FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fire Chief David Pennington is one of 29 participants in the Homeland Security Executive Leaders Program who graduated at a Feb. 3 ceremony at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
The program provides a unique educational opportunity for senior-level homeland security/public safety leaders who are at the forefront of the nation’s homeland security mission.
Each class consists of a diverse group of federal, state, local, territorial, tribal and private sector leaders. Participants learn from each other by discussing relevant issues and complex problems while developing policies and strategies to enhance their organization or agency’s homeland security/public safety mission.
The 12-month program’s structure consists of four one-week in-residence sessions at the Monterey center. Instruction is a combination of presentations and facilitated discussions between faculty, participants, and subject matter experts on selected topics such as international and domestic threats and hazards, cyber and technology challenges, understanding leadership challenges, border/immigration issues, crisis and risk communication, and leadership frameworks, as well as the emerging homeland security issues.
All costs associated with participation – tuition, course materials, and travel – are covered by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security through its sponsor, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA.
“It was a privilege to be a part of and learn from such an accomplished group of professionals, and to take part in this exemplary program representing the City of Springfield and the State of Missouri Homeland Security enterprise,” Pennington said.
Executive Leaders Program Cohort 2101:
- Kurt Caminske, Captain, Suffolk County Sheriff, Yaphank, New York
- Aldo Capristo, Chief Administrative Officer, STP Nuclear Operating Company, Wadsworth, Texas
- Bryan Cox, Assistant Chief of Police, Chandler Police Department, Chandler, Arizona
- Luis Cruz, Deputy Superintendent, Boston Police Department, Boston, Massachusetts
- Jeffrey Dinise, Patrol Agent in Charge, DHS/CBP/USBP, El Paso, Texas
- Christina Farrell, Acting Commissioner, NYC Emergency Management, New York, New York
- Eric Fildebrandt, Senior Technical Advisor, DHS/CISA, Arlington, Virginia
- David Fogerson, Chief, Division Administrator, Nevada Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Gardnerville, Nevada
- Jeremy Gauthier, Assistant Director, Cyber Directorate, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Stafford, Virginia
- Randy Griffin, Commander, DC Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC
- Warren Haines, Supervisory Federal Air Marshal, TSA, Chantilly, Virginia
- Eric Holmes, Chief of Staff, Commander, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Charles Husted, Chief of Police, Sedona Fire Department, Sedona, Arizona
- Brian Johnson, Program Manager, DHS/Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, Washington, DC
- Warren Judge, Engineering Services Division Chief for the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber and Intelligence Service Center, U.S. Coast Guard, Portsmouth, Virginia
- Edward Kauffman, Battalion Fire Chief, District of Columbia Fire/EMS Department, Washington, DC
- Steven Lacey, Professor & Chief, Division of Public Health, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Grace Lee, Acting Deputy Director, DHS, CFO Program Analysis & Evaluation Division, Washington, DC
- Rachel Lewis, CAPT (sel), U.S. Coast Guard, Bethesda, Maryland
- Destiny Mercado, Program and Management Analyst, DHS/FEMA, Washington, DC
- Aniceto Ortiz, Assistant Chief, California Highway Patrol, Fresno, California
- Michael Pascucilla, CEO, Regional Director of Public Health, East Shore District Health Department, Branford, Connecticut
- Sid Patel, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI, San Francisco, California
- David Pennington, Chief, City of Springfield, MO Fire Department, Springfield, Missouri
- Douglas Reed, Director, Pottawattamie County Emergency Management, Council Bluffs, Iowa
- William Salazar, Security Director, The Walt Disney Company, Burbank, California
- Amy Szestak, Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, Washington, DC
- Roberto Torres, Executive Director, The Interdiction Committee, Washington, DC
- Dominique Wong, Emergency Physician and Director of Hospital Medical Readiness, Cabell Huntington Hospital, Huntington, West Virginia.
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For more information, please contact Cora Scott at 417-380-3352.