SIUE Alum Combats Transnational Crime in Secret Service Career
When Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus Luke D. Lack enrolled into the business administration program in the School of Business, he had no idea how far his career would take him.
Starting off as a police officer for the Illinois Secretary of State Police following his undergraduate education, Lack now serves as a special agent at Secret Service Headquarters in the Global Investigative Operations Center (GIOC) after earning a master’s in public administration from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) in the spring of 2017.
“I never thought as a young business student that I would land in a career in law enforcement, let alone at one of the most prestigious federal law enforcement agencies, but I have enjoyed the path that landed me here,” said Lack.
Luke was able to utilize his previously mastered analytical skills from the business world and apply them to the public sector, where he plays a critical role as part of the GIOC in combating transnational criminal organizations through cyber investigations.
A coveted position, to be part of the GIOC a Secret Service Agent should have previously proven their cyber and/or investigative skill sets during their first field office assignment.
What stands Luke in good stead are some of the soft skills he developed while on the Edwardsville campus.
“I received a lot of extracurricular opportunities to develop leadership and organizational skills, specifically in the National Society of Leadership and Success,” he said.
Luke plans to continue working on high-impact investigations and desires to work abroad someday.
“I would like to explore the opportunities of working in one of our many international field offices,” said Luke. “Our international offices provide an invaluable way to work side by side with other foreign federal law enforcement agencies on cases of mutual interest and leverage the power of multiple nations when targeting international criminal rings.”
For current and prospective SIUE students, Luke offered advice, “While at SIUE, explore as many opportunities as you can, such as clubs and societies, and try to get out of your shell.”
Photo: SIUE alumnus Luke D. Lack.