Inside the DEA, DEA Leadership

On July 31, 2003, Karen P. Tandy was confirmed by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), following her nomination by President George W. Bush.

Prior to becoming DEA Administrator, Ms. Tandy was Associate Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). In her capacity as Associate Deputy Attorney General, she was responsible for oversight of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Drug Intelligence Center, as well as responsible for developing national drug enforcement policy and strategies.

The roughly $500 million OCDETF program, which Ms. Tandy managed from January 2001 through July 2003, spanned three U.S. Departments and included more than 2,200 federal agents, 500 federal prosecutors, and various state and local law enforcement task forces around the country. Under Ms. Tandy's leadership, OCDETF refocused its efforts towards dismantling major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. During her tenure at OCDETF, financial investigations increased from 16 percent to 59 percent; deposits to the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund increased by 33 percent; criminal charges against leadership-level defendants increased by 10 percent; and multi-jurisdiction cases increased from nine percent to 84 percent of the OCDETF investigations. In addition, the OCDETF program received a funding enhancement for the first time in 10 years.

Between 1990 and 1999, Ms. Tandy served in a variety of positions in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, supervising the Department's drug and forfeiture litigation. She represented the Department of Justice before Congress in the successful effort to reform civil forfeiture law. As the first Chief of the Litigation Unit in the Asset Forfeiture Office, Ms. Tandy developed the Justice Department's expedited settlement policy to reduce unnecessary litigation for mortgage holders of forfeitable property. She also authored a criminal forfeiture practice handbook relied on by federal prosecutors throughout the country. As Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section, she supervised the Department's narcotic prosecutions nationwide. As the first Deputy Chief at the Special Operations Division, she had responsibility for implementing the nationwide coordination of drug wiretap investigations among federal prosecutors.

From 1979 to 1990, Ms. Tandy was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia and in the Western District of Washington, handling the prosecution of violent crime and complex drug, money laundering and forfeiture cases. During her almost 10 years in the Eastern District of Virginia, Ms. Tandy was named Senior Litigation Counsel and served as Chief of the Narcotics Section and Lead OCDETF Attorney. One of Ms. Tandy's OCDETF prosecutions led to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Decision that attorneys' fees are subject to forfeiture notwithstanding the Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel. During 1988 to 1990, Ms. Tandy was Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Unit in the United States Attorney's Office in the Western District of Washington. She has lectured extensively on forfeiture law and practice, conducted international training, and developed a forfeiture teaching model for the American Bar Association. Prior to joining the Justice Department, she clerked for the Chief Judge of the Northern District of Texas.

Among her awards and commendations, Ms. Tandy has received the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service, the Department of Justice Award for Extraordinary Achievement, and the United States Attorney Director's Award for Superior Service.

Ms. Tandy, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, is a graduate of Texas Tech University and a 1977 graduate of the Texas Tech Law School. She is married with two daughters.

Ms. Leonhart was unanimously confirmed as the Deputy Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration by the U.S. Senate on March 8, 2004, following her nomination by President George W. Bush.

Special Agent Michele M. Leonhart graduated from college in Minnesota with a B.S. in Criminal Justice in 1978. Upon graduation, she pursued her career goal to be a police officer, joining the Baltimore Police Department. Special Agent Leonhart graduated from the Baltimore Police Academy and performed patrol functions in the Northwest District of Baltimore.

Interested in a career in federal narcotics law enforcement, Special Agent Leonhart applied for a position with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and was hired as a DEA Special Agent in late 1980. She selected Minneapolis as her first duty station, where she worked for five years. During that time, Special Agent Leonhart routinely posed as an undercover agent in numerous federal drug investigations, and initiated and coordinated numerous complex conspiracy investigations. The drug traffickers she arrested varied from millionaires to street dealers.

With mobility a requirement of the job, Special Agent Leonhart was transferred to the DEA St. Louis Field Division in 1986 where she became the Special Agent Recruiter. As a result of her outstanding casework in Minnesota, and her administrative talents in St. Louis, Special Agent Leonhart was promoted to a Group Supervisor position in the DEA San Diego Field Division in early 1988. After a short assignment as the Intelligence Supervisor, she took over command of an enforcement group for five years. Special Agent Leonhart was featured in a documentary filmed by the BBC in 1991. Her enforcement group conducted numerous investigations to include international smuggling cases. The most notorious of her Group’s investigations was the investigation of a major Bolivia-based cocaine cartel that resulted in the arrest and conviction of cartel leader Jorge Roca-Suarez, co-defendants, and the seizure of over $14 million in assets. Special Agent Leonhart was awarded the DEA Administrator’s Award in 1993 for her distinguished service as a Supervisor.

In 1993, Special Agent Leonhart was transferred to DEA Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, where she served as an OPR (Internal Affairs) Inspector. In 1994, Special Agent Leonhart was again promoted and served on DEA’s Career Board until her assignment as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Division in 1995. In 1996, she was promoted to the ranks of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and was assigned oversight of DEA’s Special Agent Recruitment Program at DEA Headquarters.

Special Agent Leonhart was appointed in 1997 as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of DEA’s San Francisco Field Division, where she served until her appointment in September 1998 as the SAC of DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division. In that capacity, she commanded DEA offices and enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area, as well as Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, and Saipan.

Bio of Michael Furgason, Sr. Chief of Operations

As DEA Chief of Operations, W. Michael Furgason, Sr. is responsible for the overall direction of the worldwide drug enforcement operations of the agency, and is a principal advisor to the DEA Administrator and Deputy Administrator on all enforcement-related matters.

Mr. Furgason began his career in law enforcement in 1976 as a police officer with the New Orleans Police Department. Prior to his career in law enforcement, Mr. Furgason served in the U.S. Navy from 1973 - 1976.

In 1983, Mr. Furgason joined the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent and was assigned to enforcement groups in New Orleans and San Antonio. In 1990, Mr. Furgason was promoted to Group Supervisor in the Los Angeles Field Division, where he was in charge of a task force comprised of federal, state and local investigators in the Los Angeles HIDTA's newly formed Southern California Drug Task Force. His enforcement group investigated many significant Colombian and Mexican based organizations. One of the more noteworthy was a two-year investigation know as Operation Foxhunt, which focused on a major Cali, Colombia cocaine transportation organization operating from Los Angeles. By the time the investigation concluded, 6.5 tons of cocaine and over $13.5 million was seized, and 191 suspects were arrested.

In July 1995, Mr. Furgason was transferred to DEA Headquarters where he was selected as a Staff Coordinator in the Special Operations Division (SOD). There he coordinated some of DEA's most complex international investigations under Operations Zorro II, Reciprocity, Limelight and Meta. In July 1996, he was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Special Operations Division's Southwest Border Initiative.

In October 1997, Mr. Furgason was selected as the Section Chief for Mexico and Central America in DEA's Office of International Operations, where he administered DEA's international operations for 15 offices functioning in eight countries.

In June 1999, Mr. Furgason was promoted to DEA's Senior Executive Service as the Associate Special Agent in Charge in the Houston Field Division, where he was responsible for managing the administrative and enforcement activities for nine offices located along the southwest border, as well as the Division's Diversion Program.

In November 2000, Mr. Furgason returned to Washington, D.C., when he was promoted to the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division. He was responsible for directing SOD operations involving the dissemination of intelligence derived from worldwide multi-agency elements in direct support of joint operations relating to DEA, FBI, BICE, IRS, and various intelligence agencies throughout the world.

In June 2002, Mr. Furgason was reassigned to the position of Associate Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division where he served until his appointment in October 2002, as the Special Agent in Charge. In that capacity he commanded all aspects of DEA's operations for 22 offices throughout Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Mr. Furgason grew up in New Orleans, LA, and attended Loyola University where he graduated with a B.A. degree.

photo of Rogelio E. Guevara, Chief of Operations

Rogelio E. (Roger) Guevara was appointed Chief Inspector for the Drug Enforcement Administration in September 2003. As head of the Inspections Division, he manages the Office of Inspections, the Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Office of Security Programs. He is responsible for ensuring the protection of DEA's employees, facilities, information, and programs. Mr. Guevara is charged with overseeing the effective management of enforcement activities and overall DEA internal review and evaluation.

Mr. Guevara is a distinguished career special agent who began his law enforcement career with DEA's predecessor agency, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, in September 1972 in Los Angeles, California. In 1974, as a 23-year-old special agent, he received the highest honor that can be bestowed on a DEA agent-the DEA Award of Honor. The award was presented to Special Agent Guevara in recognition of outstanding valor and personal sacrifice he demonstrated during operations in Mexico.

During his long career with the DEA, Special Agent Guevara has served the agency in a variety of capacities. His previous position prior to becoming Chief Inspector was Chief of DEA Operations. In that role he was responsible for the overall direction of the worldwide drug enforcement and intelligence operations of the agency. Prior to his assignment as Chief of Operations, Mr. Guevara served as Special Agent in Charge of DEA's Caribbean Division in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of DEA's Los Angeles Division. His other experiences include working in the agency's Office of Congressional and Public Affairs and serving as an Inspector in the Office of Professional Responsibility - a division that he now oversees.

Early in his career, Mr. Guevara worked as a street agent in California and Mexico. He was assigned to DEA's Monterrey, Mexico Office; and opened the Riverside, California Office. He also served as supervisor of the Southeast Asian Heroin Enforcement Group in the Los Angeles Division Office.

Rogelio Guevara grew up in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles, California. He attended the California State University, graduating with a B.S. degree in Police Science and Administration in 1972.

Mr. Simpkins entered law enforcement in 1973 as a police officer with the City of Newton, Massachusetts. Prior to that, he served in the United States Army for two years. He became a DEA Special Agent in 1974 and served as a criminal investigator in Boston, Massachusetts, and Marathon and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Mr. Simpkins was promoted in 1986 to Resident Agent in Charge of the West Palm Beach Resident Office.

After that assignment, he was transferred to DEA Headquarters where he has held a variety of senior management and executive policy-making positions. These include Unit Chief in the Planning & Inspection Division, Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator for Planning & Inspection, Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator for Intelligence, Associate Deputy Chief Inspector and Deputy Chief Inspector in DEA's Office of Professional Responsibility, and Acting Chief Inspector.

In January 1999, Mr. Simpkins was named the Assistant Administrator of the Operational Support Division, where he oversees the agency's information technology, investigative technology, forensic sciences, and administrative management programs. He is responsible for the management of the largest of DEA's six Headquarters divisions and directs the agency-wide activities of more than 800 employees and contractors, while planning and overseeing an annual budget of approximately $320 million. Mr. Simpkins serves as DEA's Chief Information Officer and during 1999 was responsible for the information security, physical security and personnel security functions within the agency. Mr. Simpkins has been a member of DEA's Career Board since 1999, a member of the Senior Executive Service since 1995 and from February to November 2001 served as DEA's Acting Deputy Administrator. Mr. Simpkins served as Acting Administrator of DEA in July 2001 and again from May 2003 through July 2003.

Mr. Simpkins received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Boston College in 1969. He also earned an Associate of Science degree in law enforcement from Northeastern University in 1972. He was Chairman of DEA's Strategic Management Executive Council and is a board member of DEA's Survivor's Benefit Fund, Justice Wireless Communications Board, Justice Automated Booking System and the Public Safety Wireless Network Executive Committee. He is also an Advisory Committee member of the Global Criminal Justice Information Sharing Initiative and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Mr. Simpkins has been honored with numerous achievement awards, including the Presidential Rank Award and the Department of Justice Award for Year 2000 Activities.

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FRANK M. KALDER, JR., CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

photo-Frank M. Kalder, Jr. Since October, 2000, Mr. Kalder has served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Drug Enforcement Administration and is responsible for the world-wide functions of Budget, Finance, Procurement, and Organizational Management. Prior to coming to DEA, Mr. Kalder served for three years as the Deputy Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, responsible for Resource Management and Planning. Prior to this, he served for four years as the Assistant Director and then the Deputy Director of the Department of Justice's Budget Staff, and prior to this, he served for nearly four years as the Director of Budget and Legislation at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, an agency he helped establish when it was created by Congress in 1989.

Frank began his federal career in 1983 as a Presidential Management Intern at the Office of Management and Budget, where he served as a Justice Department Examiner for over six years. He also worked for a short time at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Mr. Kalder has won numerous awards during his tenure with the Federal Government, including the Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award in 2002.

Before becoming a Federal employee, Frank enjoyed a varied career, including working as a cabinet maker in Michigan and serving in Eastern Europe for several years in the 1970's with a Christian mission organization.

Frank earned a Bachelors degree in Forensic Science and Psychology from Indiana University in 1974 and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Michigan State University in 1983. He is married with four children. He enjoys spending time with his family, coaching soccer, doing woodworking projects, and teaching an adult Sunday School class in his church.

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CYNTHIA R. RYAN, CHIEF COUNSEL

photo of Cynthia Ryan Cynthia R. Ryan was appointed as the Chief Counsel of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on October 15, 1996. As the Chief Counsel, she is responsible for managing all the legal issues confronting the DEA worldwide and providing excellent quality and timely legal advice and training to all DEA employees (approximately 9,000, including 4,000 Special Agents). In recognition of her contributions to DEA, Ms. Ryan has received several performance awards including the Presidential Rank Award, Distinguished Executive, in 2001.

Ms. Ryan is the first DEA Chief Counsel to rise from the rank and file. She joined the DEA in May 1988 as a staff attorney in the Criminal Law Section, where she applied her criminal law experience as a prosecutor to the DEA operations, both domestic and foreign. Her tenacity and expertise facilitated the successful appeal process through the U.S. Supreme Court of U.S. v. Verdugo-Urquidez and U.S. v. Alvarez Machain.

With the increased counterdrug activities of the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, she gained an expertise in information sharing between DEA and the various U.S. agencies. She also provided legal guidance to the El Paso Intelligence Center. To meet this expanding area, in 1991 she was instrumental in establishing the DEA International Law Section and served as its first chief.

Before joining DEA, Ms. Ryan was a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she coordinated and served as lead or co-counsel in more than 40 Federal obscenity cases, and as co-counsel successfully prosecuted the first Federal RICO case with obscenity predicate offenses.

As Staff Counsel on the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations, Ms. Ryan conducted anti-drug and organized crime investigations, prepared hearings, testified in hearings, and drafted legislation. In 1986, she prepared the first crack cocaine hearing and drafted provisions of the comprehensive anti-drug bill.

Ms. Ryan began her legal career as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Delaware. During her six year tenure, she successfully prosecuted more than ten homicide cases and hundreds of felony cases.

She is a graduate of the Widener University School of Law and the University of Delaware, which in 1996 presented her with a Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement. Her interests include mentoring through her national sorority and the Presidential Management Intern program. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia with her husband, Matthew Ryan.

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C.J. (CATHIE) KASCH, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR HUMAN RESOURCES

phot of C.J. Kasch Since August 2002, C. J. (Cathie) Kasch has served as the Assistant Administrator for Human Resources. She began her career with DEA in June 2002 as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Human Resources. As the Assistant Administrator for Human Resources she is responsible for directing a comprehensive Human Resources program including, but not limited to, employee relations and discipline, benefits, health and safety, recruitment, staffing and placement, classification, pay, executive resources, and automated personnel and information systems.

Prior to joining DEA, Cathie served as the Assistant Commissioner of Human Resources and Development with the Immigration and Naturalization Service where she administered a staff of over 700 employees, including the Border Patrol and Immigration Officer academies.

She was the Program Manager for staffing, downsizing, and executive resources policies in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1992 to 1996. She served as the Head of Civilian Personnel for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command with the Department of Navy from 1992 to 1996. From 1986 to 1991, she served as the Head of Civilian Personnel for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.

She began her career in 1967 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and served in a number of bureaus until she joined Department of Navy in 1984.

Cathie grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Management Studies from the University of Maryland, University College.

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HAROLD D. WANKEL, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR INTELLIGENCE

HAROLD D. WANKEL, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR INTELLIGENCE Mr. Harold D. Wankel was born in Illinois and raised on a farm in Northeast Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education.

In 1970, Mr. Wankel joined the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) in Kansas City, Missouri. BNDD became the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973. During his law enforcement career, Mr. Wankel worked in Detroit, Michigan; Kabul, Afghanistan; Islamabad, Pakistan; and Washington, D.C.

In 1990, Mr. Wankel was promoted to the rank of Senior Executive Service as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operational Support, responsible for DEA's Airwing and Technical Operations Office. In 1992, Mr.Wankel was promoted to the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations position, where he was responsible for DEA's day-to-day worldwide operations. In 1994, Mr. Wankel was selected to participate in a senior executive exchange program with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and became Deputy Assistant Director for the Organized Crime and Drugs Division. In 1995, Mr. Wankel was promoted, and returned to the DEA as the Chief of Operations where he was responsible for DEA's worldwide operations.

During the period 1992 through 1996, Mr. Wankel was extensively involved in inter-agency cooperative efforts and was responsible for oversight of DEA efforts in relation to the Intelligence Community, the FBI, U.S. Customs, Department of Defense, Department of Justice and the Department of Treasury. Mr. Wankel retired from the DEA in October of 1996.

During the past seven years, Mr. Wankel has been employed in senior security positions in the private sector for one of the world's largest cargo airlines and for the world's second largest alarm security company.

On November 17, 2003, Mr. Wankel returned to DEA as the Assistant Administrator for Intelligence. In this position, Mr. Wankel manages and sets policy for DEA's Intelligence Program and its 700 Intelligence Analysts stationed worldwide.

Mr. Wankel is a graduate of various executive and leadership institutes, the most notable being the National Executive Institute of the FBI's National Academy. Mr. Wankel is also a member of the International Associations of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS).