By Steve Neavling
Sherri E. Onks has been named special agent in charge of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office in Florida.
Before the appointment, Onks served as an executive special assistant to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Onks’ career with the FBI began in 1999, when she was assigned to the Los Angeles Field Office, where she investigated white-collar crime before switching to counterterrorism following 9/11.
In 2013, Onks transferred to the San Juan Field Office and investigated public corruption. She also was temporarily assigned to FBI headquarters to work a public-corruption case contacted to terrorism.
In 2006, Onks moved to the Richmond Field Office in Virginia to investigate corporate and securities fraud. In addition to investigating several complex investigations, she established and led the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force.
In 2012, Onks was promoted to supervisory special agent and worked as the program coordinator of FBI Richmond’s financial crime, public corruption, civil rights, and health care fraud programs. In addition, she helped secure the first-ever federal criminal convictions of a Virginia governor and first lady by overseeing their public corruption case.
In 2014, Onks was named assistant legal attaché to Vancouver in Canada. She facilitated criminal, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism investigations and joint operations in Western Canada. She also served as FBI liaison to Canadian counterparts and held relationships with law enforcement and intelligence partners.
In 2019, Onks was promoted to the assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal and Administrative Branch of the Knoxville Field Office in Tennessee. In 2020, she was appointed special executive assistant to the director.
Onks received a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College in Tennessee and a master’s degree in criminology from the University of Memphis.
Before joining the bureau, Onks worked in the health physics field.
