Law Enforcement Officials Prepare For Leadership Roles As Members Of Saint Leo University’s 31st Command Officer Management Program
10 students from Florida and Virginia law enforcement agencies graduate from the university’s program
Saint Leo University is continuing to educate the next generation of law enforcement agency leaders through a variety of programs and its degree programs — including bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. On July 19, the university and its Department of Public Safety Administration and Department of Criminal Justice celebrated the graduation of the 31st cohort of the Command Officer Management Program: Executive Leadership Institute.
This six-month program was held online with classes July 15-19 being part of the Senior Leadership Seminar Series presented by the university and F1RST, Florida’s Forensics Institute for Research Security & Tactics, an enterprise of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to providing the Command Officer Management Program online, area law enforcement agencies also may serve as hosts for in-person cohorts. For example, the 30th cohort, which graduated June 6, was hosted by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. The next program will be held in Tavares, Florida.
Dr. Robert Diemer, professor and director of the Department of Public Safety, noted that 75 percent of the program’s graduates return to Saint Leo to obtain a degree, often a master’s or doctoral degree, in order to further their careers.
“It not easy to work all day and come home and continue to study,” Diemer said, in praising the latest graduates for their diligence and commitment to learning. He added that there are more than 600 graduates from the Command Officer Management Program who are continuing to serve their communities and grow as leaders.
Dr. Susan Kinsella, vice president of Academic Affairs, gave the opening remarks, and the ceremony’s keynote speaker was Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Major Phil Kapusta, who also is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL. In his speech, he advised the graduates to be open to new ideas and to “prepare for the next day.”
Kapusta cited Galatians 6:9, “’Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’”
Dr. Phillip Neely, professor of criminal justice and director of Saint Leo’s Doctor of Criminal Justice Program, asked the graduates, “Have you been changed?” He encouraged the graduates to set long-range goals and do what it takes to reach them.
“Take something back to your agency,” Neely said. “Something you want to implement or change in your agency. . .something that is important to you. There are opportunities for growth. See it and believe it.”
Class president Brett Owen, a major with the Tampa Police Department, who recently was promoted to assistant chief, also encouraged his classmates, who he said all share the weight of responsibility of being tagged as a future leader for their agencies. Owen talked about how the cohort operated as collective by sharing ideas, providing feedback and supporting each other. “Our real-life journey of leadership is just beginning,” he said.
Class XXXI graduates include:
Clearwater Police Department: Lieutenant Christopher Ziermann
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office: Lieutenant Ryan DeAngelo
Norfolk Police Department: Lieutenant Timothy K. Breslin and Lieutenant William D. Pickering Jr.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office: Analyst Supervisor Shelley A. Gardner, Inspector Arthur G. Madden, and Lieutenant Joseph Zoccoli
Tampa Police Department: Lieutenant Andrea Hughes and Major Brett Owen
Zephyrhills Police Department: Lieutenant Nathan R. Gardner
For More Information
Those interested in participating or hosting Saint Leo University’s Command Officer Management Program: Executive Leadership Institute may contact Brenda “Nikki” Heister at brenda.heister@saintleo.edu or call (352) 588-8487 or (352) 317-8373.