Aida T. Silva

Aida Teresa Silva Cruz is a retired Supervisory Special Agent with over 25 years of federal military and law enforcement experience. She began her career as an intelligence operations specialist in the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard before transitioning to federal law enforcement with the Department of Treasury and later the Department of Homeland Security. Throughout her career across San Juan, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, she held multiple leadership roles, including Resident Agent in Charge, Director of the San Juan Intelligence Unit, and Headquarters Program Manager.

In academia, Professor Silva designs and teaches undergraduate and graduate criminal justice courses, bringing her real-world investigative experience into the classroom. She holds a B.A. in Communications, a Juris Doctor, and completed the DHS Fellows Program in Public Safety Leadership at Johns Hopkins University. As an author, she has published an academic textbook on the History of the Department of Homeland Security which combined her legal, military, and counterterrorism background to offer readers a unique perspective on the history and complexities of homeland security.

Her new series focuses on women in service.