Thomas Ross

Background

About Thomas Ross

Tom Ross is the Associate Dean for Public Services at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn Illinois. Prior to that, he was the Deputy Director of the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy (SLEA). During his 30 year policing career, he worked his way up through the ranks in the Bolingbrook Illinois Police Department, a diverse suburban community of residents located outside Chicago. Ross retired in October of 2017 as the Public Safety Director. As the Chief of both the Police & Fire Departments, he was responsible for a staff of 225 and an annual budget of $42 million. He has expertise in a range of specialties including Leadership, Management, Training, Community Policing, Investigations, Internal Affairs, and Strategic Planning. He previously was an adjunct instructor at Lewis University where he taught several Graduate courses in the Criminal Justice program for 14 years. Tom has been an instructor for the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety management program since 2006, teaching police supervisors throughout the United States. He is also a public safety consultant for the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies. Tom holds both M.A.('96) and B.S.('88) degrees in Criminal Justice Administration from Western Illinois University.