FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award

Become a leader in your workplace or in your community by learning from the best leadership book, written by leaders for leaders!

Scott Brunner, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Kentucky Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced the recipient of the 2011 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award. Brunner will present the award today to Chief Norman Mayer, of Louisville, Kentucky, at a ceremony to be held this evening at the St. Matthews City Hall.

Brunner stated that since 1990, the FBI has publicly recognized the achievements of individuals and organizations whose efforts in the crime, drug, gang, violence prevention, or education field have had an exemplary impact on the community. Each of the FBI’s 56 field offices annually recommends to the FBI Director one person or organization deemed worthy of this prestigious award.

The following is an overview concerning Chief Mayer:

Chief Mayer began his career with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and later joined the Louisville Police Department where he rose through the ranks achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1988, Chief Mayer was named Chief of Police of the St. Matthews Police Department. He quickly made changes within the agency that positively impacted the department and the community it serves. Today, the St. Matthews Police Department is accredited and is considered one of the finest police departments in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Perhaps one of the most important contributions that Chief Mayer has made to the St. Matthews’ community is one that has also been important throughout Kentucky and its impact may be felt for generations to come. In 1996, Chief Mayer established the first School Resource Officer (SRO) program in Kentucky, in his words, “to maintain an environment where teachers feel safe to teach and students feel safe to learn.” The program was intended to address the trend of increasing crime and disorder in our schools. The program had a remarkable effect on the environment and safety of our schools and was heralded as a success. The program became a national model for law enforcement agencies and schools throughout the United States. Today there are approximately 200 School Resource Officers in Kentucky. Chief Mayer encouraged his SRO to become a national SRO training instructor. To date, that officer has trained over 400 police officers nationwide to fill this important role.

Chief Mayer created a Criminal Investigative Division to conduct more in-depth investigations of matters within St. Matthews. He also established a Special Response Team (SRT) composed of specially trained patrol officers who could respond to active shooter incidents at the schools or large malls within the community. He solicited help from the Louisville FBI SWAT team to provide active shooter training for his personnel. He has maintained a close liaison with the Louisville FBI and appropriately recognizes incidents as potential federal criminal or terrorism matters. Within the past year, he referred two matters to the Louisville FBI. One matter involved a complicated scheme by a local automobile dealer to defraud customers and banks. The referral prevented many hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional loss. On another matter (which is still pending) Chief Mayer thought might be terrorism related, however, investigation by the Louisville FBI determined it to be a criminal matter involving multiple locations throughout the country.

Chief Mayer’s influence is apparent in the leadership positions held by his own police officers in some of Kentucky’s most important law enforcement organizations such as “The Kentucky School Resource Officers Association,” “The Kentucky Women in Law Enforcement Network,” and “The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program.” Chief Mayer has been a mentor to countless police officers throughout Kentucky. He has been an ethical and moral leader and he continues to set high standards for others to follow. He has clearly earned the respect and admiration of his officers and community.

Chief Mayer will be afforded the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. in March 2012 to be personally recognized by the FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III at a national ceremony to be held at FBI Headquarters.

Sacramento FBI Announces 2011 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award Recipient: WEAVE, Inc.

Learn from the best leadership book and become a leader in your community or workplace!

The Sacramento Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is pleased to announce that WEAVE, Inc. is the recipient of the 2011 Director’s Community Leadership Award.  The annual award recognizes the achievement of an individual or organization for commitment to violence education and prevention.

“It is an honor to be able to present WEAVE, Inc. with the Director’s Community Leadership Award for commitment to crisis intervention and prevention in our region,” said Herb Brown, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Sacramento FBI field office. “Beth Hassett and her team’s outstanding efforts have continually increased the community’s understanding of domestic violence and sexual assault and have ensured that victims have resources available to begin the healing process.”

Since opening as a grassroots organization in 1978, WEAVE has become a large, nationally recognized agency that provides crisis intervention and prevention services to women, men and children who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in the Sacramento region. Focused on eliminating the cycle of violence and abuse, WEAVE dedicates significant resources to prevention and education programs in addition to essential victims services.  In 2011, WEAVE realized the following successes:

■197 women and 168 children found refuge at the safe house for an average of 27 days each

■15,865 callers received help from the 24-hour support line
■1,006 women and men received counseling
■57 children received therapy to break the cycle of violence
■1,404 victims received legal services
■212 rape victims were accompanied at the hospital during evidence collection.

“I am honored that WEAVE has been chosen as the Sacramento area recipient of the Director’s Community Leadership Award.  WEAVE believes that all women, men, and children deserve to feel safe in their homes and community,” said Beth Hassett, executive director of WEAVE. “In these difficult times we have to be more innovative, more enthusiastic and more committed to making sure that the most vulnerable among us are taken care of.  The award represents our continued efforts to create a cohesive response to victims and accountability for perpetrators.”

For more than two decades, Beth Hassett, executive director of WEAVE, has been a volunteer and staff member for non-profit organizations focused on improving the quality of life in the Sacramento region and beyond. As the executive director of WEAVE, Hassett leads a team of advocates, counselors, educators, and volunteers who share the common goal of bringing an end to domestic violence and sexual assault in the community.

In addition to her position with WEAVE, Hassett currently serves as a commissioner on the First Five Sacramento Commission, president of the Planned Giving Forum of Sacramento, treasurer of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), vice president of the Midtown Business Association, secretary of the Sacramento Children’s Coalition, and is a member of both the ALS Association National Board of Representatives and the board of the ALS Association of Greater Sacramento. She was appointed to the statewide Domestic Violence Advisory Council by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2010 and graduated from the Sacramento FBI Citizens Academy in 2011.

Hassett will accept the 2011 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award on behalf of WEAVE, Inc. from SAC Brown during a small ceremony held at the Sacramento field office at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Hassett will also travel to FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C. to receive the official engraved crystal award from FBI Director Robert Mueller on March 16, 2012, at a public ceremony.

About WEAVE

Established in 1978, WEAVE provides crisis intervention and prevention services to women, men, and children in Sacramento County who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking. Key programs include a safehouse for women and children, a sexual assault response team, a 24-hour support and information line, counseling, legal services, and prevention education for youth and adults.

Media Contact:

Gina Swankie, (916) 214-8309

Face of Defense: Civilian Cited for Preservation Efforts

Become like Scott Shepherd and learn from these military leadership books written by military leaders for the leaders of tomorrow.

By Robert Goetz

502nd Air Base Wing

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE – An Air Force civilian employee who has worked here for years to preserve the base’s architectural heritage is the recipient of a prestigious national award.

Scott Shepherd of the 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron, the installation’s cultural resources manager, has earned the Secretary of the Interior Historic Preservation Award in the Federal Preservation Office category.

"As far as I'm concerned, I can't go any higher than this," said Shepherd, whose service here, in San Antonio, spans more than 20 years.

"Winning this award is unbelievable,” he continued, “but really it's for all the people who have supported historic preservation, from four-star generals to the workers who preserve these buildings."

Robert Rushing, the 902nd squadron’s management flight chief, said Shepherd "has been responsible for the preservation of this invaluable cultural treasure and he has done so with vigor and a call to duty beyond the description of his job."

Richard Trevino, the unit’s commander, said Shepherd has performed "at the highest level" throughout his more than 50 years of federal service.

"By working with Scott, one can easily see his integrity, dedication and professionalism in every aspect of his life," Trevino said. "As our cultural resources manager, he preserves the historical features of Randolph Air Force Base while ensuring no adverse impact to the many diverse missions on base.

“When one looks at the historical beauty and significance of Randolph, there is no doubt Scott deserves this prestigious award," Trevino added.

Shepherd became the cultural resources manager here in 1993, the same year the Texas Historical Commission listed the base among the state's 10 most endangered historic properties. Since then, the 80-year-old "Showplace of the Air Force," known for its Spanish colonial revival-style architecture, has been designated a national historic landmark.

"I'm proud we have 435 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and we are a national historic landmark," Shepherd said. "That will ensure we protect our historic buildings for the future."

Shepherd was instrumental in obtaining funding and approval to remove paint and restore the high, bay windows on 16 hangars along the east and west flight lines, restoring them to their original condition.

"Adaptive reuse" is a key component of preservation efforts, he said.

"[By] using hangars and other structures as administrative offices, we're still able to maintain the historical significance of buildings, have a functional Air Force base and not affect the mission," he said. "These are historic buildings we can use in the 21st century."

Shepherd said it's the secretary of the interior's guidelines "that tell us what we can and can't to do to these buildings."

This year's Secretary of the Interior Historic Preservation Award recipients also include government and tribal employees in three other categories.

"In presenting these awards, I am giving thanks on behalf of all Americans to these extraordinary professionals for their outstanding contributions to historic preservation," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. "Their skill, dedication and professionalism are ensuring that the story of America continues to be passed down to future generations."