ISSUED: 24 August 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Criminal Justice will present a virtual lecture titled “A Look Inside the Federal Air Marshal Service” by Kelsey Betz, federal air marshal, on Wednesday, September 21, from 1:10-2 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be available via Zoom.
Federal air marshals work in a fast-paced environment as one part of a vast national counterterrorism network, with their main mission to deter and respond to terrorist threats to transportation systems. This lecture will look into the history and modern day-to-day responsibilities of the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), as well as the process of becoming a federal air marshal.
Betz has a bachelor’s degree in criminology and political science and minored in international studies at the University of Denver. Upon graduating, she went to work for the Transportation Security Administration as an airport screener, and in 2016 was hired by the Federal Air Marshal Service. Her career with FAMS began in the New York field office, where she deployed on missions from LaGuardia and JFK airports. In 2021, she transferred and began mission deployments out of the Denver airport.
She is a member of the agency’s Critical Incident Response Program, providing support to peers in times of need, as well as her office Field Office Focus Group, serving as a bridge between her peers and management on office and work issues.
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