For Immediate Release
May 16, 2025
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute (FCJEI) announces the graduation of the 27th Senior Leadership Program Class at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The 32 graduates represent 24 criminal justice agencies from across the state.
 
The graduates participated in six week-long classes over a 10-month period, attending courses on topics such as Risk Management, Trust-Based Leadership, and Futures Forecasting as it relates to criminal justice.
 
The goal of the Senior Leadership Program is to prepare Florida’s criminal justice leadership for the challenging and changing demands of the future. Class participants studied the trends and events that will challenge criminal justice professionals and the state in the new millennium and examined the leadership skills necessary to create and lead the changes that lie ahead.
 
In 1990, the Florida Legislature established the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute (FCJEI) to meet the need for an innovative and multifaceted approach to educating and training criminal justice professionals. The FCJEI is housed within the FDLE and is affiliated with the State University System.
 
Senior Leadership Program Class 27 Graduates:
 
Captain Maurice Austin
FWC – Office of Inspector General
 
Captain Tracy Bontrager
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
 
Lieutenant Dustin Bowers
Marion County Sheriff’s Office
 
Captain Isaac Boykin
Tallahassee Police Department
 
Captain Brad Brady
Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement
 
Lieutenant Nicole Burrell
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
 
Lieutenant Justin Carr
Polk County Sheriff’s Office
 
Captain Mark Clements
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
 
Commander Mike Cutolo
Sebring Police Department
 
Lieutenant Keven Dupree
Fort Lauderdale Police Department
 
Lieutenant DJ Fields
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
 
Lieutenant Crystal Foley
Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
 
Commander Gary Gambino
Collier County Sheriff’s Office
 
Lieutenant Heath Hehl
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
 
Lieutenant Anitra Highland Simmonds
Tallahassee Police Department
 
Lieutenant Kyle Howie
Ocala Police Department
 
Lieutenant Dennis Hurst
Escambia County Corrections
 
Captain Brian James
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
 
Circuit Administrator Dayton Lister
Florida Department of Corrections
 
Lieutenant Scott Littlefield
Quincy Police Department
 
Lieutenant Maurice McCloud
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
 
Lieutenant Daniel Middleton
Florida Highway Patrol
 
Lieutenant Jayson Paul
Volusia County Sheriff’s Office
 
Lieutenant Michelle Ruiz
Orange County Corrections Department
 
Deputy Chief Evelyn Steenekamp
Altamonte Springs Police Department
 
Captain Nathan Stidham
Florida Highway Patrol
 
Assistant Warden Kevin Tomlinson
Florida Department of Corrections
 
Lieutenant Jason Van Brunt
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
 
Lieutenant Jason Walker
Escambia County Corrections
 
Captain Louis White
Venice Police Department
 
Major John Wilke
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
 
Chief Investigator Wayne Wright
Office of State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit

For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
Info@fdle.state.fl.us