Marlon C. Lynch has been named the University of Utah's first chief safety officer.
Lynch, currently senior vice president for campus services and safety at New York University, will assume his role on Feb. 1, 2020.
“We are delighted to have a leader in campus safety joining the U,” said Ruth V. Watkins, president of the University of Utah. “Marlon brings years of experience, knowledge and insights to this role on our campus. His record of success will accelerate our efforts to strengthen a culture of safety at the U.”
Although Lynch will officially start at the U in early February 2020, he will be involved in selecting a new police chief to lead the U’s Department of Public Safety.
In his current position as the chief security officer for global campus safety and the senior administrator for campus services at NYU, Lynch has supervisory responsibility for a team of approximately 600 full-time staff and 400 contract employees.
Lynch has overseen NYU’s public safety, emergency preparedness, security technology, compliance, community outreach, professional standards and transportation. At NYU, Lynch led creation of public safety standards for its 11 global academic centers and campuses in New York, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. He also led NYU’s effort to receive accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
Lynch previously was the associate vice president for safety and security and civic affairs at the University of Chicago, where he was responsible for the police department, emergency management, environmental health and safety, risk management, security systems and transportation and parking. Lynch participated in university-wide strategic planning, enhancement initiatives and related organizational change across Chicago’s campus.
Lynch served as the police chief at three universities: Vanderbilt University in Nashville, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.
At NYU, Chicago and Vanderbilt, in particular, Lynch oversaw and coordinated large-scale events that involved controversial speakers, high-profile dignitaries and athletics.
Lynch began his law enforcement career as an officer with the Meridian Township Police Department in Okemos, Michigan. He received a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University. He also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff & Command.
