#SheIsATF: New campaign targets women beyond law enforcement

By Christen Smith

Regina Lombardo knows policing works best when officers reflect the communities they serve — and in that case, the Department of Justice had a big problem.
“My passion is cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce,” she told Guns.com this week. “But we only average between 11 percent and 12 percent females. If I can’t make change, as the highest ranking woman in the organization, who can?”
Lombardo serves as the deputy assistant director of field operations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Over the last 28 years, she’s busted gun traffickers and drug dealers in Miami, Tampa, New York and at the Canadian border — and through it all, she’s watched fellow women fail to advance in the agency, despite a desperate need for their representation in the field.
“We lose women throughout their journey,” she said. “I’m very mindful of this and figuring out how I can help them take on a leadership role, despite the long hours and personal sacrifice.”

A federal report released in June concluded women across the DOJ perceived a glass ceiling — of sorts — and struggled to break free from support roles in finance and human resources. Although comprising more than a third of

Source: Guns.com