Brenda Heck, Special Agent in Charge, Counterterrorism Division, FBI

Kara Sidener, Special Agent, Infragard Program, FBI

About Brenda

Ms Heck serves as special agent in charge of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division of the Washington Field Office. Ms. Heck most recently served as deputy assistant director in the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters and has more than 23 years of service to the FBI.

Prior to her career with the FBI, she was a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service from 1985-88. In 1988, Ms. Heckcompleted new agent training at the FBI Academy and began her career at the New York Field Office.

While in the New York Field Office, she spent 14 years working extensively on investigations involving fugitives, crimes against children, and civil rights. She was a member of the New York Field Office Scuba Team and was awarded the medal of merit.  In 2002, Ms. Heck was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Criminal Investigative Division, Violent Crimes/Major Offenders Section, at FBI Headquarters. After working in the Criminal Investigative Division, she transferred to the Counterterrorism Division and served as a supervisory special agent, unit chief, and assistant section chief and section chief of the International Terrorism Operations Section.

Ms. Heck completed the Leadership in Counterterrorism program in 2006, a program sponsored by the Australian Federal Police in conjunction with the FBI. In October 2009, she received the Director's Award for Excellence in intelligence analysis for her work on the Strategic Execution Team initiative, a two-year project to realign FBI intelligence functions.

Ms. Heck graduated from James Madison University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. Additionally, she earned a Master of Arts in homeland security and defense studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.

About Kara

Kara D. Sidener is a Special Agent with the FBI and is currently serving as the InfraGard Coordinator for the Washington Field Office (WFO). Her 13+ years with the FBI have all been in the Washington, DC area, having had assignments at the WFO, FBI Headquarters, and the FBI Academy. Kara has experience in a number of areas to include counterintelligence, cyber, evidence response, instruction and training, and private sector outreach. She has co-authored two articles, "Proactive Human Source Development" and "Office Paper DeCopier," which appeared in the Law Enforcement Bulletin and Journal of Forensic Sciences, respectively. Kara has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a Master of Forensic Science degree, both from The George Washington University.