Board of Directors

• William Berger

  William Berger was nominated by President Barack Obama for the position of United States Marshal of the Middle District of Florida on November 11, 2010. The Senate confirmed the nomination on December 20, 2010. William Berger was sworn in as the United States Marshal of the Middle District of Florida on February 9, 2011. The District is comprised of five divisions located in Tampa, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Ft. Myers.

  Previous to serving as the United States Marshal, Marshal Berger served as the Police Chief in the City of Palm Bay, Florida from 2004-2011 and as the Police Chief of the City of North Miami Beach from 1989-2004 for a total of 22 years as a Police Chief. Marshal Berger started his law enforcement career with the City of Miami Police Department in 1974 where he worked in Radio Patrol, Training, Legal, Budget, Planning, Homicide, Robbery, Community Relations, and Internal Affairs. Marshal Berger also was the Commander of the Miami Training Unit and Police Academy, and the Miami Homicide, Robbery, and Sexual Battery Units. Marshal Berger holds a Juris Doctor of Law from Shephard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University, a Masters Degree in Public Administration, and a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from St. Thomas Villanova University. Marshal Berger is also a graduate and Pickett Fellowship recipient of the prestigious Harvard University/J.F.K. School of Government, Program for Senior Executives in Government, F.B.I. Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (30th Session), PERF's Senior Management Institute for Police (19th Session), the 132nd Session of the F.B.I. National Academy. Marshal Berger also had the distinction of serving as the President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in 2001 and 2002 and was President of the Florida Police Chiefs Association in 1996 and 1997. Marshal Berger has been named Florida Police Chief of the Year in 1992, 2003, and 2006 and was given the prestigious President’s Award for Distinguished Service in June 2008. He has received over 60 other awards and citations of merit. Marshal Berger is a recognized subject matter expert in police practices both in state and federal court and for the United States Justice Department. He is an instructor in the areas of Forensics, Police Use of Deadly Force and Technologically. He has chaired or served on numerous police related committees to include the IACP Forensic Science committee, private sector partnership information sharing. He has also been a member of the Justice Department Technical Working Group (TWG) in the areas of police communications, forensic science, police and the courts. He has sat on various policy committees and grant application processes.

  

• Donald F. Eslinger

  Donald F. Eslinger is the Sheriff of Seminole County, Florida. Sheriff Eslinger began working with the Sheriff’s Office in 1978 as a Dispatcher. He advanced through the ranks as a Patrol Deputy, Criminal Investigator, Special Operations Investigator, Watch Commander, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team Leader, and two tours with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Task Force Agent, returning as Commander of the City/County Investigative Bureau.

  He had achieved the rank of Major in 1991 when Florida’s Governor appointed him to Sheriff. He was elected to the Office in 1992, and re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Sheriff Eslinger is involved in a wide variety of community programs and professional associations. He is a past-President of the Florida Sheriffs Association; served as a member of the National Sheriffs’ Association Board of Directors; and is a former Commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation For Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The Sheriff has received numerous awards during the course of his career, including the Military Order of the Purple Heart for meritorious and conspicuous service; the Florida President’s Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill; and the Florida Crime Prevention Association’s President’s Award. The Sheriff earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences from National Louis University. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, Quantico, Virginia; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Chief Executive Institute; and the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Academy of Corrections.

  

• Al Harms

  Mr. Al Harms currently serves as Vice President for Strategic Planning and Initiatives and Special Assistant to the President at the University of Central Florida. In addition to his responsibilities on the university’s senior leadership team, he is actively involved in leading-edge research at the university’s Institute for Simulation and Training, and serves on various academic, scientific, corporate and philanthropic boards across the nation.

  Al Harms received his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Biology from the University of Illinois and his Master of Science (MS) in Statistics from Texas A&M University. Commissioned into the United States Navy through the Naval Reserve Officer’s Training Program, he completed flight training and served in various A-6 Intruder squadrons prior to commanding Attack Squadron 75, USS Shreveport (LPD-12) and USS Nimitz (CVN-68). A distinguished graduate of the U.S. Navy’s Test Pilot School and the NATO Defense College, Mr. Harms was promoted to Flag (General Officer) rank in 1996 and had five follow-on assignments, including Commander, Carrier Strike Group Three and Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Honolulu, Hawaii. Vice Admiral Harms concluded his career as Commander, Naval Education and Training Command and transitioned from active duty in January 2005. As the Chief Learning Officer for the U.S. Navy, he led a broad transformation of all Navy education and training, including world-wide organizational realignment, expanded distributed learning capabilities, enhanced IT support systems, and comprehensive curricula re-engineering centered on human performance principles and the science of learning.

  

• Joe Hellebrand

  Joseph Hellebrand is the first Chief of Police of the recently formed Canaveral Port Authority Police Department, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Chief Hellebrand accepted the post after retiring from Melbourne Police Department in Melbourne, Florida with 28 years of service.

  Chief Hellebrand is a founding member of the Data Sharing Consortium and is largely responsible for bringing Florida's Space Coast police agencies inot the post-9/11 information sharing effort. He is currently the Chairman of the Consortium having served as its Vice Chair for several years. He has a Bachelors Degree in Public Administration and a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice. Chief Hellebrand has completed over 4,000 hours of law enforcement training. He is a graduate of the 197th Session of the FBI National Academy; the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar; and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Executive Institute. Chief Hellebrand has served in a variety of positions to include Police Officer, Field Training Officer, Canine Officer, Swat Officer/ Team Lader, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Emergency Services Team Commander, District Commander, Commander, and Deputy Chief of Police. He participates in several local advisory boards and is currently the Third Vice President for the Florida Chapter of the FBI Academy National Associates. He is also an instructor for the Police Standards and Training Commission and has taught Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement related classes at both the College level and the Police Academy.