Raymond “Ray” H. Thrower, Jr., BS, CCO is a Principal Consultant at Threat Suppression, Incorporated. Ray started at Threat Suppression in 2018. Ray is a nationally recognized expert in campus public safety. He has 45 years’ experience in municipal and campus public safety and more than 35 years’ management experience in campus public safety administration, environmental health and safety, emergency management, and firefighting. 

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Ray retired as the Associate Vice-President for Public Safety and Campus Police at Queens University of Charlotte. In this role, he was the director of the campus police department, director of emergency management, and the university's Clery Compliance Manager. Ray served as the Director of Campus Safety and Director of Emergency Management at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota for 15 years. Prior to Gustavus, he served as Deputy Manager of Security for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia; Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police for Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina; and Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police at Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Ray is a past president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). His term as president came at a crucial time for campus public safety and security following the April 2007 tragedy at Virginia Tech University. In response to the event at Virginia Tech, along with subsequent active shooter situations at schools such as Louisiana Technical College and Northern Illinois University, Ray convened a high-level taskforce to make recommendations for institutions of higher education. This taskforce made recommendations through a public safety lens resulting from the shooting incidents at institutions of higher education. The taskforce published “The IACLEA Blueprint for Safer Campuses” which has been utilized by thousands of campus public safety departments and others around the world. Ray has also served as a member of the IACLEA Board of Directors, in addition to chairing numerous other committees and taskforces for IACLEA.

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Ray previously served as a master trainer for the Community College Consortium for Health and Safety Training (C.C.C.H.S.T.); an adjunct instructor at South Central College in the departments of Environmental Health and Safety, Fire and Police; and an adjunct instructor for Michigan State University Outreach School of Criminal Justice for 15 years. 

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Upon his retirement from the fire and rescue sector, Ray held a North Carolina and Minnesota Firefighter II and Fire and Rescue Instructor Level II certifications. Ray has extensive knowledge and experience in the area of incident command and emergency management and has instructed institutional presidents, administrators and first responders from around the world (United States, Canada, China, South Africa, England, Scotland and Saudi Arabia). In 1998, Ray oversaw emergency response operations resulting from an F-3 tornado that hit Gustavus Adolphus College resulting in 60 million dollars in damage (this was the largest property damage ever sustained at an institution of higher education until Hurricane Katrina). 

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Ray is a certified Clery Compliance Officer (CCO), which is an exceptionally difficult certification for someone to obtain. The certification is the gold standard in Clery compliance for institutions of higher education. Compliance with the Clery Act is a federal mandate for institutions of higher education that receive any federal funding. Ray is also an expert with Title IX compliance, and has assisted numerous educational institutions create and maintain a Title IX compliance program. 

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Ray is very experienced in the concept of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). Ray is a certified CPTED instructor and has taught numerous CPTED classes throughout the country. Ray has conducted multiple large-scale safety and security analyses for educational institutions, businesses, and houses of worship. Ray has conducted numerous media interviews regarding campus public safety. He continues to contribute extensively to the national and international dialog for K-12 and campus public safety. Ray holds a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Sacred Heart College. Ray can be reached at rthrower@ThreatSuppression.com.