Current or most recent title and employer?
Director of the Law Enforcement Academy, Ferris State University
How did SC4 help prepare you?
My biggest takeaway from SC4 was the quality of the instructors. Still to this day I remember them from having attended and completed a degree in criminal justice and also minored in the German language classes with Frau Pillsbury. The real-life experiences shared in classes kept my interest and prepared me for my own career in law enforcement. While completing my graduate degrees I often returned to campus to see my instructors and frequently was a guest speaker in the same criminal justice classes that I once sat in. Eventually, I returned to teach at SC4 for several years and also helped spearhead the Ferris State University Criminal Justice Satellite still in place today at SC4. The quality, cost and convenience of the courses still today after all of these years is top notch and truly a benefit to the local community. This career is all about connections and without a doubt SC4 provides these connections.
What do you like most about what you do professionally?
Having gone full circle from being educated, a law enforcement career and now the Director of the Law Enforcement Academy at Ferris State University is a goal I set years ago. I enjoy teaching and creating the future of our men and woman in law enforcement. Sharing my experiences and career path for these students, many who come from SC4. is just a natural transition in my mind. I enjoy hearing the students say ” I am from Port Huron, or a little town called Yale, Capac, St. Clair, Lakeport, Port Sanilac, Deckerville, Carsonville, Clay Township, Algonac, Marysville, Marine City and so many places in St. Clair County and its outskirts. I just smile a little more when I hear the student tell me this because they too are continuing the legacy of SC4.
Did you transfer on and earn other degrees? If so, what degrees and from where?
Yes. I earned an associate degree in criminal justice from SC4, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Ferris State University, a master’s degree in public administration with a leadership concentration from Central Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in instructional design and technology from Wayne State University.
