Shawn Brokos, community security director, announces retirement

Shawn Brokos, who has served as the director of community security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh since 2020, has announced her retirement, effective Jan. 29, 2027.

Brokos joined Federation after a 24-year career with the FBI, where she served as a supervisory special agent. There, she oversaw the investigation into the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Brokos “brought that experience and her steadfast commitment to our community to Federation,” said Jeff Finkelstein, the Federation’s president and CEO, in a letter to Federation staff.

“She arrived at a moment when our community needed her most, and she has given us so much since,” Finkelstein said. “Shawn built strong partnerships with law enforcement, led trainings that have prepared 50,000 community members across Pittsburgh and helped synagogues, schools, agencies and faith-based organizations throughout our region feel safer. For many in Pittsburgh, Shawn has become the face of Jewish community security, a calm, trusted voice in the media and in our neighborhoods, especially in difficult times. She has done all of this with warmth, good humor and genuine care for every person she serves.”

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A search for the Federation’s next director of community security is underway.

“Serving this community has been an honor and privilege of a lifetime,” Brokos said. “I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to help make Jewish Pittsburgh safer, and more importantly, to thrive.” PJC