From United Skates to the FBI

Credit card numbers stored at banks, terrorist groups and inherent vulnerabilities with new technologies were just a few of the cyber threats Shawn Henry spoke about at Hofstra University on March 15.

Henry, who used to be a manager at in Seaford, is now Executive Assistant Director in the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch of the FBI. The Massapequa native returned to his backyard to speak with Hofstra’s Forensic Linguistic students about threats in cyberspace.

Henry graduated from Hofstra in 1987 and then became a special agent in the FBI in 1989. He explained that he began working for the FBI in part because he wanted to travel, something he did not have the chance to do while growing up on Long Island. Since joining the FBI two decades ago, Henry has traveled to 25 countries and lived in many places around the U.S.

Before his successful career, Henry worked as an assistant manager at United Skates. He started his job at United Skates in his senior year of high school and worked at the Seaford roller skating rink for eight years. He earned his Associate’s Degree from Farmingdale State College and then continued his education at Hofstra.

“I kind of regret not completing my schooling in four years,” said Henry after his speech at Hofstra. “That’s the only thing I’m not proud of.”

After graduating from Hofstra in 1987 with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Henry went on to earn a Master of Science in criminal justice administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Regardless of how long it took to complete his education, Henry has certainly come a long way from his days working at United Skates.