Mar. 30—Robert Casey credits his education at Indiana State University for a career that took him from street cop to FBI executive to chief security officer at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis.
Tonight, Casey, who now lives in Indiana and serves on the ISU board of trustees, will be one of the keynote speakers for the 50th anniversary celebration of the ISU School of Criminology and Security Studies.
Casey spent 25 years in the FBI, serving in Phoenix, Chicago, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Dallas.
In 2002, FBI director Robert Mueller promoted him to the senior executive service and placed him in charge of a special counterterrorism section of FBI headquarters. In 2003, the FBI director asked him to help lead the transformation of the FBI's intelligence capability to meet post 9/11 demands.
"ISU provided core learning and a specialized degree field — criminology — that was not widely available at the time," Casey stated in an email Thursday. "It enhanced my performance as a police officer in Houston, America's fourth largest city, and later, it was an essential requirement to be eligible to pursue an appointment to the FBI."
He received a bachelor's degree in criminology from ISU in 1980.
Principles taught by ISU criminology faculty of the 1970s "would soon come to life many times over in my public service and corporate career of 40 years, spanning from street cop to FBI executive to chief security officer," he said.
Another keynote speaker is Dave Brant, an ISU alumnus and former special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. He also served in NCIS executive positions, including as the director for 81/2 years,
Brant also was involved in the developmental stages and beginning of the original NCIS television show.
Prior to Brant's retirement from NCIS in December 2005, he briefly appeared with Mark Harmon in a November 2005 NCIS television episode titled, "Frame Up."
The ISU School of Criminology and Security Studies has about 500 students, undergraduate and graduate. Its majors are criminology and criminal justice; cybercriminology and security studies; and intelligence analysis.
Its graduates include many police chiefs, prison wardens, sheriffs and others in the private sector — locally, in Indiana, nationally and even internationally.
"Due to the political climate in the country and the economy, criminal justice agencies are all looking for people," said DeVere Woods, the school's director. "This is a good time for anyone interested in criminal justice-related employment. You can go virtually any place in the country."