Lewis A. Eakins, PhD, CPP has over 45 years of law enforcement, public safety, emergency management, and consulting experience. He retired in 2023 as the Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (PSEP) at Ivy Tech Community College - Systems Office located in Indianapolis, IN. He was formerly the Chief Security Officer & Director of Public Safety at Idaho State University
Lewis was also the Chief of Police at Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL where he transitioned the department from non-sworn unarmed to a fully armed APOSTC law enforcement agency. He served as a Captain with the METRO Transit Police in Houston, TX; and as the Assistant Chief of Police at Texas Southern University, also in Houston, TX.
Lewis is a sought after presenter at national and international conferences on the topics of public safety leadership, active shooter survival, emergency management, and academic continuity. He consults and conducts training for the U.S. Department of Justice (Technical Training Institute) and the U.S. Department of Education (REMS TA Center). He also serves as a Lead Technical Peer Reviewer on federal grant applications focused on firearm violence, body-worn cameras, and campus resilience.
Lewis has held leadership positions in national and regional organizations. At the time of his retirement, he served as an IACLEA Director-at-Large, and formerly served as the chairperson of the Education and Learning Committee, and as a member of IACLEA's Strategic Planning Team.
Lewis has been or will be a presenter at the following IACLEA annual training conferences:
- 2014 - "Oakwood University: Transitioning from Non-sworn To Sworn," Montreal, Canada
- 2016 - "Public Safety Leadership: A Convergence of Several Styles," Phoenix, Arizona
- 2022 - "How To Make Bias Training More Palatable," Las Vegas, Nevada
- 2024 - "Moving Towards A Sustainable Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program" and "Active Retirement," New Orleans, Louisiana
Lewis is board certified (CPP) in Security Management by ASIS International as well as being certified by FEMA as a Professional Continuity Practitioner (PCP). He has attended numerous law enforcement, executive development, and emergency management training courses. He is a 2015 graduate of FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy Cohort III (NEMEA III).
Lewis has an A.S. degree in Police Science from Calhoun Community College; a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice & Business Administration from Athens State University; a M.S. degree in Security Management from Bellevue University; and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Homeland Security Policy and Coordination from Walden University. His research interests are academic continuity, public safety leadership, and implicit bias.