DMACC Recognized as BEST Community College in Iowa
Source: CITYVIEW
Posted 2/7/2022
CITYVIEW: The best. The ultimate, the elite. The untouchable. The Best of Des Moines Readers' Poll annually recognizes the premier local institutions and top-notch entities that have earned the attention - and the business - of our readers. Thousands of votes were cast this year by central Iowa residents in support of central Iowa's best businesses, non-profits, sports franchises, retail outlets, health care providers, lawyers, journalists, entertainers and so on. When the poll closed CITYVIEW tallied 13,765 votes in early 300 categories, and now it is our great honor to reveal the results. The city's most trusted readers' poll Congratulations DMACC!
Best Community College in Iowa
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)
After finishing DMACC, 98% of graduates are either employed or continuing their education. What more do you need to know? Des Moines Area Community College is the Best Community College in Iowa, according to this year's Best of Des Moines poll. DMACC has multiple campuses: www.dmacc.edu
Runners up: Indian Hills Community College; Iowa Central Community College
Read the full CITYVIEW article
Homeland Security Certificate Program Chair Receives the Outstanding Alumni Award
Posted 11/12/21
Steve Barger, DMACC Program Chair and Professor of Criminal Justice received the DMACC Outstanding Alumni Award on September 2nd, 2021.
Steve is a 1993 DMACC Graduate who went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration with an Emphasis on Law Enforcement from Upper Iowa University.
Steve received certification from the Iowa Department of Public Safety 20th Basic Academy and the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in 1994. He began his law enforcement career as an Iowa State Patrol Trooper and served in many capacities during his career with the Iowa Department of Public Safety to include Special Agent with the Division of Criminal Investigation, Special Agent with the Division of Intelligence, and Special Agent with the Division of Narcotic Enforcement.
Steve has a long past with DMACC having served on the DMACC Criminal Justice Advisory Board, as a guest presenter, adjunct instructor, faculty member, Criminal Justice Club Advisor, and program chair. In his capacity as a program chair Steve leads the DMACC team that provides credit classes to TSA employees across the county in the TSA Associates Program.
Steve has been a member of the State Police Officers Council, the Iowa Narcotics Officer Association, Iowa Cattleman’s Association, and as a board member for the Madison County Cattleman’s Association.
Over the course of his law enforcement career Steve received multiple awards and commendations. At DMACC Steve has received the Distinguished Service Award, and Distinguished Customer Service Award.
Steve added; “I have been very fortunate in my careers to work with a lot of great people and fortunate to build, and be a part of, many great teams including the Criminal Justice Team at DMACC now. While I have probably made some contributions and may occasionally appear to steer the ship so to speak, any success I have had should be credited my family who made me who I am, my wife who has given me unconditional support throughout my careers, and my mentors, colleagues, and friends who have been there to support, assist, and help me along the way. I feel fortunate and humbled to be recognized with this award”.
Honolulu TSA Student Wins DMACC Boone Campus T-Shirt Design Contest
Posted 11/19/20
Despite living more than 3,900 miles from campus, a Hawaii TSA student wins a contest to design a T-shirt about the DMACC Boone Campus and COVID-19. The Contest also Raises Money for Boone County Emergency Services.
Read the full article.
Preparing the Next and Future Generations of Leaders and Prepared Citizens
Posted 11/13/20
DMACC Adjunct Instructor Tina Titze was recently featured in the National Emergency Management Association publication. Tina is an adjunct instructor for the DMACC TSA Associates Program, DMACC Homeland Security Certificate Program, and the DMACC Emergency Management Certificate Program.
In your active experience with the association, what do you think of NEMA?
"I have the privilege of working within South Dakota Emergency Management for 20 years; most of those years have allowed me to be a member of NEMA. I was the Deputy Director for the office for 10 years and have served as Director for the past 5 years.
In these positions and as a NEMA member, I appreciate the professional organization and all that it has been done to develop the emergency management field over the years. As is true with any organization there is always more work to be done.
NEMA really brings together the best of the best. As an organization the staff within NEMA provide invaluable efforts of representation for emergency managers, help to push federal policy initiatives, and provide opportunities to collaborate with lead partners to make changes which advance emergency management. NEMA is also necessary to facilitate the networking opportunities amongst the states and territories. There must be a strong association to facilitate this collaboration, NEMA provides that to us.
The established NEMA committees also enable individuals within the emergency management field to share best practices, develop new ideas, and improve in areas needed. Time, resources, and energy is not wasted on recreating the wheel. We can learn from each other.
NEMA annual forums promote information sharing, the collaboration of new ideas as well as the ability to get to know other state directors. These personal relationships are so important during a response or while a state is recovering from an incident. State staff can learn from one another because of NEMA. It is important to build these relationships prior to an emergency or disaster event, NEMA provides various ways for this to happen.
Emergency management really is organized chaos at times; NEMA brings together various state and federal officials so we can effectively plan and grow and continue to do great things in all phases of emergency management."
Read the full interview with Tina Titze here.
Jurisdictional Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Training at DMACC Southridge Campus
Posted 12/11/19
DMACC Homeland Security Chair and instructor Steve Barger, DMACC Faculty Member Tim Spooner, and DMACC Executive Director of the Physical Plant Greg Martin attended, and completed, MGT 310, Jurisdictional Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment training at the DMACC Southridge Campus on November 13th and 14th, 2019. The training was provided by TEEX and was cohosted by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and DMACC. The course is designed to prepare participants to conduct a Jurisdictional Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA). Participants identified threats and hazards of jurisdictional concern, gave those threats and hazards context, and established capability targets, and determined how to apply the results. DMACC was honored to cohost the event and bring the training to Iowa.
DMACC Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Faculty Attend 2019 Iowa Homeland Security Conference
Posted 12/11/19
DMACC Homeland Security Chair and instructor Steve Barger, DMACC Criminal Justice Chair and instructor Jessica Cole, and DMACC faculty member Tim Spooner attended the 2019 Iowa Homeland Security Conference October 30-Nov 1, 2019. The conference was hosted by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and was held at the FFA Enrichment Center on the Ankeny DMACC campus. Topics included case studies on actual emergency management events, active shooter events, lone wolf terrorists, and victims assistance. DMACC was honored to be selected as the location for the conference for the second time in the last three years and is happy to announce the 2020 Iowa Homeland Security Conference will be returning to the DMACC Ankeny campus next year.
Active Shooter Preparedness Workshop
Posted 12/3/19
DMACC Homeland Security Certificate Program Chair Steve Barger attended an Active Shooter Preparedness Workshop on November 19th, 2019. The workshop was coordinated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Infrastructure Security Division and co-hosted by the Polk County Emergency Management Agency. The workshop was held to reaffirm a dedication to the security and resilience of the Nation’s infrastructure. The workshop had attendees from law enforcement, education, and public and private sector stakeholders.
TSA Adjunct Instructor Paul Schmick is tapped by Security and Sales Integration Magazine with Execs from Leading US Integrators to talk Cyber, Workforce Shortage and More in the Annual Rountable at PSA Tech 2019
Posted 5/22/19
Read Story
First TSA employee to graduate with Criminal Justice Degree from DMACC
Posted 5/3/19
Danielle Nicol from Columbus, Ohio is the first TSA agent to receive a Criminal Justice degree from DMACC through our DMACC TSA Associates program.
Read the release here.
DMACC Instructor Receives Department of Homeland Security Infrastructure Protection Certificate through Texas A&M Extension Service (TEEX)
Posted 11/12/18
Jason Junkens received the Infrastructure Protection Certificate from DHS through a program administered by TEEX after successfully completing all four DHS-certified courses (AWR213 Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Awareness, MGT310 Threat & Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment, MGT315 Critical Asset Risk Management, MGT414 Advanced Critical Infrastructure Protection).
This certificate program combines a broad understanding of homeland security infrastructure protection doctrine with an in-depth examination of key concepts and practices in integrated risk management, private-public partnerships, capabilities-based and community-focused planning, and whole community resilience strategies.
The TEEX Infrastructure Protection certificate is designed for professionals who wish to enrich their personal knowledge and skills related to critical infrastructure security and resilience.
Mr. Junkens completed his training on November 9, 2018.
More information on TEEX’s Infrastructure Protection Certificate
DMACC Adjunct Instructor Completes Certified Forensic Computer Examiner
10/5/18
DMACC Adjunct Instructor Ward Crawley successfully completed recertification as a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner. The certification is from IACIS, The International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists. (https://www.iacis.com/) Instructor Crawley has been a certified forensic computer examiner since 2009 and is assigned as a Special Agent, Forensic Examiner with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber-Crime Unit/ICAC Task Force. Instructor Crawley also serves as a DMACC Adjunct Instructor in the TSA Associates Program and the Criminal Justice Program. Congratulations Ward!
DMACC Homeland Security Certificate Program Chair Graduates from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Basic Academy
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) graduated Steve Barger who completed all requirements of the National Emergency Management’s (EMI) Basic Academy. DMACC Executive Vice President Stanley Jensen, FEMA/EMI Training Specialist Jeffrey Januchowski, Iowa Emergency Management Association President Scott Hansen, and Iowa Homeland Security Acting Director Joyce Flynn, are shown congratulating Mr. Barger as he graduates.
Steve Barger Receives the 2018 DMACC Distinguished Service Award
10/19/18
DMACC Transportation Security Administration Homeland Security Certificate Program Chair Steve Barger of Indianola was named the Distinguieshed Service Award recipient by the DMACC Foundation. Barger's fantastic commitment to providing outstanding customer/student service that continues to catch the attention of the TSA program office is the reason the program continues to grow.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Basic Academy Graduation
8/16/18
Professionals in Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Corrections, Education and Healthcare from five states have just finished classes at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Basic Academy. The specialized training is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and co-sponsored and hosted by Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). A special graduation ceremony was held for those Academy participants who have completed the program at DMACC Southridge Center on Aug. 16, 2018.
The Basic Academy is generally taught in Emmitsburg, Maryland at the Emergency Management Institute National Emergency Training Center. This is first time it has been held in Iowa, utilizing Iowa and DMACC instructors.
Joyce Flynn, Interim Director, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD);
Stan Jensen, Executive Vice President, DMACC;
Jeffrey Januchoski, FEMA/EMI Training Specialist; and
Scott Hansen, President, Iowa Emergency Management Association (IEMA), will recognize the graduates and hand out completion certificates.
The class consisted of four weeks of intensive, interactive training on the fundamentals of emergency management, the science of disasters, operations planning, public information operations and exercise design and evaluation.
DMACC Co-Hosts the FEMA National Emergency Management Basic Academy with, the FEMA Emergency Management Institute, and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security.
6/29/18
The academy was held over four weeks at the DMACC Southridge Campus. The training consisted of 152 hours of intensive, interactive training, and was attended by 24-40 people weekly. Participants included professionals in Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, Corrections, Education, and Healthcare from five states.
DMACC Instructor Graduates from FEMA's National Emergency Management Executive Academy
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) graduated Jason Junkens who completed all requirements of the National Emergency Management Executive Academy. Katie Fox, Acting Deputy Administrator, Protection and National Preparedness, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security is shown congratulating Mr. Junkens as he graduates. Photo by Shane Gibbon / FEMA
