ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)— Janeen DiGuiseppi is an Air Force veteran and has been an FBI agent since 1999. She’s crisscrossed the globe, serving in Utah, Memphis, Denver, Baghdad, and Kabul. And in July 2021, she made history, becoming the first woman to serve as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albany field office.

“I’ve always seen myself as an agent-not as a female agent,” she said. “I think anybody who wants to come into the FBI and do right and be a part of the solution for this country. But I always tell women in this organization it’s not going to be easy, but it’s not easy for a lot of people.”

As a young FBI agent, she had two paths: becoming a field supervisor or working in one of their divisions in West Virginia.

“And that’s when I made the decision to go into a leadership position, and I’ve never looked back,” she said.

It all led to the next chapter of her career as the new Assistant Director for the FBI Insider Threat division in Washington, D.C. but the Capital District will always hold a special place in her heart.

“I’m going to miss being a part of this community,” she said. “This law enforcement community, and a part of the Capital Region. Because I do love living up here.”

For those inspired to go into law enforcement, she says there is only one way to do it…

“To just be you,” she said. “Because you can be you and be supportive and be ‘that guy’ on the squad. Because every squad I’ve worked on, I was either one or one of two guys women. And I always had great partnerships with the agents I worked with.”