Foundations of Emergency Management

Dr. McElreath’s background includes Professor and former Chair, Department of Legal Studies, University of Mississippi; Professor and Chair, Department of Criminal Justice, Washburn University; Associate Professor, Southeast Missouri State University; Brigadier General, Mississippi State Guard; Colonel, United States Marine Corps; and Law Enforcement and Corrections positions with the Oxford (Mississippi) Police and Forrest County (Mississippi) Sheriff's Department. His education and training include a PhD in Adult Education and Criminal Justice, University of Southern Mississippi; MSS, United States Army War College; MCJ, University of Mississippi; BPA, University of Mississippi. He is also the author of numerous publications about the criminal justice system.

Dr. Doss’s background includes tenured Associate Professor and MBA Program Director, College of Business and Technology, University of West Alabama; Assistant Professor, Belhaven College; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; and Chair of Graduate Business and Management, University of Phoenix (Memphis). His professional career consisted of software engineering and analytical positions in both the defense and commercial industries. Corporate entities included full-time and contract positions with Federal Express and uMonitor.com, and contract positions, via Data Management Consultants, with Loral Corporation (formerly IBM Federal Systems) and Lockheed-Martin. Additional credentials include Colonel, Mississippi State Guard (military police); graduate of the Lafayette County Law Enforcement Academy (Mississippi); and graduate of the Law Enforcement Mobile Video Institute. He has also co-authored a variety of collegiate textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and conference proceedings. His education consists of a PhD in Business Administration, Northcentral University; DLitt et Phil in Police Science, University of South Africa; MCJ in Homeland Security, University of Mississippi; MA in Computer Resources and Information Management, Webster University; MBA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Graduate Certificate in Forensic Criminology, University of Massachusetts (Lowell); Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Financial Management, University of Maryland (Adelphi); and a BS in Computer Science with a Mathematics minor, Mississippi State University.

Dr. Jeffrey M. Van Slyke maintains an inclusive background of emergency management/crisis response, threat assessment, law enforcement services, and special security details. During his career as a Chief of Police, Dr. Van Slyke has experientially managed and responded to such emergencies as tornados, bomb threats, Hurricane Katrina, nor’easter storms, plane crash, suicides/homicides, chemical spills, residence hall fires, and mitigated two credible active-shooter scenarios. Dr. Van Slyke also assisted with facilitating 21 Presidential visits, and was responsible for maintaining the security of a Presidential library, a nuclear laboratory, a university airport, athletic events, concerts, and movie sets. While serving as Chief of Police at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Van Slyke assisted the United States Secret Service with the protective responsibilities of President George W. Bush’s daughter (Jenna), and was awarded the U.S. Secret Service Certificate of Appreciation by President Bush in recognition of his efforts. Dr. Van Slyke attended Auburn University on a track/cross-country scholarship, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice; a Master’s degree from Western Carolina University in Public Administration; and a Doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Texas at Austin – Police Ethics Training: Preferred Modes of Teaching in Higher Education Law Enforcement, (4.0 GPA). Dr. Van Slyke attended the F.B.I. National Academy, and the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, and has co-authored four textbooks: Foundations of Emergency Management (1^st edition), Introduction to Homeland Security (2^nd edition), Introduction to Terrorism (2^nd edition), and Disasters That Shaped Emergency Management Response (1^st edition). 

“Sometimes it’s not about trying to correct the wrong thing; but rather,

it’s about trying to get through the wrong thing the correct way.”

Dr. Jeffrey M. Van Slyke

 Dr. Wigginton is an associate professor at Troy University. His background includes Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Director of the University of Mississippi Master of Criminal Justice Executive Cohort Program, Department of Legal Studies, with the University of Mississippi; former Assistant Professor, Southeast Louisiana University and an adjunct professor with Tulane University; Senior Special Agent, United States Customs Service; Special Agent, United States Drug Enforcement Administration; detective and State Trooper, Louisiana State Police; police officer, New Orleans Police Department; and an United States Air Force Security Police Dog Handler with service in Vietnam. His education and training include a PhD in Criminal Justice, University of Southern Mississippi; MS from the University of New Orleans; MS from the University of Alabama; BA from Loyola University of New Orleans. He is also the author of numerous publications about the criminal justice system.

Dr. Jensen is Professor and Director of the Intelligence and Security program at The Citadel. His former professorship occurred at the University of Mississippi where he was Director of the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies. He served in an adjunct capacity as a senior behavioral scientist with the RAND Corporation. Dr. Jensen served as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for 22 years; his FBI career included service as a field agent, a forensic examiner in the FBI Laboratory, and an instructor and assistant chief of the Behavioral Science Unit. He has published extensively and lectured throughout the world. Dr. Jensen received a BS degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, an MA from Kent State University, and a PhD from the University of Maryland.