Rider University hires new public safety director

Rider University officials announced the appointment today of James Waldon as the school’s new director of public safety. Officials said Waldon will focus on community engagement efforts and emergency management.

“I am honored to serve the Rider community. My commitment is to ensure that the Rider campus is a safe and welcoming environment where students can achieve academic excellence,” Waldon said in a written statement.

Prior to joining Rider University, Waldon was the director of campus safety, emergency management and Title IX investigations at Southern Vermont College. He began his career in law enforcement at Rutgers University before serving as a county detective in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. He previously served as the director of public safety at the University of the Sciences and as the chief of police at Gannon University. He also secured $300,000 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice to help fight dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

A native of Newark, Waldon earned his bachelor’s from Kean University and his master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He also completed the executive education program for Crisis Leadership in Higher Education at Harvard University. He has been recognized for a number of achievements throughout his career including a commendation from the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association for his outstanding work in the area of narcotic law enforcement; he was also a national finalist for the 2010 Campus Safety Director of the Year Award from Campus Safety Magazine. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, the National Association of Campus Safety Administrators, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the Northeast Colleges and Universities Security Association. He is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

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