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Emergency Info: Campus Access Permitted – Update #16 Updated at Dec. 12, 7:21 p.m.

Brenda McAdoo (JD '94) Joins Abilene Christian University

Pepperdine Caruso Law alumna Brenda McAdoo (JD '94) has joined Abilene Christian University (ACU) as assistant professor and program director for the university's online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program.  McAdoo comes to ACU after serving 24 years as an FBI special agent. She also served as a Caruso Law adjunct professor for four years teaching Juvenile Law. Speaking of her time as a student at Caruso Law, McAdoo comments, "I had a lot of encouragement to be who God created me to be from Dean Ron Phillips. Pepperdine encouraged me to help those who didn't have help and set me on my career path."

Via Abilene Christian University:

After graduating from ACU, Brenda attended law school at Pepperdine University, passed the California bar exam and became a prosecutor with the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Influenced by the amazing cases she worked as a prosecutor, Brenda joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shortly after.

Additionally, she received her Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution from Southern Methodist University, all while obtaining numerous certifications, traveling to talk at conferences overseas, and teaching in-session courses at SMU.

As a Special Agent with the FBI, Brenda investigated crimes against children, violent crime, and organized crime. Also, she served as a member of an Organized Crime Task Force that worked on cases against groups committing extortion, kidnapping and murder for hire.

From 1998 to 2020, Brenda was a member of the FBI Crisis Negotiation Team where she served as team leader for seven years and was a certified Federal Mediator from 2007 to 2020 for the Department of Justice. In addition to her work in-field, she trained aspiring law enforcement in Crisis Negotiation both in the U.S. and oversees.

In 2020, Brenda retired from the FBI after more than twenty-four years of service.

The complete feature may be found at ACU Faculty Spotlight