Debbie Garner
Board Member
Debbie Garner brings over 30 years of experience from a diverse career with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), where she handled a wide range of complex investigations. As the Special Agent in Charge of GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit and the Commander of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force for the State of Georgia, she oversaw the state’s efforts to detect and investigate cases involving the online sexual exploitation of children. During this time, the task force worked thousands of cybertip investigations and conducted numerous proactive investigations and large operations. Her leadership in this role resulted in the arrest of over 2,500 offenders over an eight-year tenure. During her career with the GBI, she also held a variety of key assignments involving narcotics, healthcare fraud, fusion center management, terrorism intelligence, officer involved use of force, and general investigations.
Since retiring from the GBI, Debbie has been a leading advocate for technology-driven innovation in public safety. She has worked with a number of leading digital forensic tool developers and companies, leveraging her extensive expertise and network to help align the voices of law enforcement and technology providers. She serves as a community engagement coordinator for an organization that provides accessible training to digital forensic examiners and law enforcement professionals. She is also an instructor of wellness and resiliency skills for ICAC professionals and currently coordinates analyst training initiatives for the GBI. In addition, she works as a data loss prevention investigator at a globally recognized company.
Debbie regularly publishes articles on topics ranging from wellness for ICAC professionals to modern digital forensics management for executives and the challenges facing ICAC task forces. A graduate of the FBI National Academy (Session 267), she holds a Master of Public Administration and is an active member of the Georgia Statewide Expert Committee for Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, and Human Trafficking. Her continued dedication to protecting children from online exploitation is reflected in her role as a founding board member of Raven.