recap of WIFLE’s 2020 Conference

GS Jennifer Austin (left) and SAC Susan Gibson (right) accept their WIFLE Foundation Awards. Photo Courtesy of DEA Public Affairs.

FEDtalk host Debra Roth joins WIFLE President Cathy Sanz, Vice President Jessie Lane, in conversation with two conference presenters who offered webinars in place of the in-person trainings and two of the 2020 award winners from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA): Ret. Col. Brenda Dietzman, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wayfinder Consulting, and Dianne Bernhard, Executive Director of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.).

Col. Dietzman, a 28-year veteran of law enforcement and corrections, spoke on the topic of "The New Generation" in her recent webinar. She emphasized how younger generations tend to prefer purposeful and achievement-driven work over monetary motivation. Therefore, law enforcement agencies are under more pressure to communicate with recruits on a more meaningful level about the importance of the work they do.

Afterwards, Bernhard discussed the C.O.P.S. organization and her webinar entitled "When an Officer Dies" which outlines trends in line of duty deaths. Bernhard explained that the number of officer deaths has been trending upward due to the Coronavirus, which has had a range of negative effects. Additionally, Bernhard discussed important considerations for handling fatalities in the line-of-duty.

To close the show, WIFLE President Sanz and Vice President Lane highlighted two of the WIFLE Foundation Award Winners — Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Susan Gibson and DEA Special Agent (SA) Jennifer Austin who won the Public Service Award and Elizabeth Smith Friedman Intelligence Award of Excellence, respectively.

In a unique twist for WIFLE award winners, SAC Gibson had nominated SA Austin for her award. SAC Gibson was nominated by the U.S. Attorney in her District for the Public Service Award.

SAC Gibson and SA Austin join the show to discuss the challenges they faced and the successes they achieved throughout their careers. SAC Gibson commended SA Austin, noting her technical skills and work ethic — a primary reason for nominating her. GS Austin expressed her gratitude for the award and nomination, discussing the comradery she shares with other women in federal law enforcement, and what it means to her.

“It is truly empowering to work for two amazing, strong women in such a male dominated industry. They have just continually mentored me and encouraged me to grow as an analyst, as a woman, and as an individual. I have been very fortunate to work and learn from many strong, intelligent, and confident women, agents, prosecutors, and analysts throughout my career,” stated SA Austin, “I have been a member of the Narcotics Intelligence Team for over 20 years and I am very passionate about what we do. Intelligence analysts work in the background. It is very nice and appreciated to be recognized for our impact.”

Winners received their awards from their agency in place of WIFLE’s annual conference ceremony. WIFLE has committed to hosting their conference back in Tampa, Florida next year on August 16 through August 19, 2021.

The show airs live on Friday, August 7, 2020, at 11:00 am ET on Federal News Network. You can stream the show online anytime via the Federal News Network app and listen to the FEDtalk podcast on all major podcasting platforms.

FEDtalk is a live talk show produced by Shaw Bransford & Roth P.C., a federal employment law firm. Bringing you the insider’s perspective from leaders in the federal community since 1993. FEDtalk is sponsored by the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). The FLTCIP is sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, insured by John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company, under a group long term care insurance policy, and administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC (doing business as FedPoint).