Criminal Justice Professors/Contacts
Faculty
DMACC's Criminal Justice Faculty have years of proven experience and come from a variety of relevant backgrounds, including law enforcement agencies, corrections agencies, and judicial departments at local, state and federal levels. DMACC students receive an unmatched educational experience.
Professors
Wes Breckenridge
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
Newton Campus
Building/Room: 01-131
641-791-1746
Email: wcbreckenridge@dmacc.edu
Wes Breckenridge has joined our team as a full time faculty member in the Criminal Justice Program. He has 27 years of law enforcement experience, serving as an interim chief, lieutenant, investigator, SWAT and in many other areas. He served five years as a Representative for the State of Iowa, as well as the Deputy/Interim Director of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.
Education: Wes’s educational background began at Des Moines Area Community College, where he earned is AA degree. Wes also earned a B.S. in Public Administration from Upper Iowa University; a M.A. in Management from the American Military University; and Masters Certificate in Criminal Justice from the University of Virginia. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy
Danielle Galien
Professor, Criminal Justice
Ankeny Campus
Building/Room: 3W-32
515-965-7306
Email: dgalien@dmacc.edu
Danielle was a Crime Scene Investigator with Des Moines Police Department for 15 years and taught for DMACC as an adjunct instructor before joining us as a full-time faculty member in August 2015. She currently serves coordinator for the Crime Scene Investigation Certificate. In addition, she teaches several lab classes: Crime Scene Investigation I and II, Death & Injury Investigations, Impressions & Blood Stains, Latent Friction Ridge Evidence, and Forensic Photography.
Education: Masters degree from Simpson College; Digital Forensics Investigation Certificate from DMACC.
Peterson Jean-Pierre
Instructor, Criminal Justice
Perry Van Kirk Career Academy
Email: pjeanpierre@dmacc.edu
"Pete" began teaching full-time at DMACC in August 2026. He is an instructor in the Perry Van Kirk Center, teaching the Criminal Justice Career Academy in the morning session and also teaching online.
Pete comes to DMACC with ten years' experience in the youth and criminal justice field. He worked with youth as an Iowa Juvenile Court Officer (JCO), and most recently he worked four years for the Iowa Department of Corrections. There, he provided various services ranging from client supervision to facilitating treatment courses in a facility environment.
Education: Pete earned an Associate's degree from Rochester, MN Community and Technical College, a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Waldorf University, and a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Criminal Justice.
Matthew Kratky
Instructor, Criminal Justice
Ankeny Campus, Bldg. 3W Room 32
515-964-6475
Email: mpkratky@dmacc.edu
Matt brings with him over 25 years of local and federal law enforcement experience. From 1993 until 1999, he served as a Kansas City Missouri Police Officer, holding the positions as a patrol officer and member of the Tactical Response Team. Later in 1999, Matt attended the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Basic Agent Academy for 17 weeks, and then reported to the DEA Chicago Field Division where he served as a Special Agent until May 2004.
From 2004 until 2010, Matt received a transfer to the DEA Udorn Thani, Thailand Resident Office where he worked narcotics investigations with the Royal Thai Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau, and the Royal Thai Office of Narcotics Control Bureau. Then in 2010, Matt was transferred to the DEA Dallas Field Division for four years, where DEA promoted him to a Supervisory Special Agent (SSA). While stationed at the Dallas Field Division, Matt was the SSA with oversight of the Technical Operations Group and Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Interdiction Task Force.
In 2014, Matt transferred to the DEA Jakarta, Indonesia Country Office where he served as the Country Attaché, until July 2018. In this role, Matt was the principal advisor to the United States (US) Ambassador at the US Embassy in Jakarta.
Matt finished his federal career by a transfer to the DEA Headquarters in Washington, DC, from 2018 to 2020. There, he was a DEA Inspector with the DEA Inspections Office and Office of Professional Responsibility. In October 2020, Matt retired from the DEA and his federal law enforcement service.
Since retirement from law enforcement, Matt taught Criminal Justice at the Des Moines Public School’s Central Campus from August 2022 through June 2024. He joined DMACC full-time in the Fall 2024.
Education: Matt received a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Criminal Justice in 1993 from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He also earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in the Administration of Justice in December 1997 from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
Primary Teaching Interests: Matt teaches law enforcement-focused classes, in addition to ethics and other classes.
Cory McClure
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
Ankeny Campus
Building/Room: 3W-32
515-965-7334
Email: clmcclure@dmacc.edu
Cory’s legal career started after law school at an agency called the Youth Law Center and worked there as a staff attorney until 1995. While there, Cory represented abused and neglected children in Juvenile Court and represented teens alleged to have committed crimes. He then accepted a position as an assistant County Attorney in the Polk County Attorney's office and was there until 2012. While an Assistant Polk County Attorney, Cory was involved in prosecuting child abuse and neglect cases and prosecuting crimes ranging from simple misdemeanors to major felonies. He also pioneered the Polk County Attorney’s Office Child Welfare Mediation Program to address gaps in the Child Welfare system in Polk County. Cory then joined the law firm of Babich Goldman P.C., as a partner in 2012 until he began teaching full time in 2022. While at the firm, Cory was able to maintain his lifelong emphasis on juvenile and family law.
Cory is the father of four boys - all now grown - and he and his wife, Jaime, enjoy traveling and caring for their three dogs, Dodger, Estella, and Georgiana (bonus points for whomever can guess from where these names derive). Cory’s passion is literature and movies and plays. Want to waste a couple hours? Ask him about his favorite books or movies. He is a baseball devotee. In fact, Cory cannot imagine a world without baseball (go Royals).
Cory began teaching at DMACC full-time in the fall of 2022, in the Criminal Justice Career Academy.
Education: Cory received his Bachelor of Arts (with honors) from the University of Iowa in 1988. He then earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa School of Law in 1991 (go Hawks).
Samantha O'Hara
Professor, Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Program Chair
Ankeny Campus
Building/Room: 3W-32
515-964-6667
Email: sjohara@dmacc.edu
Samantha began teaching full-time in DMACC’s Criminal Justice department in August 2017. She also taught part-time at DMACC from 2008 through 2013. Sam worked at a residential corrections facility in the Iowa 2nd Judicial District Department of Correctional Services for a short time, followed by more than ten years at the U.S. Probation Office for the Southern District of Iowa. After her federal service, Sam was a law enforcement instructor at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for about three years. Most recently, she earned four years’ teaching experience as a full-time faculty member at Simpson College in their Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, where she also held the position of Program Director for the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program. Sam teaches a variety of face-to-face and online classes, focusing on core curriculum and other corrections-related topics.
Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from the University of Northern Iowa; Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Northern Iowa; PhD in Criminal Justice from University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Michael Peck
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
Ames Hunziker Center / Room 215
515-663-6700
Email: mjpeck@dmacc.edu
Michael Peck has been a Career Academy Instructor for the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) since August 2023. Before working for DMACC, Michael was a full-time civilian detention officer with the Story County Sheriff’s Office for over seventeen years. He was involved in many special operations that Story County Sheriff's Office offered including Active Shooter Training, Search and Rescue Dive Team Member, Drone Pilot, and local Gang Task Force. In addition to those special operations, Michael was also a Taser Instructor, Pepper Spray Instructor, and a Field Trainer for the officers who were new to the Jail. Michael has remained as a volunteer for the Story County Search and Rescue Dive Team and a Drone Pilot.
Education: Master's Degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Emergency and Disaster Management from the American Public University System. Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Iowa State University. Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture Business from Northeast Iowa Community College.
Julie Roosa
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
Ankeny Campus, Bldg 3W-Room 32
Email: jkroosa@dmacc.edu
Julie began teaching full-time in DMACC’s Criminal Justice Department in August 2023. She has been teaching at the college since 2003 except for a five-year appointment at Iowa State University. Her classes have included journalism, student media, media law, First Amendment, criminal justice, political science, business law, honors, and more. Before pivoting into teaching, Julie was an attorney at a small firm in Fort Dodge, Iowa, practicing primarily in court-appointed criminal defense, family law, and civil rights. She served as a judicial law clerk for the Second Judicial District after graduating from law school. Julie also worked as the Story County Sexual Assault Response Team Coordinator and the Support Services Manager at ISU Police.
Education: Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Iowa State University; Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication from the Drake University; law degree from Drake University Law School; member of the Iowa Bar.
Primary Teaching Interests: Julie teaches a variety of face-to-face, online, and TSA classes, focusing on criminal/constitutional law, introduction to criminal justice, ethics, and honors.
Adjunct Faculty
The DMACC Criminal Justice program is extremely fortunate for a strong, involved adjunct faculty cadre. Current practitioners as well as former professionals from law enforcement, legal professionals, corrections, homeland security, emergency management, crime scene, digital forensics, and the private sectors make up these talented DMACC instructors. Uniquely, all levels of government (local, state, and federal) public service are represented in the adjunct faculty.
Just like full-time faculty requirements, adjunct faculty possess at least a Bachelor’s degree, with the vast majority having a Master’s or law degree as well, due to accreditation expectations. These talented, passionate individuals also must have a great depth of experience working in their field, and they bring that expertise into their courses. Adjunct faculty teach online or in-person, and are welcomed in all faculty meetings and other opportunities. They contribute a great deal to the program with their curricular expertise, which benefits students in many ways.
If you may be interested in teaching future criminal justice professionals, please contact the Criminal Justice Program Chair or the Public and Community Services Associate Academic Dean with questions.
Employment in the criminal justice field is highly dependent upon one's character and background. Students who have a criminal history may complete the program of study, but it is NOT likely that they will find employment in the criminal justice field, and students with a criminal history may NOT be eligible for an internship, which is required for the AAS degree.