Interview with retired DEA Special Agent Lori Schwarzkopf Miller

Years of Service: 1991-2015

Growing up in a rural farm town in Iowa, Lori is the youngest of six siblings, all at least 10 years older. She attended a small Catholic school with eight boys and eight girls until high school when her graduating class grew to 187 kids.

Lori attended the University of Northern Iowa, starting as a Vocal Music major, switching later to Business, and finally graduating with a Criminology degree and a Business minor. During the Summer between her Sophomore and Junior years in college, Lori worked as an intern for the Dallas District Attorney's Office. Here, she met a DA investigator who sparked her interest in federal law enforcement.

On her 23rd birthday, 1991, Lori began her career with the DEA at the academy in Quantico, Virginia. After the academy, she was assigned to the Houston Field Division. In Houston, she learned the job while working on large-scale drug trafficking cases, marijuana eradication, money laundering, and the Mobile Enforcement Team.

Following her time in Houston, Lori worked in the Oakland Resident Office, the Special Operations Division, and the Seattle Field Division, where she was promoted to Group Supervisor.