Dave Brant, Former NCIS Director, Managing Director, Public Sector Practice, BDO

With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Brant is a recognized leader in the global law enforcement community. Prior to joining BDO, Mr. Grant served as a director for Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Strategy & Operations Practice. He was the director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) from 1997-2005. He was responsible for expanding the NCIS Multiple Threat Alert Center.

At the Bureau of ATF, Department of Justice, Mr. Brant was the lead for a project supporting ATF in refining its overall strategic direction.

Transportation Security Administration, Director of Homeland Security. Mr. Brant led an unprecedented effort to ensure that decision-makers had access to the best information.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice. Mr. Brant supported the development of a national law enforcement sharing capability that integrated as many as 18,000 independent state and local law enforcement agencies.

United States Coast Guard. Led an effort to help prepare for future threats.

David L. Brant was named Chief Operating Officer of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Executive Director of the National Law Enforcement Museum.

Professional Awards:

Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award 1989
Distinguished Civilian Service Award 2001
Presidential Rank Award 2002
Outstanding Advocate for Women in Law enforcement Award 2004
Hispanic American Police Command Officers Assn. Aguila award for Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice 2004

Robert E. Casey, Jr. Chief Security Officer, Eli Lilly and Company

Mr. Casey has served as the chief security officer at Eli Lilly and Company since May of 2012. In that capacity, he leads and manages programs for personnel, facility security, and asset and product protection.

Prior to his career at Lilly, Mr. Casey was a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for 25 years. He held every rank in field office assignments in Phoenix, Chicago, and Miami, ending his career as the special agent in charge in Dallas. He also served two tours at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he held the rank of deputy assistant director in the Directorate of Intelligence. Mr. Casey’s assignments and experience include a broad span of criminal investigative and national security work, as well as intelligence operations and programs . He had senior executive responsibilities for FBI intelligence policy development, external relations with other U.S. intelligence agencies, management of human and technical intelligence programs, and national-level liaison with major police organizations concerning intelligence sharing. He was instrumental in designing a post-9/11 intelligence model for FBI field offices. Mr. Casey is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, which is conferred upon only five percent of federal senior executives annually.

Prior to his FBI career, Mr. Casey was a five-year veteran of the Houston, Texas Police Department, where he was assigned to patrol and intelligence operations. He was named The Police Officer of the Year in 1983.

Daniel S. McDevitt, retired Police Chief.

Daniel S. McDevitt completed a thirty-six year law enforcement Career, which began with his appointment as a special agent with the Naval Criminal investigative Service (NCIS). He then served for 24 years with the Illinois State Police, retiring as a captain, and then subsequently served for ten years as chief of police in two Chicago suburbs.

McDevitt has a master’s degree in criminology and has taught at colleges, Universities, and police academies in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East for both civilian and military law enforcement Personnel. He is also a graduate of the FBI Executive Development Program. He has authored three books: “Police Chief –Attaining and Succeeding in this Critical Position”, “Major Case Management: A Guide for the Law Enforcement Manager”, and “Managing the Investigative unit”. He has also written several law enforcement and management articles, and he has served as a consultant for both governmental agencies and private corporations.

He is co-founder and co-owner of REM Management Services, Inc. which offers a variety of consultation services and training programs. He formulated and established the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force and served as a consultant for the Public Safety Institute of Calumet College. He served on active duty in the U.S. Navy and then went on to serve in the reserves as a commissioned intelligence officer. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserves as a lieutenant commander.

Greg Ewing
Director of Campus Security
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Greg Ewing was the Sheriff of Vigo County. He joined the department in 1991 as a jailer and has served as a merit deputy, security/liaison officer for the Vigo County school system and was instrumental in computerizing the departments record management. After 28 years with the Vigo County Sheriff’s office, Ewing is now the Director of Campus Secutiry at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. He will work to ensure the safety of the faculty, students, staff, and visitors through strategic planning and assessment.

Ewing is also active in the community, serving as president of the Breakfast Optimist Club, and as a board member if the Honey Creek Township Fire Department, County Fair Board, Purdue Extension Board, Hamiliton Center Board, Children’s Museum Board, United Way of the Wabash Valley Biard, Local Coordinating Council, 911 Advisory Board, Emergency Management. He is also a member of the ISU Alumni Association, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Alumni Association and was a volunteer Firefighter for Honey Creek Police Department for seven years.

Ewing is a 1990 graduate of Indiana State University with a Bachelor's degree in Criminology.

Joesph Newport
Directory of Public Safety,
Chief of Police ISU Campus

Joe was hired with the Terre Haute Police Department in 1976, 4 months after graduating from Indiana State University. He spent 23 years with the Terre Haute Police Department, retiring in 1999. He served the last 10 years at the department as Chief of Detectives and later as chief of police. Newport continued his law enforcement career with the Indiana State University Police department, having been hired in 1999. He served as the Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police for the ISU Campus. Newport retired in 2019.

John Plasse
Vigo County Sheriff

Sheriff Plasse received his BS in Criminology from Indiana State University. He has been a member of the Terre Haute Police Department for 31 years. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1998, Lieutenant in 2001 and appointed as Chief of Police in 2008. Next, Plasse was elected Sheriff and put in office in 2019. He was honored as the Exchange Club of Terre Haute Officer of the Year in 2001. First Financial Bank Officer of the Year in 2003 and has received numerous awards and medals. He is Past President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 85.

Sheriff Plasse is also a Sergeant Major with the 38th Infantry Division in the Indiana Army National Guard where he has served for over 35 years. He was deployed to Afghanistan twice, and was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from December 2015 to September 2016. He is a member of the All-Guard International Combat Shooting Team. Sheriff Plasse has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Medal, Army Achievement medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement medal, and the National Defense Medal. These are just a few of the many medals he has been awarded. He also has the Distinguished Rifleman Badge and the Distinguished Pistol Shot badge.

He is a member of several organizations including United Way, Boys and Girls Club, VFW post 972, American Legion Post 104, and AMVETS.

Heather Ryan, Former Special Agent, N.C.I.S

For 14 years, Heather Ryan was a special agent with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). As an NCIS agent, she investigated felonies ranging from rape and child abuse to homicide and espionage. As a supervisory special agent, she managed a full team of investigators, with a ten state area of responsibility.

After turning in her badge and gun, Heather became a professional speaker. Through speaking engagements and workshops at companies, organizations, and universities, she empowers her audiences to harness the power of their intuition to stay safe and become successful leaders.

Heather earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University in both psychology and criminal justice. She also has a Master of Science degree in criminology from Indiana State University. Her book, Special Agent Mom, will be released in the spring of 2017.

Richard Brown
Executive Director of Adult Facilities
Indiana Department of Corrections

Richard has a B.S Degree in Criminology from ISU. After graduation, he transferred to Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in 1992. he was promoted to Correctional Counselor in 1993. Received Counselor of the Year award in 1995. After 3 years he was promoted to Correctional Casework Manager and was responsible for supervising 4 maximum security units. He received the Supervisor of the Year award in 2006. He transferred to the Rockville Correctional facility in 2006.

Richard transferred back to the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in 2012 as Assistant Superintendent of Operations. He was appointed to Warden in 2011. Richard has also served as PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) auditor for the Department of Justice. He is also a member of the American Correctional Association and the Indiana Criminal Justice Association. In 2020, Richard became the Executive Director of Adult Facilities for the Indiana Department of Corrections. Richard credits his success to the education he received while attending Indiana State University.

Damein Cunningham, Illinois State Police.

A proud Sycamore, Damein came to ISU on a football scholarship after leading the Walterboro (South Carolina) High School Bulldogs to a state championship as quarterback in 1997.

Damein was the quarterback for the ISU Sycamores from 2001-2003. After graduation he worked as a social worker in Terre Haute, IN.

In 2007, Damein joined the Illinois State Police and is now a road patrol trooper near the Chicago area. He is married to Christy Cunningham, also a Sycamore alumni. The couple first met in a class in Holmstedt Hall.

When asked about why he chose law enforcement as a career, Cunningham says he was first drawn to law enforcement for the same reasons he was drawn to his love of the gridiron — the physicality, the split-second decision-making, and the adrenaline rush.

Mateja Vuk—Assistant Professor

Alumnus Earns Ph.D. and Becomes Assistant Professor of Criminology

Mateja Vuk, alumnus of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice’s Master of Science program, graduated with her Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from the University of South Carolina in the spring of 2017. Our own Dr. Frank Wilson served as an external committee member for her dissertation entitled Inmate Time Utilization and Well-Being. In August of 2017, Dr. Vuk became an Assistant Professor at the University of West Georgia's Department of Criminology. Prior to her Ph.D., Dr. Vuk earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social pedagogy (behavioral disorders) from the University of Zagreb in 2008 and a Master of Arts degree in 2010. In 2013, she obtained her Master of Science degree in criminology and criminal justice from Indiana State University. Recently she has published in noted journals such as Deviant Behavior and the American Journal of Criminal Justice.

Tamara McCollough—Lieutenant ISU Police Dept.

Lieutenant McCollough is currently the clery compliance Officer for the Indiana State University Police Department. This is a position she has held since November of 2015. Lieutenant McCollough is also an accreditation assessor for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). In addition, she has held the positions of police corporal, accreditation manager, and police officer at Indiana State University. In all, she has eleven years of campus law enforcement experience.

Lt. McCollough is a graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Basic Class. In 2016, she graduated with her master’s degree in the field of criminology and criminal justice from ISU. She is a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma, National Criminal Justice Justice Honor Society, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She continues to actively promote educational programs on safety issues and assists various campus departments with presentations to increase awareness and prevent crime.

Candace Kendall
Deputy Coroner, Marion County, IN

Candace graduated from Indiana State University in the spring of 2016. She was a criminology and criminal justice major with a minor in multidisciplinary studies which included the following concentrations: chemistry, biology and anthropology. Candace was employed with the Lake County Coroner’s Office in Crown Point, Indiana. This employment began during her internship search with Indiana State in the fall semester of 2015. She was offered a position after her internship hours were completed.

Once her academic career ended, Candace accepted a full time employment position with the Marion County Coroner’s Office in Indianapolis. One week after graduation, she moved to Indianapolis to begin her career as a medicolegal death investigator. She is still employed with the Lake County Coroner’s Office as a part-time deputy coroner.

Cumulatively, she has been in forensic death investigations for approximately two years. The internship program with Indiana State University opened up the doors to begin her career as a deputy coroner.

Ella Meyer is a United States Probation Officer in the Southern District of Iowa. Ella completed her Bachelors of Science and Masters of Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Indiana State University.  In 2016, Ella accepted a job as a federal probation officer.  Ella works to integrate federal offenders back into the community and supervise them during their term of probation. She currently supervises a sex offender specific caseload in the Post-Conviction Unit. Ella started working in Des Moines, Iowa in 2016. Ella worked as a Graduate Assistant during her time at ISU in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department.

Sean Trevarthan

Vigo County Sheriff Deputy Sean Trevarthan was born and raised in Terre Haute, IN.  He attended Terre Haute South High School,  graduating in 1990.    Sean started attending Indiana State University in August of 1990 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Criminology and minor in Business Administration in May 1995.

After graduating from Indiana State, Sean was hired as a Correctional Officer at the Vigo County Sheriff Jail in July of 1995 and continued to work in that capacity until March of 1998 when he was hired as a merit deputy for the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office. 

Deputy Trevarthan attended the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy from April 6th – June 26th, 1998.  After completing the academy he was assigned to the midnight shift on road patrol.  From there, he has worked all 3 shifts as well as the detective division.  Deputy Trevarthan has held the position of School-Community Liaison Officer with Vigo County Sheriff Department since March 2009.

Sean has one daughter (Daisy) and plans on retiring with a full pension in March 2030.

Jordan Isaacs

Jordan Isaacs serves as United States Senator Joe Donnelly’s (D-IN) Outreach Director in Indiana. In this role he is responsible for community affairs and outreach throughout the state. He has served on Senator Donnelly’s state staff in different capacities since 2014. Prior to joining Senator Donnelly’s Office, he was employed at the Indiana State Senate Democratic Caucus and worked as an intern and then aide for State Senator Jim Arnold of LaPorte.

Jordan is a native of Terre Haute and graduated from Indiana State University.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology in 2012 and a Master of Science in Criminology in 2018.

He and his wife currently reside in the Indianapolis area.