Campus Safety is pleased to announce the 2025 Director of the Year finalists.
Winners of this year’s Director of the Year award will be announced at this summer’s National Campus Safety Conference, taking place in Austin, Texas, July 21-23. For more information and to register, visit CampusSafetyConference.com.
Now in its 18th year, the Director of the Year program honors the best and brightest executives in hospital, university and school security, law enforcement, and emergency management. The accomplishments of this year’s finalists run the gamut from creating threat assessment teams to revamping entire departments to expanding security technology coverage. Here are just a few of their achievements:
- Consolidated his department’s radio communications system and standardized equipment for department officers
- Secured state-of-the-art drones for emergency response and situational awareness
- Implemented the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing model to allow staff and officers to process emotionally impactful events
- Applying for and winning large grants for equipment and training
- Strengthened district’s anonymous reporting system
- Implemented a campus public safety advisory board
- Consolidated the dispatch functions of several campuses in one location
- Expanded campus-wide emergency notification systems
The 2025 Campus Safety Director of the Year Finalists Are:
- Christopher Chute, Chief of Police, Connecticut State Community College, New Britain, Conn.: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
- Jose Flores, Chief of Police, State Center Community College District Police Department, Fresno, Calif.: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
- Jennifer Griffin, Chief of Police and Vice President for Public Safety, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.: View her profile, photos, and achievements.
- Melinda Heikkinen, Associate Vice President and Chief of Public Safety, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.: Pa.: View her profile, photos, and achievements.
- Brandon Ingram, Director of Security, Covenant Health, Knoxville, Tenn.: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
- Tiffany Justice, Director of Campus Safety, Goucher College, Towson, Md.: View her profile, photos, and achievements.
- Keith King, Director of Safety and Security, Granville County Public Schools, Oxford, N.C.: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
- Dr. Felix Martinez, Director of Public Safety, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, Md.: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
- Adam Reid, Director of Public Safety, Health, and Emergency Management, Montgomery College, Rockville, Md.: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
- Adam Shubsda, Director of Campus Safety and Security, TVT Community Day School, Irvine, Calif.
- Joseph Thalheimer, Director of Emergency Management, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.
- Ramona Washington, Chief of Police, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas: View her profile, photos, and achievements.
Winners of this year’s Director of the Year award will be announced at this summer’s National Campus Safety Conference, taking place in Austin, Texas, July 21-23. For more information and to register for the event, visit CampusSafetyConference.com.
Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists!
