The Press Club of Southwest Florida held its monthly luncheon at the Naples Hilton on Tuesday, October 7. The guest speaker was Rich Kolko, a former pilot for the US Navy, former Olympics coach for three games, retired FBI special agent and currently the Safety and Security expert for WINK News in Fort Myers.
He entertained the members with gripping tales of his various careers starting with his desire to go the Olympic Games. Not being a star athlete in any sport, or especially strong, he sought out a sport that did not require strength or size. He found luge. He could do it sitting down and without any running or heavy pushing. That led to a team with national standing and almost a trip to the Olympics—but not quite. Instead, he had an opportunity to go to the 1988 games as a coach for the luge team.
But he had to choose. He had applied to flight school with the U.S. Navy. They accepted him and wanted him to report to Pensacola right away. They would not wait until after the Olympics. So he learned to fly. But later he did make it to three different Olympic Games as a coach and again with the FBI in security operations.
Kolko spent several years in the Navy as a pilot and as a naval intelligence officer. The end of the Cold War resulted in a severe reduction in the need for pilots, so he passed up a desk job to work for CNN. While at CNN he applied to join the FBI and was accepted.
His career in the FBI spanned more than 20 years and took him all over the world from the bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, to Yemen, Greece, Iraq and more. Much of his time was spent in crisis management roles both in preparation and training. Near the end of his tenure at the FBI he served as Deputy Director-Office of Public Affairs, which put him direct contact with national media outlets. He retired in 2018 to join the WINK news team in 2019.
In 2023 he was called back to the FBI for 90 days along with many other retirees to review crisis management issues and the agency’s plans to deal with them. Ninety days turned out to be two-and-a-half years, whereupon he was able to return to WINK.
In reviewing his careers, Kolko remarked on how fortunate he was to get the jobs he described as “really cool”: naval aviator, FBI agent, coach, journalist and more. He said he tries to impress on young journalists he sees today the importance of pursuing what you want. They have trained for it, worked hard for it, and now are able to enjoy the fruits of those efforts.
It is worth noting that, as a crisis management expert, in a separate interview, Kolko offers some excellent advice for international travelers. Before you go, use your cell phone to take pictures of your passport, driver’s license (front and back), and your credit card (also front and back). Then email those photos to yourself. They will provide an easily accessed record in the event any of those things are lost or stolen.
Renny Severance is retired executive editor of The Island Reporter, The Islander, The Captiva Current and related publications on Sanibel and Captiva. He is also a co-founder of Southwest Florida Business Today.
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