Bill Bryan was always soft-spoken but his efforts with the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program communicated volumes about his commitment to recovering abducted children. Bryan started working for the program in January 2005 and retired July 2013.

“There are many fond memories from my days with the AMBER Alert Program,” said Bryan. “The one thing that, of course, stands out the most is the wonderful relationships that were developed over the years.”

Bryan started as a consultant and helped develop the Investigative Strategies for Missing and Abducted Children (ISMAC), Leadership for Missing and Abducted Children (LMAC) and Basic Forensic Response to Missing and Abducted Children courses. In 2006 he became a program manager, and those programs and others started being offered on a regional basis about ten times a year.

“There was a shift from regional programs to onsite technical assistance programs which are more cost effective and allowed the programs to reach more people,” added Bryan. “Many of those early technical assistance programs were run in Indian Country and were very well received there.”

Bryan also took on additional duties including instructor coordination, consultant supervisor, onsite facilitation, curriculum review, coordination of case study development and coordination of the annual AMBER Alert award program.

“A friend and colleague for more than 36 years, Bill is dedicated to a common mission of working together and doing things right; and respecting others with the highest of regards,” said Phil Keith, AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program Director.

“Personally, I am grateful for the help Bill gave me in refining our AMBER Alert Plan,” said former Utah AMBER Alert Coordinator Paul Murphy. “He identified strengths and weaknesses and made suggestions that helped improve our plan.”

Bryan is now Deputy Secretary with the North Carolina Department of Administration where his responsibility includes issues involving women, human relations, Indian Affairs and youth advocacy. “Many of my AMBER experiences have served me well in this new position and I continue to stay involved in issues involving child protection and the prevention of human trafficking,” said Bryan.