#WyoStrong stories, brought to you by Wyoming Community Bank, highlight Wyoming perseverance, ingenuity, creativity and resilience.
For the first time since its inception nearly 30 years ago, a Wyoming resident received the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award on Jan. 16 during a special ceremony at the Shoshone Rose Casino and Hotel.
Rory Tendore, Eastern Shoshone Department of Juvenile Services Director, was one of 56 people in the Rocky Mountain region who received the honorable recognition. The region consists of 56 field offices in Wyoming and Colorado. Each year, 56 people are honored by the FBI and in a more prestigious ceremony later in the year, the individuals meet the FBI Director and headquarters staff in Washington D.C. where they receive a glass plaque. The field offices submit nominations and ultimately, a five-person FBI panel votes on the individuals. The panel unanimously chose Tendore after her nomination which came from the Lander field office.
Denver FBI Chief Dean Phillips traveled to the Wind River Reservation to join the numerous FBI agents and other FBI personnel from throughout Wyoming, families, and friends of Tendore. Before handing the award to Tendore she described her as a “consistent positive influence” on many young lives.
“Rory has proactively sought resources to help juveniles live productive lives and has provided a framework for their success within their community,” said Phillips. “Rory possess a vast amount of knowledge on the community and has helped investigations progress towards positive outcomes for juveniles, their families, and the state of Wyoming.”
Several others were in attendance including coworkers and others she consistently partners within assisting juveniles.
“I do my job each day knowing that our clients have unmet needs within our communities and I am grateful for the ability to show up each day with the support of not only my immediate family but my extended relatives who believe in the work and remind me to have the best interest of our children at heart,” said Tendore after humbly accepting the award. Tendore has been the director for about 20 months and recently attended the Tribal Probation Academy.
She thanked community members, the FBI, the Eastern Shoshone, and Northern Arapaho Tribes, Wyoming Department of Family Services staff, local police departments, and the Wind River Tribal Court. According to the FBI, this special award, presented on behalf of the Director of the FBI, was formally created in 1990 as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in America.
Tendore is pictured below with FBI Chief Dean Phillips and her children.
