5 minute read
Tell Me A Story
TELL ME A STORY By: Cynthia M. Dietle
CHANGING THE WORLD: ONE OPPORTUNITY, ONE RELATIONSHIP AT A TIME
How did you end up where you are today? Good grief, I have no idea. I was not a prolific Facebooker, nor am I tech savvy, but I believe in the grandiose, bold, idealistic idea of devoting my life to making the world a better place. I joined the FBI in 1995 to work in the Civil Rights Program and was fortunate to spend over 20 years primarily investigating hate crimes and law enforcement misconduct. I believe that one of the greatest crimes in our country is when communities, motivated by hate, turn on each other, or when our law enforcement officers violate the public’s trust and abuse those most vulnerable among us. Earlier this year my boss at Facebook, Roy L. Austin, Jr. convinced me that if I truly wanted to help the people of the world, not just in the United States, I would consider joining him at Facebook to help our three billion users find community and find their voice on our platform. That was a pretty persuasive recruiting pitch, and I’m honored to join him in the newly created Civil Rights Team at Facebook.
What were the choices you made that, intentionally or not, led you to this place
in your career? I kept moving forward but sometimes I had to be nudged. I left the FBI office in New York City after ten years because my supervisor convinced me that I should consider joining the leadership ranks of the FBI. He reminded me that out of 13,000 FBI agents, less than 200 work in the Civil Rights Program. If I wanted to have a greater impact in the country, I needed to lead the program forward. He was right. Several years later, when I was Chief of the Civil Rights Unit at the FBI, I had the opportunity to move to Boston to supervise the FBI’s Civil Rights and Public Corruption programs in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine. While I was perfectly content with my current job as Chief, my supervisor at the time, a female FBI executive, convinced me that being content was equivalent to stagnating. She convinced to me to get back on the street and put my leadership skills to work. She was right. Thankfully, my wife who was also an FBI agent always wanted to move to Boston, so I accepted the transfer. She was right that the northeast was a delightful place to raise our son Jackson. Well, until the snow came.
Who helped you along the way? There were several female attorneys who guided me when I first moved to Knoxville. Heidi Barcus is a friend who convinced me to join Introduction Knoxville and the KBA when I arrived. Through those organizations, I met several individuals who have become dear friends and colleagues like Nancy Barger at Hunter Valley Farm, Lindsay Twardy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Tasha Blakney who is quite the zealous advocate for her clients. Without Heidi, I would have been quite lost. On my own initiative, I sought out Brooklyn Sawyers Belk who at the time was an Assistant United States Attorney and the only Black female federal prosecutor in our district. If she broke through that glass ceiling, I knew that she was someone I needed to meet. She has become a dear friend and she continues to be a guiding force for young attorneys, especially those of color, in East Tennessee.
Did good luck or bad luck play a role? If so, what was it? I think of it more as a timing issue than luck. I was in a certain place at a certain time, and something happened that changed my life. I was in New York City, hosting my Hate Crimes Working Group meeting, when the first plane struck the Twin Towers. In the weeks and months that followed, I volunteered to be the FBI’s representative to help the victims and their families. These families changed who I became as an FBI agent as I began to listen to victims of crime and pay attention to what they needed. I’m also reminded that when I was eligible to retire from the FBI, I learned that the Matthew Shepard Foundation needed a programs director. I met Dennis and Judy Shepard in 2009 at the White House when a federal hate crimes law named after their son Matt and James Byrd, Jr., was signed into law by President Obama. I was well aware that in 1998, Matt Shepard was targeted and murdered in Wyoming because he was gay. At that time, federal criminal civil rights laws were insufficient to address the crime. Instead of withdrawing from society in grief, his parents became tireless advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and fought to change the law. The opportunity to join them in their fight for equality was an honor and I was so thankful they hired me.
If you could go back and do something differently, what would it be?
Nothing. My journey is my journey, and I’m incredibly fortunate to be where I am. I could name a hundred decisions that I would change, missed opportunities, doors that opened but I ignored, but then what? Would I still be where I am today?
What would you tell someone who would like a similar position? Be humble. Listen. Observe. Be charitable. I know I’m very privileged and shame on me if I don’t help those less fortunate than me. Align yourself with others who are in a similar career and who are well respected in the community as bridge-builders, not as advocates of division. I’ve known Roy since 2008 and stayed connected to him through our work in civil rights. He is known in the civil rights space as an honest, uncompromising attorney and zealous defender of those who are marginalized in our country. Because of our work and our friendship, I’m in this position at Facebook where I can help the company help others.
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