FBI to Hire 900 New Special Agents With Focus on Diversity

The FBI plans to hire 900 new special agents over the next year with a focus on diversity, the bureau says.

"People I think have a picture in their mind of what an FBI agent is -- a white male in a suit perhaps wearing a hat,” Dallas-based supervisory special agent Lara Burns said.

The mother of two became an agent just a few years before the Sept.11 terrorist attack and quickly found herself investigating terrorism.

'We worked for months, day and night, with the goal of holding everyone accountable who was involved but more important ensuring that another event like that did not happen,” Burns said.

She soon was assigned a major terrorism case with North Texas connections.

One case involved the Holy Land Foundation where the organization claimed to be a charity raising money for orphans. The FBI later found that the group was financing bombings in the Middle East. Five leaders were convicted.

"It would become the Department of Justice's largest terrorism financing investigation and prosecution to date,” Burns said.

This is Burns' first time speaking out on the case.

"I was glad to be a part of it and when that occurred[GS(K1]  I knew counter-terrorism was where I was going to work throughout my FBI career and that's what I've done."

Though Burns, who also is a lawyer, said her gender hasn't held her back, the FBI has been under fire for a lack of diversity. The department is still mostly male, and mostly white.

It is looking to change that.

"We must reflect the diversity in this country,” Burns said.

And that includes not just race and gender, but people of diverse backgrounds and professions.

The bureau is looking especially for people with computer and science experience.

"It's been the best job ever, especially since I became a bomb tech,” Dallas agent Todd Hynson said.

Hynson has a degree in biology and was already an environmental consultant when he became an agent 20 years ago. He found his passion in explosives.

"We have a bunch of engineers and scientists who are working at the FBI,” he said. “It's a different way they teach you how to think so it's good for investigations."

Katie Goins, a 21-year-old senior at SMU, is interning at the FBI and is interested in working there full-time.

"It's a great opportunity I wish more students knew about,” Goins said. "Seeing how many paths there are for me all within the bureau has been nice to know."

Burns, the veteran agent, wants to encourage young people, especially women, to apply.

"I have two sons. I run the counterterrorism program in the Dallas division. I'm the supervisor over the counterterrorism squad. And I coach flag football,” Burns said. “You can do both."

The bureau plans to hold an information session about its jobs on Thursday.

Applicants must sign up online first at fbijobs.gov.