Roman Rozhavsky Named Assistant Director of FBI Counterintelligence Division Following Decades of Operational Leadership – HS Today

Roman Rozhavsky has officially taken the helm as Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, bringing with him more than 18 years of deep operational experience, strategic leadership, and a career dedicated to protecting U.S. national security, according to an announcement on his LinkedIn.

Rozhavsky, who began his FBI service in 2006, has steadily climbed the ranks through some of the Bureau’s most critical and complex assignments in counterintelligence, insider threat detection, and high-stakes investigations involving foreign adversaries. His appointment to Assistant Director follows a brief but impactful term as Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, where he oversaw all CI investigations in the capital region.

Prior to this latest promotion, Rozhavsky led a range of sensitive and high-impact operations. As Section Chief from 2023 to 2024, he managed all FBI efforts to detect insider threats across the U.S. government — including espionage, mishandling of classified material, and unauthorized media leaks. Under his leadership, the Bureau advanced several high-profile prosecutions and dismantled networks targeting critical national security infrastructure.

Earlier roles included serving as Assistant Special Agent in Charge in New York, where he directed counterintelligence operations targeting China, Iran, and other foreign actors. He also spent several years as Unit Chief overseeing investigations into the illegal acquisition of U.S. technology and intellectual property by the Chinese government.

Rozhavsky has been a key player in building and strengthening the FBI’s counterintelligence posture nationwide. As Deputy Director of the National Counterintelligence Task Force in 2019, he helped create a nationwide framework for integrating federal, state, and local efforts against foreign intelligence threats.

Rozhavsky’s operational resume is backed by time spent on the front lines. As a Supervisory Special Agent and, before that, a Special Agent in the FBI’s Houston Field Office, he investigated espionage, technology transfer, economic espionage, and counterproliferation cases. He also served on Houston’s Enhanced SWAT Team, giving him tactical experience in high-risk operations.

From 2014 to 2021, he also taught advanced counterintelligence courses as an adjunct faculty member at the FBI Academy in Quantico and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, helping shape the next generation of CI professionals.

He holds a master’s degree in international relations and national security from St. Mary’s University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Seattle University.

Rozhavsky’s work continues to make headlines. Recently, he played a role in the successful conviction of two Eastern European organized crime leaders hired by the Iranian government to assassinate U.S.-based journalist Masih Alinejad. The defendants — acting on behalf of Iran — conspired to carry out the murder-for-hire plot on U.S. soil using an assault rifle.

“The defendants participated in a brazen plot to kill an Iranian American dissident in New York who criticized the regime in Iran,” Rozhavsky said after the verdict. “Thanks to the good work of the FBI and our partners, their plan failed. This verdict demonstrates the FBI will not tolerate Iran’s attempts to threaten, silence, or harm American citizens.”