North Carolina Central University News January 6, 2016 Expert Available to Comment on President's Exec. Action Dr. M. Chris Herring, a police and race relations specialist at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), is available to speak to the media about President Barack Obama's proposed executive action on gun control. Herring is executive director of the Institute for Homeland Security and Workforce Development at NCCU and is a visiting professor in the university's Department of Criminal Justice. Herring's work focuses on training leaders of faith-based community organizations, emergency response personnel and first responders on how to engage citizens during mass shootings and disasters. He is very knowledgeable on mobilizing places of worship, congregations and communities during emergencies and disasters. With more than 32 years of criminal justice experience, Herring has held a wide range of roles in the field of public safety, including that of director of the N.C. Center for Community Policing and as an independent criminal justice training consultant for communities and law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. He initiated a number of programs that strengthen relationships between black and Hispanic communities and the police. He has previously provided thought leadership in the media on topics including public safety, the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Mo., and the Boston Marathon bombings. Herring led development of three U.S. Department of Homeland Security-certified courses offered for first responders and criminal justice practitioners throughout the United States. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and master's degrees in public administration, sociology, human services and divinity. He recently completed a Doctorate of Ministry degree. His dissertation focused on using the church to strengthen the relationship between African-American males and the police. Contact Information: Email: mherring@nccu.edu<mailto:mherring@nccu.edu> Phone: 919-530-5206 Cell: 704-232-1257 SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.