About the Instructor 

About the Instructor

A 27-year veteran of law enforcement, Gerald A. “Gerry” Cavis is a security consultant and national security specialist with expertise in event management. Since retiring from the U.S. Secret Service in 2004, Gerry has brought a wide range of knowledge and skills to the public and private sector.

Currently, Gerry serves as the National Security Programs Manager at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) where he is responsible for curriculum development and training for the college’s nationally-recognized law enforcement and Criminal Justice Center programs. Gerry provides a diversity of specialized and grant assisted training in all areas of Safe and Secure communities, Tribal law enforcement and Courthouse Security Planning and Development. Gerry is a recognized expert in multi-agency partnership building and planning, pro-active prevention and effective response and recovery contingencies.

He serves as a security consultant to NASCAR, provides personal protection for Fortune 500 executives, and assists corporations in the development of pro-active preventative security initiatives and anti-terrorism planning. He has also worked as a Technical Advisor for motion picture and television projects, including The Sentinel (2006), as well as Vantage Point and Man of the Year which are currently in production. During the 2004 campaign cycle, Gerry served as the Director of Security for the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

Prior to retiring as the Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service’s Orlando office, Gerry was assigned to Washington, D.C., where he developed specialized expertise in securing high-profile events. Gerry served on the Presidential Protective Division for four years, where he was the lead agent in charge of overall security for 25 foreign and domestic presidential trips and for the 1997 Presidential Inaugural.

With his experience in event security and management, Gerry was tasked with creating the Secret Service’s major event planning template. He had direct responsibility for overall security at many events including the NATO 50th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C. and the visit of Pope John Paul II to St. Louis. In 2000, he was in charge of developing the overall security plans for the Presidential campaign, which included supervising and coordinating the operational security planning for all of the candidate protective details, the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates, as well as the 2001 Presidential Inaugural.

A founding member of the National Native American Law Enforcement Association, Gerry currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Indian Youth Police Academy.


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   Maintained by:

   Angela Balfe

   Last Modified:
   3/11/2009 12:45:34 PM