Behind the Scope

Kim Sayles ’02 provides protection for some of the most important people in the world.

You see, Sayles is a member of the United States Secret Service Special Operations Division. Specifically, she is a key component of the Counter Sniper Team, which provides long-range observation and real-time information gathering at exterior sites visited by Secret Service protectees. The officers are all highly trained, precision marksmen and are known as Counter Sniper Technicians.

One of the protectees is the president of the United States. The White House is one of Sayles’ assignment locations.

“Working for the Secret Service has allowed me to visit many different places and countries around the globe,” Sayles says. “I have been fortunate enough to accompany former and current presidents to over 40 countries.”

Sayles was hired by the Secret Service in May 2003 and was assigned to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Artesia, New Mexico. She then received advanced training at the Secret Service Academy in Laurel, Maryland. In 2010, Sayles earned the distinction of being the first female Counter Sniper.

“The fall of my senior year at Trinity, 9/11 happened,” Sayles explains. “As a political science major, I always wanted to do something in public service. At that time, I was leaning into a possible future in coaching, but September 11 really changed my mindset. It influenced me to apply with the Secret Service.”

Sayles was a two-sport athlete at Trinity from 1999 to 2002 in basketball and softball. She was a point guard for Tiger women’s basketball and earned All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Honorable Mention accolades from 2000 to 2002. Sayles was particularly known for her three-point shooting and dishing out assists to her teammates.

“Kim Sayles assisted in laying the foundation for the successful Trinity women’s basketball teams you see today,” says her coach, Becky Geyer, who guided the 2003 squad to the NCAA Division III Championship. “Kim played with grit, determination, and a no-quit attitude. These qualities have carried over to her career. I am proud of the woman she has become.”

In softball, Sayles was elected to the All-SCAC Honorable Mention Team in 1999 as an infielder. Sayles was selected for the 2002 SCAC All-Tournament Team as a designated player, where she cracked four doubles.

With a coaching future on her mind, Sayles was encouraged by Geyer to work camps during the summer. Taking her advice, Sayles worked at a camp run by University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, who has led the University of Connecticut to 11 NCAA Division I Championships.

Thanks to the work and mentorship Sayles garnered in working camps like UCONN, she was hired almost immediately after graduating. Sayles worked as the administrative assistant to the University of Kansas women’s basketball program, a position she held from July 2002 to May 2003. Then, she received a job offer from the Secret Service.

Sayles credits her experiences at Trinity as being invaluable in her career.

“There are limitless lessons I’ve applied since my athletic career ended,” Sayles reflects. “One of the major lessons is that failure isn’t fatal. I think that’s hard when you are young because of all the various influences in your life. Ultimately, the reward and the education come with the struggle and perseverance to keep going, to keep trying until you are successful.”

In addition to Geyer, Sayles cited political science professor John Hermann, Ph.D., with whom she took constitutional law classes; along with former Trinity Public Relations Director Sharon Jones Schweitzer as influential during her time at Trinity. 

Sayles summarized why she believes she has been successful in her career.

“Being the ‘first’ to do anything is not without significant challenges,” Sayles says. “The phrase ‘show up every day’ used to be my advice, but I have since borrowed from former Oklahoma coach and Hall of Famer Sherri Coale: ‘continual acts of sincerity,’ over and over again. Do the right thing, doing what you say you are going to do over and over again until you build that belief in what you stand for.”