taught the mental health team in Rochester.
Chauncy Parker, who was commissioner of public safety at
the division when Alexander served as deputy commissioner,
says Alexander was the first person in that role who was more
than a career-track officer — and it showed.
“He was always approaching criminal justice with a very
broad, creative perspective,” says Parker.
Streamlining airport security
In 2007, Alexander took on another challenge when he became
federal security director for the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. As the
person in charge of coordinating all security and regulatory
affairs, he found a climate with poor leadership and other
problems.
“There were people hired into management positions who
quite frankly didn’t have the appropriate skill sets to manage
and motivate people,” Alexander says.
He put his trademark strategies into motion, helping
managers set clear timelines and performance goals for
improving the speed of security processing and the accuracy
of airplane safety investigations, for example. He also coached
managers on how to better communicate with employees,
gave them leadership training and set high performance
standards.
By 2010, the airport’s security
department went from being disorganized
and fractious in its security operations to
being instrumental in the airport winning
the “airport of the year” designation from
the Department of Homeland Security.
“Dr. Alexander has the ability to quickly
identify your comfort zone and challenge
you to operate outside of it,” says Mike
Donnelly, who worked with Alexander
as assistant federal security director for
operations at the airport. “He also said we
should never rest on our successes, since
leaders should be focused on continuous
Inroads in Georgia
In 2013, Alexander took his talents to
another trouble spot, DeKalb County,
Georgia, where he assumed the role of
police chief for 1,300 officers and 300
civilian staff. The police department
suffered from low morale and high
turnover, and the local government was
rife with corruption — the county’s
former chief executive officer awaits trial
for 14 felonies, including bid-rigging and
kickbacks.
Again, Alexander took the opportunity to rid the
department of leaders known for their bad influence and of
officers known for corrupt behavior. He rewarded remaining
staff with perks they had told him would help them feel better
about their jobs, such as getting their first raises in seven years
and tuition reimbursement for officers looking to expand their
skills.
Last December, county leaders promoted Alexander to
deputy chief operating officer for public safety. Now, the chiefs
and directors of the county’s five public safety offices, including
police, report to him.
“It’s a great group of people who have been on the job for
a long time and are doing a dynamic job,” he says. “Now, our
goal is to develop a single vision and a more integrated way
of operating” so there is no unnecessary redundancy among
departments’ roles and duties, for example.
While Alexander credits psychology and leadership training
for giving him the tools to lead these transformations, he praises
those who work for him for using those tools to get something
done.
“All I am is the coach,” he says. “The people who do the work
are the ones who make all of these changes possible.” n
Tori DeAngelis is a journalist in Syracuse, New York.
www.apa.org/pubs/books • 800-374-2721
The Adolescent
Brain
Learning, Reasoning,
and Decision Making
Edited by Valerie F. Reyna,
Sandra B. Chapman, Michael R.
Dougherty, and Jere Confrey
2012. 440 pages. Hardcover.
ISBN 978-1-4338-1070-1 • Item 4318098
List: $79.95 • APA Member/Affiliate: $59.95
How Animals Affect Us
Examining the Influence of
Human–Animal Interaction
on Child Development
and Human Health
Edited by Peggy McCardle,
Sandra McCune, James A. Griffin,
and Valerie Maholmesh
2011. 228 pages. Hardcover.
ISBN 978-1-4338-0865-4 • Item 4318085
List: $69.95 • APA Member/Affiliate: $49.95
Self-Regulation
Brain, Cognition,
and Development
Andrea Berger
2011. 225 pages. Hardcover.
ISBN 978-1-4338-0971-2 • Item 4318092
List: $79.95 • APA Member/Affiliate: $49.95
The Journey From
Child to Scientist
Integrating Cognitive
Development and the
Education Sciences
Edited by Sharon M. Carver
and Jeff Shrager
2012. 352 pages. Hardcover.
ISBN 978-1-4338-1138-8 • Item 4318104
List: $79.95 • APA Member/Affiliate: $49.95
Developmental Psychology
FAD0093