Meet the Nominees
Click the open board positions below to learn more about each candidate. You may endorse your candidate on IACLEA CONNECTIONS or on social media. The endorsement period is open until Friday, August 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
Chief David Ransom
Chief of Police, Berklee College of Music
David Ransom, PhD., is a resolute leader with a distinguished career spanning over three decades. He serves as the Chief of Police at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Chief Ransom provides leadership of all police, security, and safety personnel and operations throughout the Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Prior to arriving at Berklee he was the Assistant Director of Public Safety for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and spent 21 years with the El Paso, Texas Police Department, where he was assigned to various roles as a patrolman, Gang Task Force officer, patrol and SWAT supervisor, Special Teams Commander, and Lieutenant in charge of airport patrol and K9 operations, and he oversaw the Planning, Research, and Special Projects section.
Since 1996, Chief Ransom has taught a variety of law enforcement topics, and developed a first line supervisors’ and a leadership concepts course. Chief Ransom had the honor of instructing at IACLEA’s first ever Non-Sworn Public Safety Academy Class 1 as well as IACLEA’s Ethics & Law Enforcement in Campus Investigations: Best Practices for Investigators course. He was also an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Bay State College.
Chief Ransom holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology from the University of Texas at El Paso, a Master’s in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University, and a Ph.D. in Global Leadership from Indiana Tech University. He is a graduate of the 233rd session of the FBI National Academy as well as a graduate of the 62nd class of the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Institute of Texas. Chief Ransom has a Force Science Analyst Certification, he is an Advanced Specialist in Behavioral Analysis in Force Encounters, and is a certified litigation specialist on high-risk litigation issues through the Americans for Effective Law Enforcement.
Chief Michael Bunker
Associate Vice President and Chief of Campus Safety, Syracuse University
Michael J. Bunker serves as the Associate Vice President and Chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services at Syracuse University, a role he assumed on July 1, 2025. He leads a department of approximately 148 employees, including 65 sworn officers, that stands as the third-largest full-service law enforcement entity in Onondaga County and responds to more than 77,000 calls for service annually. Michael oversees public safety operations, emergency management services, crisis planning and response, investigations, and community outreach across the University.
A veteran with 14 years of service in the United States Coast Guard, Michael brings more than two decades of leadership experience in campus safety and emergency management. Prior to Syracuse, he served as Chief of Campus Safety at the University of Denver, where he led safety and security operations on a large urban campus, including emergency management, environmental health and safety, and security technology, and guided the department’s transition to an armed policing model. He also managed a three-week campus protest encampment that concluded without arrests. Earlier in his career, Michael held leadership roles with the Georgetown University Police Department, the Campus Public Safety Institute, and the George Mason University Police Department.
Since arriving at Syracuse, Michael has negotiated a memorandum of understanding with the Syracuse Police Department that rebuilt a longstanding interagency relationship, established the department’s first joint command center linking campus, municipal, county, and federal partners, negotiated a multi-year labor contract, and reformed departmental overtime practices. He has also authored a submitted manuscript for the Campus Law Enforcement Journal on organizational change in campus public safety, and remains focused on a student-centered, transparent approach to campus safety leadership.
Executive Director Alex Wiltz
Executive Director of Campus Safety, Gettysburg College
Alex Wiltz is Executive Director of Campus Safety within the College Life and Operations division at Gettysburg College, a role held since November 2021. Alex brings 17 years of progressive leadership in higher education safety and risk management, including prior service as Chief of Police at Greenfield Community College and campus safety leadership roles at Ursinus College and Kansas State University, where Alex’s career began in campus law enforcement.
Alex holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from New England College, a Master of Science in Counseling and Student Development from Kansas State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Kansas State University. Alex is a NABITA-certified risk assessment professional and an active member of NABITA, ATAP, and IACLEA, including as a presenter at IACLEA’s annual conference.