Networking from 6:30 – 7:00 PM

Program from 7:00 – 8:00 PM

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Before his FBI leadership role in Texas, former Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Christopher Combs’ remarkable career with the Bureau included prominent roles with the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the White House Homeland Security Council. Most notably, he was the initial FBI On-Scene Commander at the Pentagon on 9/11, and then served as the FBI representative to Unified Command for the duration of on-scene operations.

As the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Division, Combs completed his distinguished 26 year FBI career in 2022 directing the Bureau’s mission in Central and South Texas. As SAC for the San Antonio Division (which includes Austin, Brownsville, Waco, Laredo & Del Rio), his command and jurisdiction covered 1/3 of the U.S.’s border with Mexico. During his many years in leadership in Texas, SAC Combs oversaw the FBI’s response and investigation of bombings, active shooters, major political corruption cases, powerful cartels and terrorist threats.

SAC Combs will discuss the mission and role of the FBI. He will address how the Bureau’s focus was impacted by 9/11 and its evolving range of both domestic and foreign concerns, such as the growing influence of China, Russia and cyber threats. SAC Combs will also review some of the operations and issues that are most significant for Texas.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Christopher Combs served as Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s San Antonio Division from 2014-2022. Prior to this appointment, he was the Section Chief (SC) of Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC), the FBI’s 24 hour worldwide command and operations center. Before joining the SIOC, Combs was the Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of Counter Terrorism at the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO). As ASAC, Combs oversaw the Threats, Domestic Terrorism, Special Events, and Special Operations programs. WFO Special Operations was composed of the WFO Bomb Squad, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Team, Evidence Response Team (ERT), Operational Medics (OpMed), Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team (USERT), Hazardous Material Response Team (HMRT), SWAT, Crisis Negotiator Team (CNT), and the Rapid Deployment Team (RDT). Combs received the FBI Director’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Law Enforcement Community for President Obama’s Inauguration.

Combs was the initial FBI On-Scene Commander at the Pentagon on 9/11 and then served as the FBI representative to Unified Command (UC) for the duration of on-scene operations. Combs was also the FBI representative to UC at the U.S. Capitol during the anthrax mail attacks of 2001. Combs served as the FBI Operations SC for numerous terrorist incidents to include: Holocaust Museum Shooting, Pentagon Shooting, and the Luna Restaurant Bombing in Pakistan.

Combs was a member of the inter-agency writing team that composed the Initial National Response Plan (Initial NRP), the NRP, and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Combs was also a FBI representative to the White House Homeland Security Council (HSC). During that time, Combs was a member of the Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned Task Force where he co-authored the White House “Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned” after action report.

Combs previously served as the Operations Unit Chief of the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), an SSA in the WMD Operations Unit, and as the SSA of the National Capitol Response Squad (NCRS). Prior to joining the FBI, Combs was a volunteer firefighter for eight years with the Freeport, New York and New Berlin, Wisconsin Fire Departments.

Combs is currently a Senior Fellow with Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Crisis Leadership.

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