Welcome Derek Ferguson, new director of public safety
Derek comes to Carthage with over 28 years of diverse law enforcement positions, ranging from hospital law enforcement at John Stronger Hospital in Cook County to service at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill., where he served as chief of police. Derek has a Bachelor of Arts in Management and a Master of Business Administration, both from Benedictine, as well as an advanced certificate in School of Police Staff and Command from the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.
Derek’s experience and knowledge of the higher education safety environment, along with his relational approach to his work, made him an outstanding candidate for Carthage. As we open the year, Derek will also undertake efforts to transition our Office of Public Safety from being primarily an outsourced unit staffed by Allied Universal to being an insourced unit with primarily Carthage employees. This will take some time to transition the staffing model, but Derek has experience with a similar effort while at Benedictine, and we look forward to his leadership in this process.
Derek and his wife, Sonja, live in Aurora, Ill. and have nine children between the two of them, with only three still at home.
Derek’s first day was on July 28. We are excited for everyone on campus to meet and get to know Derek as the semester unfolds. His office is located inside the Office of Public Safety suite in the lower level of Johnson Residence Hall. You may reach him at dferguson@carthage.edu or by calling 262-551-5911.
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, OR ORGANIZATION:
Division of Student Affairs
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Kimberlie L. Goldsberry, PhD Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students, kgoldsberry@carthage.edu