CHARACTER, COMPETENCE, AND INSTITUTIONAL RESILIENCE
As the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Portland Division, Renn Cannon oversaw FBI operations throughout the state of Oregon. During his tenure, he and his team made significant contributions to public safety, disrupting international cybercrime and terrorism support networks, securing RICO indictments against gang leaders, arresting sex traffickers, and recovering exploited children.
But protests that too often turned violent were most heated issue that Renn and his team faced. This trend culminated in a historic season of unrest in 2020—a year that stretched institutions in Portland to their limits. Renn is the author of Eyes on the Rose City, an exploration of this crisis and the leadership required to navigate it.
Renn’s long experience prepared him for Portland in 2020. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, he served as an infantry officer and with his partner, placed second in the Army-wide Best Ranger Competition. A brief period in the private sector was lucrative, but unfulfilling.
When his Army Reserve battalion was called up in 1995 for Operation Joint Endeavor to end ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, Renn volunteered—an experience that reaffirmed his commitment to public service.
Renn joined the FBI in 1998 and began his career in California, working violent and organized crime while serving as a SWAT operator and leader. After 9/11, he helped expand the San Francisco Joint Terrorism Task Force and led both counterterrorism and crisis management efforts.
He also served as the FBI’s deputy on-scene commander at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, contributing to intelligence and investigative efforts including the rescue of an American citizen.
Renn also served internationally as an FBI liaison in Sydney, working with partners across Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific to capture fugitives, recover stolen funds, and prevent terrorism.
He went on to lead national security teams in Utah, Idaho, and Montana.
Later, in Washington, D.C., Renn headed efforts to strengthen the FBI’s leadership development systems before assuming command in Portland.
Renn retired from the FBI in 2021. The questions raised during 2020—about leadership, public safety, civil liberties, and institutional resilience—continue to shape his work. He earned a master’s degree in Homeland Security from George Washington University and wrote Eyes on the Rose City to document a defining moment and examine what it revealed.
Today, Renn works in training and consulting on leadership, crisis management, and institutional resilience. He also serves as the investigative coordinator for the Jesuits West Province.