Arthur Nieves, M.A.

About Art

Special Agent Art Nieves (Retired) was selected by the FBI as a Special Agent in 1997 and was assigned to the New Haven Division. He had 24 years as an agent; 19 of those years were spent in New Haven working Counterintelligence investigations.

Art is a certified FBI Crisis Negotiator. With the Crisis Negotiation Team, he instructed local, state, and federal law enforcement officers at FBI-sponsored training schools. In 2013, SA Nieves was part of a team of negotiators who deployed to Watertown, Massachusetts, and assisted in the eventual surrender and arrest of the Boston Marathon bombing subject.

Art has also been FBI New Haven’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinator since 1999. Art provided assessing and referral services to employees with depression, substance abuse, marital, and financial problems. In December 2012, on the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Art assembled a team of EAP professionals and participated in critical incident stress debriefings for numerous first responders to that horrendous event.

In May 2016, Art was promoted to be an Instructor with the Executive Programs Instruction Unit (EPIU) at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where he provided instruction to law enforcement executives attending the FBI National Academy (NA). Art taught the courses “Leading At-Risk Employees” and “Wellness and Vitality”.

Art received a B.A. Degree in Psychology from Rutgers University. In 2012, he received an M.A. Degree in Counseling from Fairfield University. As part of his internship, Art counseled combat veterans at the New Haven Vet Center. Art has experience in counseling Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and depression. Art also coordinated anger management groups and has counseled military couples and families.

After his retirement from the FBI as a Special Agent in 2021, Art started working as an Instructor at the University of New Haven where he teaches Criminal Justice courses. Art also started his own consulting company, Art Nieves Coaching LLC, where he primarily trains law enforcement agencies about emotional wellness.

In 2018, Art was interviewed on a podcast titled “What Matters Most.”