National Whistleblower Center Executive Director Siri Nelson – WNN Exclusive Interview

Jane Turner

Jane Turner is a whistleblower and highly decorated 25-year veteran Special Agent within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The first woman named the head of an FBI resident agency, Turner led the FBI's highly successful programs to combat crimes against women and child sex crime victims on North Dakota Indian Reservations. She won awards for successfully investigating significant crimes on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Federal prosecutors described her as the leading FBI agent solving child crimes in the entire United States. In retaliation for her efforts, Turner was removed from her position by the FBI. Years later, Turner would win a historic decision for all FBI whistleblowers, when the court held that Ms. Turner set forth sufficient facts to justify a trial by a jury. Turner also successfully challenged her retaliation in federal court and obtained the largest compensatory damage award permitted under the law for federal employees. Since becoming a whistleblower advocate, Turner has served as the Chair of the Whistleblower Leadership Council at the National Whistleblower Center and is a member of its board of directors. Turner's weekly column, Whistleblower of the Week, highlights the stories of whistleblowers who have stood up to massive corruption, fraud, and abuse. Whistleblower of the Week columns will take an in-depth look at the experiences of those who blew the whistle and the realities of what it means to be a whistleblower.