(Birmingham, AL) - United States Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy has announced the appointment of a veteran agent with a distinguished record to the position of Special Agent in Charge in Birmingham.
Michael A. Williams, a 31-year veteran with the agency, took over as the Special Agent in Charge of the Birmingham Field Office on May 29, 2016. In this role, Williams has executive oversight for the State of Alabama and the State of Mississippi and will oversee Secret Service protective activities and criminal investigations.
“Throughout his career, Mike has developed the reputation for being a leader of great character and is well respected within the Secret Service and the greater law enforcement community,” said Clancy.
Williams is a native of Birmingham and a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He began his Secret Service career in 1985 as a Uniformed Division Officer assigned to protect the White House.
He was selected to the position of special agent in 1988 starting in the Miami Field Office. While assigned to Miami, he received numerous awards for investigative excellence including the Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award.
Over the span of his career Williams served on the Presidential Protective Division protecting President William J. Clinton and President George W. Bush. He rose through the ranks serving as the Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge of the Protective Intelligence Division.
This will be Williams’ second assignment in Birmingham, having served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge in 2003. He left Birmingham in 2005 and returned to Washington, DC serving as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Presidential Protective Division. He left the Presidential Protective Division to take charge of the Columbia, South Carolina Field Office, where he served as the Special Agent in Charge.
Williams was promoted into the Senior Executive Service in Washington, DC where he served as the Special Agent in Charge of the Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division. In 2015, Williams was promoted to the position of Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Protective Operations.
“The appointment of proven leaders, like Mike Williams, ensures that the Secret Service will continue to successfully accomplish our critical integrated mission of protection and investigations.” said Kenneth Jenkins, Assistant Director, Office of Investigations.
About the United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service was originally founded in 1865 for the purpose of suppressing the counterfeiting of U.S. currency. Now an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service is widely known for its protective mission in safeguarding the nation’s highest elected officials, visiting foreign dignitaries and events of national significance. Today, the Secret Service maintains a unique integrated mission of protection and investigations, as one of the premier law enforcement organizations charged with investigating cyber and financial crimes.