Five Fire Service Professionals Earn Masters Degree at Naval Postgraduate School

Naval Postgraduate School

Six fire and emergency medical service graduates were among 30 students who were awarded a Master of Arts in Security Studies March 28 the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the Naval Postgraduate School.  

The graduates comprise professionals from law enforcement, fire safety, homeland security, academia and agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (please see attached list).

“These graduates bring great credit to themselves and their professions. They will join the expanding network of homeland security leaders who are shaping the future of our nation,” said CHDS Director Glen Woodbury. 

Fire and Emergency Service professionals included:
Thomas Healy, Lieutenant, New York City Fire Department, Fort Totten, N.Y.
Glen Holder, Battalion Chief, San Diego (California) Fire Rescue Department.
Keith Johnson, Deputy Chief, Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department.
Ed Pearson, Deputy Fire Chief – Operations, D.C. Fire and EMS Department, Washington, D.C.
Chérie Penn, Assistant Chief, Minneapolis (Minn.) Fire Department.
Todd Tuggle, Fire Battalion Chief – Technical Services, Fresno City (Calif.) Fire Department.

An honorary degree was awarded to Dawn Mehlhaff, who died November 5, 2013, while nearing completion of the program. Mehlhaff was Director, Legislative and External Affairs, with the California Emergency Management Agency, at the time of her passing. Her husband, Terry Mehlhaff of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Protection District, accepted the degree on her behalf as an honorary member of the graduating CHDS class.

CHDS was established in 2002 and began offering courses in 2003. The Center is located at the Naval Postgraduate School. Master’s degree students develop critical thinking, leadership and policy skills during a rigorous 18-month program. Each graduate completes a thesis on a current issue facing his/her jurisdiction. These theses often translate into policy and practice. The Center has developed a cadre of education programs and resources which are shared with other academic institutions around the country as part of its University and Agency Partnership Initiative (UAPI). The CHDS is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Preparedness Directorate, within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For information, visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.chds.us/” www.chds.us.

ABOUT NPS: The mission of the Naval Postgraduate School is to provide unique advanced education and research programs in order to increase the combat effectiveness of the U.S. and Allied armed forces as well as enhance the security of the United States.  For information, visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.nps.edu” www.nps.edu


Naval Postgraduate School
Center for Homeland Defense and Security


•    Damon Arnold, Director, Master of Public Health Program, Chicago State University.
•    Lorna Atmore, Deputy Inspector, Nassau County Police Department, Mineola, N.Y.
•    Niurka Calcaño Detention and Deportation Officer, Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO), Washington, D.C.
•    Eileen Decker, Deputy Mayor, Homeland Security and Public Safety, Office of Mayor Garcetti, Los Angeles.
•    Payton Flynn Sr., DHS Liaison to NSA, DHS / National Protection and Programs Directorate, Fort Meade, Md.
•    James Gehring, Project Manager, Transportation Security Administration Pre-Check Program Expansion, TSA Office of Risk Based Security, Arlington, Va.
•    Max Geron, Lieutenant, Dallas (Texas) Police Department.
•    Christina Hamilton, Division Chief, National Security and Benefits Integrity Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, DHS/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Washington, D.C.
•    Thomas Healy, Lieutenant, New York City Fire Department, Fort Totten, N.Y.
•    Sydney Hoffman, Senior Interagency Liaison FEMA Corps, DHS/FEMA, Washington, D.C.
•    Glen Holder, Battalion Chief, San Diego (California) Fire Rescue Department.
•    Kelly Huston, Director of Crisis Communications, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Sacramento, Calif.
•    Keith Johnson, Deputy Chief, Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department.
•    Paul Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Louisville, Ky.
•    Danielle Lehman, Supervisory Asylum Officer, DHS/USCIS, San Francisco.
•    Monica Mapel, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, DHS/Immigration Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, San Antonio, Texas
•    Sam McGhee, Deputy Director, Colorado Information Analysis Center/Lieutenant
Aurora (Colo.) Police Department.
•    Jeanie Moore, Acting Director, Private Sector Division, Office of External Affairs
FEMA, Washington, D.C.
•    Kirk Nichols, Lieutenant – Homeland Security and Training, San Diego Unified Port District Harbor Police Department, San Diego, Calif.
•    Ed Pearson, Deputy Fire Chief – Operations, D.C. Fire and EMS Department, Washington, D.C.
•    Chérie Penn, Assistant Chief, Minneapolis (Minn.) Fire Department.
•    Lori Pesci, Justice Affairs Senior Administrator, Summit County Public Safety, Akron, Ohio.
•    Serge Potapov, Supervisory Federal Air Marshal, Supervisory Federal Air Marshal
Federal Air Marshal Service, Chantilly, Va.
•    Marc Shaw, Assistant Chief, California Highway Patrol – Southern Division, Glendale, Calif.
•    Martin Tierney, Captain, Field Operations, West Palm (Fla.) Beach Police Department.
•    Todd Tuggle, Fire Battalion Chief – Technical Services, Fresno City (Calif.) Fire Department.
•    Tim Wendt, Chief, Planning and Force Readiness Division, U.S. Coast Guard 8th District, New Orleans, La.
•    Mathew Wenthe, Branch Chief, Personnel Recovery and Special Missions, Air National Guard, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
•    Trevor Womack, Deputy Chief, Stockton (California) Police Department.
•    Rudolph Zupanc, Watch Commander, Critical Information and Communication Center, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Columbus, Ohio.


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