Letter to Pat Kelly

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By Roy Snell
roy.snell@corporatecompliance.org

I wrote a letter to Pat Kelly, the FBI Integrity and Compliance Officer. He is retiring. Pat’s experience in Compliance has been no different than many other compliance professionals I have met over the last 20 years. Implementing compliance programs in the government setting is as difficult and dramatic as in business. He devised a well-thought-out compliance plan and called me about 10 years ago. He asked if some of us from SCCE could take a look at it and comment. We jumped at the chance to help. Rather than send Pat a letter about his retirement, I decided to send it to you, because he would never share it, and this letter should be shared.

Dear Pat:

I was thinking about your retirement. I wanted to tell you that you are amongst a handful of the greatest compliance professionals ever to work in government. You are a pioneer. Like all great coaches, you sent people you trained out to other government departments to start more government compliance programs. What you have started will continue to spread forever. You have left a legacy.

The “left turn” that was necessary for compliance programs to begin in government must have been a sight to see… as it has been in businesses. I am sure there were bumps in the road, but what will remain 30 years from now is the fact that you started it all. Your integrity is beyond reproach. You have three of my favorite traits: honesty, humbleness, and confidence. You have given back to the Compliance profession by allowing us to send 50 compliance professionals each year to the two-day FBI Compliance Academy. Many of the attendees said it was a career highlight for them.

You have put a shoulder to the compliance wheel and rubbed it raw. You have not hesitated to push through it all. We have been successful planting a compliance program seed that will grow forever, both in business and in government. We have made the world a better place. You should be very proud.

Enjoy your retirement,

Roy

2 COMMENTS

  1. I had the opportunity to attend the FBI Compliance Academy a few years ago and witness Mr. Kelly’s work. I came away with not only great respect for Mr. Kelly but also a new appreciation of Director Comey, his agents and the staff within the FBI.
    Mr. Kelly and all around him exemplify the Bureau’s motto of Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity.
    Thank you for your service, Mr. Kelly and enjoy a well-earned retirement.

  2. To Roy and the SCCE: Thank you very, very much for these kind words. The support of the private sector is and always will be critical for the success of the FBI; that’s also true for the FBI Compliance Program. We have learned much from you and hope that we have shown you a side of the FBI that you would not otherwise have known. We are, after all, your FBI. I am proud to have been a compliance officer for the last 10 years since, like the FBI and the Navy in which I served before joining the FBI some 24 years ago, compliance is a global force for good. All of us in this profession have or will go through some tough times; we in the FBI are certainly going through some now. But, like you, we will persevere through our commitment to our mission and by remaining true to our core values. Take care and thanks again

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