Rider Names New Director Of Public Safety

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - James G. Waldon has been named the new director of public safety at Rider University, the university announced. In addition to campus policing, Waldon, of Newark, will focus on community engagement efforts and emergency management. Waldon has been in law enforcement and community policing for 30 years.

"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.

Before coming to Rider, Waldon was the director of campus safety, emergency management and Title IX investigator at Southern Vermont College. Waldon began his career in law enforcement at Rutgers University before serving as a county detective in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

He is the former director of public safety at the University of the Sciences and chief of police at Gannon University. During his time at Gannon, he instituted a new strategic plan for the department, which resulted in Gannon Police achieving the best crime solvability rate in the county and an 18 percent drop in crime. While there, 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.

Waldon earned his bachelor's from Kean University and his master's from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He also completed the Executive Education Program for Crisis Leadership in Higher Education at Harvard University.

Waldon 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 a number of professional organizations, including 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, Inc.