Gayle Thom was honored to work for ten years responding to violent crime scenes in Tribal communities, assisting victims, survivors, and their families through the investigative and prosecution phases of the criminal justice system. Gayle frequently had the privilege of collaborating with Tribal Court professionals. Serving on Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) nationwide Rapid Deployment and Evidence Response Teams, she responded to critical incidents across the country: Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and the Red Lake Nation school shooting. Gayle was the first FBI direct-service Victim Specialist, implementing the program in what Department of Justice calls “Indian Country.” The program has now grown to 40+ FBI Indian Country Victim Specialists. She also implemented the Crash Assistance Program for the South Dakota Highway Patrol and assisted with developing the first Victim Assistance Academy for Bureau of Indian Affairs. Now retired from the FBI, she has continued to serve non-Native and American Indian/Alaska Native communities through her consulting work in training and technical assistance roles for more than twenty years.