Lynch named new public safety officer

Marlon Lynch, Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief of Police at Vanderbilt University and one of the nation’s leading campus security officials, will serve the University in the newly created position of Associate Vice President for Safety and Security.

Lynch, who will begin his duties Monday, Feb. 2, will lead a restructured department designed to better coordinate and more efficiently deliver public safety and transportation services.

As a unit in the Office of Civic Engagement, the department will combine the work of the University Police Department, led by Rudy Nimocks, Chief of Police and Security Services, and Campus Transportation and Parking Services, managed by Brian Shaw.

Lynch will be responsible for organizational integration, operational enhancements and security technology, and will enhance training opportunities for police officers. UCPD employs more than 100 sworn personnel and 127 part-time officers. The University’s transportation operation includes private and public buses contracted through the Chicago Transit Authority.

The University has created the new integrated structure as a result of a recommendation of the Campus Safety and Security Committee, which President Zimmer convened. A group of leading public safety consultants carefully studied and defined this model through an operational assessment process.

Lynch, a Chicago native, began his law enforcement career in 1993, and he has served both in municipal and campus police departments.

“We are delighted Marlon will join us. His experience serves him well to provide leadership in the important area of safety, both on campus and in the neighborhood,” said Ann Marie Lipinski, Vice-President for Civic Engagement. “We look forward to welcoming him back to Chicago and introducing him and his family to our community.”

Lynch, who has worked at Vanderbilt since 2005, received a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University and an M.A. in Criminal Justice from Boston University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff & Command.

Lynch is president-elect of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and he was recently named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People in the Security Industry” for 2008, as noted in Security magazine.

During his career, Lynch has earned a number of law enforcement awards, including two lifesaving awards and a bravery award. He serves as an adjunct instructor for the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety and an instructor for the Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy, sponsored through the University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center.