M. Chris Herring

M. Chris Herring has more than 35 years of service in the public safety field. He has progressed from public safety officer (police, fire, EMS), to police sergeant, to support services manager, to director of the North Carolina Center for Community Policing, to police chief. He has facilitated U.S. Department of Justice and FEMA-certified courses throughout the nation.

Herring led the development of three certified US Department of Homeland Security Courses: MGT405 - Mobilizing Faith-Based Communities in Preparing for Disaster; MGT401 - Planning and Intervention for Gangs, Hate and Terrorist Groups in Rural Jails and Prisons; and MGT406 - Community Threat Group Identification and Assessment for Rural Law Enforcement Officers. Herring has 25 years of experience with policy development, implementation and evaluation.

For more than 27 years, M. Chris has taught at the college level in the disciplines of homeland security, fire services management, criminal justice, public administration and sociology. He earned a B.A. degree in political science and holds master’s degrees in public administration, sociology, human services and divinity. He also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree.

Herring is an ordained minister and has traveled to Africa on three occasions. He coordinated community development ministries that provided primary/secondary education, tuition assistance and support to orphans. Projects that focused on rural community sustainability via fresh water and greenhouses were established. He has consulted with Kenya and Uganda top-ranking national police. Herring is the department chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Sandhills Community College.