LATROBE, PA – Theodore Chavez, C’08, served as the principal speaker at the 2023 Saint Vincent College Spring Honors Convocation, held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, in the historic Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica.
Chavez received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics and mathematics. A year prior to his graduation from Saint Vincent College, he received an honors internship with the FBI, and, after graduating, he joined the FBI as a fulltime employee, where he has served for more than 12 years.
Sharing the title of Saint Vincent College Graduate with his uncle and nephew, Chavez and his family remain connected with the College, specifically through the Challenge Program, a STEM-based academic summer program for students from PreK to grade 12, which many of his nieces and nephews attended.
Emphasizing the importance of community and the strength of it at Saint Vincent College, Chavez shared his journey being a first-year student on campus feeling welcomed and appreciated by the faculty, staff and monks. Leading up to a “lucky business suit” loaned to him by a friend at Saint Vincent at the beginning of his junior year, the community’s generosity and care helped to set him up for his future with the Bureau.
“Our daily acts of community and caring should be lifelong,” said Chavez. “Saint Vincent will remain as our foundation for building something durable and true.”
Currently, Chavez works as a Forensic Examiner and Quality Assurance Program Manager in the Firearms/Toolmarks Unit of the FBI Laboratory; however, he initially joined the Bureau as an Intake Specialist in the Muskogee Office in Oklahoma City, OK. Chavez is also a member of the Diversity Advisory Committee in the FBI Office of Diversity & Inclusion, a position that allows him
to promote awareness of the impact of Native cultures and contributions, as well as provide a formal channel to champion issues, solutions and topics that affect underrepresented communities within the FBI workforce. Additionally, he is a member of the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners and is an affiliate of the OSAC Firearms and Toolmarks Subcommittee, which is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
As a member of the Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico, Chavez serves on the Fort Ligonier Board of Trustees. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and exercising on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, gardening and spending time outdoors.
Chavez is a proud uncle and mentor residing in Virginia.