Sylvia A. Chapa, M.A., has a Master Peace Officer certification, served with the College of the Mainland Police Department as the chief of police for 9.5 years, and has 23 years of law enforcement experience in higher education. Sylvia graduated from the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas’ New Chief School (Class 45) in 2014, and holds certifications as a mental health police officer, crime prevention specialist, sexual assault family violence investigator, police instructor, CRASE instructor, ALICE instructor, Stop the Bleed instructor, and earned the respected FBI-LEEDA Trilogy award for police leadership and management.

In addition to law enforcement, she has 19 plus years of experience working in the field of security in a supervisory position. She spent the last 12 years of her security career with Space Center Houston where she specialized in safety, personal injury investigation, training development, security for visiting dignitaries/VIPs, and the security of governmental artifacts for the space industry.

She completed a behavioral science master’s internship with the Juvenile Justice Probation system in which she gained experience working with the intake assessments of incarcerated juveniles. Sylvia has earned an Associate of Arts degree in psychology, a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, a Master of Arts degree in behavioral science, and graduated as the valedictorian of her Galveston College Law Enforcement Academy (Class 007).

Lastly, Sylvia has experience working with College of the Mainland’s behavioral intervention team, threat assessment team, care team, emergency management team, the office of student conduct, and the development and training of the institution’s standard response protocol emergency response implementation.