New Chief Of Police Named For Sonoma State University

ROHNERT PARK, CA — Sonoma State University has hired a new chief of police to lead its force of 12 sworn officers, university officials announced in a news release.

The new chief, Nader Oweis, brings 26 years of campus law enforcement.

He currently serves as chief of police at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he was recently also selected as the University of California Coordinator of Police Services — a position that entails coordinating the Council of Police Chiefs who serve each of the UC’s 10 campuses and has a dotted line report to the vice president/chief operating officer at the Office of the President and liaises with UC Regents on police-related matters.

Prior to becoming chief of police at UC Santa Cruz, Oweis served at the UC Davis Police Department where he began as a student employee and rose to the rank of lieutenant.

Throughout his career, Oweis "has promoted and embodied community-oriented policing and problem-solving principles, and like Sonoma State University Police, has embraced the six tenets of President Obama’s 21st-Century Policing Task Force, assuring policies, procedures and training aligned with task force recommendations," the university said.

"Sonoma State University is fortunate to have Chief Oweis join the team," SSU Vice President Joyce Lopes said. "He is exceptionally well suited to the position with demonstrated ability to successfully navigate the complex environment of university policing. His extensive understanding and implementation of 21st-Century Policing at UC Santa Cruz will serve SSU well."

Oweis, who is set to begin his new role at SSU in early December, said he is excited to be returning to Sonoma County, as this is where he grew up. He has family who live in Petaluma, and has spent many hours relaxing on the SSU campus, enjoying concerts at the Green Music Center.

In his own words, Oweis feels like he "grew up on campus and SSU is like home."

Oweis has a master's degree in higher education from Drexel University and a bachelor's degree in agriculture and managerial economics from UC Davis. He also completed certificate programs at Harvard University and UC Davis Extension.