Cesar Gracia has been named the new ETSU chief of police and director of public safety and is set to assume the role on Nov. 9, ETSU announced in a press release Friday.
An alumnus of the university, Gracia earned both his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and his master’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in criminal justice from ETSU. He is also a graduate of the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Training Academy.
Gracia has served as the dean of campus safety and chief of police at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate for the past five years. LMU was ranked the number one safest campus out of 500 colleges and universities in the nation by the National Council for Home Safety and Security in 2019.
During his time at LMU, Gracia created the LMU Clery Compliance Committee. He was also a finalist for Campus Safety Director of the Year by Campus Safety magazine.
Gracia’s other past positions include 10 years as coordinator and later director of the Walters State Community College Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy, four years with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and seven years with the Kingsport Police Department.
Gracia is also a member of the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers Association, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Executives Association, the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police and the FBI Law Enforcement Leadership Development Program.
“I would like to thank the search committee for their hard work and diligence relative to this crucial position. The committee and the multitude of students, faculty, and staff that interacted with Chief Gracia consistently commented on his skills as a communicator, team-builder and collaborator and his commitment to inclusivity,” ETSU Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Ross said in the press release. “We have an outstanding team of police offers at ETSU and are pleased to have him in this role of overseeing our Department of Public Safety and providing oversight of our safety initiatives.”
ETSU’s former police chief, Nicole Collins, resigned effective Nov. 30, 2019, citing concerns about a “cultural imbalance in the department” in her resignation letter to campus officials, after which ETSU Capt. Mark Tipton assumed oversight of operations and administrative responsibilities for ETSU’s Department of Public Safety.
