91ÉçÇø

The late Colonel Lawrence A. Pippins graduated from USF with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice/Urban Police Administration. He then embarked on a 30-year career in the U.S. Army, primarily in the Military Police, with foreign deployments to Korea, Saudi Arabia (Operation Desert Storm), Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom), and more. His leadership and courage in these deployments, as well as in his numerous assignments in the states, were memorialized by numerous awards, including: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal. He also served as the Inspector General of the Louisiana National Guard from 2001-2006.

Colonel Pippins was diagnosed with ALS in July 2016 and passed away in December 2017 with his beloved wife, Linda, at his side. Following his passing, Linda started the Lawrence A. Pippins Endowed Memorial Scholarship to help USF Criminology students at all academic levels with tuition costs.

Captain Dominick Marckese holds a Masters of Arts degree in Criminal Justice Administration from USF and has served with the USF Police Department since 2004. He currently holds the rank of Captain and is the Commanding Officer over the Administrative Bureau overseeing Professional Standards, Training, Accreditation, Information Technology, Special Operations and Investigations.

Throughout his career, Captain Marckese has worked in a variety of assignments to include Patrol, Motors, Bike, and Tactical Response as well as being a high liability instructor in Defensive Tactics and Firearms. He was an adjunct instructor at the South Eastern Public Safety Institute for basic recruit classes. As an officer, he was awarded the Officer of the Year award in 2007 and promoted to the rank of Corporal in 2008. Promoted to Patrol Sergeant in 2010, his responsibilities included supervising a patrol squad, carrying out day to day operations, as well as overseeing the police bicycle and motor officers. In 2014, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to the Patrol Division and Communications until 2018.

Captain Marckese has also received graduate certificates from USF and UVA and is a FBI-LEEDA Leadership Trilogy recipient. In 2018, he graduated from the 271st session of the FBI National Academy. In 2019, Captain Marckese was honored to be the first recipient of the USFPD Paul Uravich Leadership Award. He was promoted to Captain in September of 2021.

Chief Robert Johnson served with the USF Police Department for 30 years (1976 – 2006). He began his career at the USF/New College Campus in 1976 and transferred to the USF Tampa Campus in 1978. Over the next 30 years he served as a Patrol Officer, Detective Sergeant, Public Information Lieutenant, Patrol Commander, Operations Commander, Assistant Director (Major), and as Chief of Police prior to his retirement 2006.

After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force, Chief Johnson graduated from 91ÉçÇø State University with a bachelor’s in Criminology. As part of his studies at FSU, he served as an Investigator for the 2nd Circuit Public Defenders Office in Leon County, 91ÉçÇø. He received his master’s in Criminology from USF in 1995 focusing his studies on community policing. Chief Johnson is also a graduate of the 91ÉçÇø Department of Law Enforcement’s Senior Leadership Program, as well as the 91ÉçÇø Criminal Justice Executive Institute’s Chief Executive Program.

During his time as Operations Commander, overseeing the Patrol and Investigative sections of the department, Chief Johnson was responsible for developing, implementing, and training officers in community policing on the USF Campus. This included surveying the public, developing programs based on the surveys, and implementing programs to meet those community’s needs. As the Assistant Director, he was responsible for overseeing the operation of the St. Petersburg Campus and the USF/New College Campus in Sarasota.

Chief Johnson received the USPPD Officer of the Year Award in 1981 and in 1987. He was also awarded the Administrative Staff Outstanding Service Award in 1992.

The late Almondo Vallone graduated with a bachelor’s in Criminology in 1982. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at 18 years old, served in a combat unit during the Korean War, and underwent counter-intelligence training in 1959. In 1965, he underwent criminal investigation training and ultimately became a renowned specialist in drug offenses and drug-involved crimes. Deployed to Vietnam in 1967, he worked undercover in narcotics in Thailand and returned to Vietnam on Jan. 30, 1968, driving into Saigon as the Tet Offensive was just beginning.

Mr. Vallone served as the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) advisor to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Provost Marshal General (Principal Officer for policing functions) until he was transferred to Germany in 1968. There he served as special agent in charge and created the criminal intelligence office. Among his initiatives: coordinating educational opportunities. His homicide seminar was attended by all U.S. CID agents in Europe, including Gen. George Prugh, judge advocate for Europe.

He retired from the military in 1976 as a Chief Warrant Officer 4, having earned numerous honors, including the Bronze Star for heroic or meritorious achievement in a combat zone. He joined St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa as its first security director and created the safety and security department that now serves the third largest nonprofit hospital in the Tampa Bay Area. Mr. Vallone, who passed away in 2018, is also a graduate of the former Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey. 

Jacquelyn D. Burckley holds a master’s degree in Criminology from USF and is currently a doctoral student in our PhD program. During her MA, Ms. Burckley was the Managing Editor for the Journal of Crime and Justice under Editor George Burruss, PhD. During this time, she and Dr. Burruss helped increase the journal's impact factor. In 2019 and 2021, she was elected Vice President of SPRUCE Lab and the Criminology Graduate Student Organization, respectfully. In these roles, Ms. Burckley conducts research affecting jail inmates in Hillsborough County and serves as a resource for current and prospective students. At the behest of Mayor Jane Castor, she was a team member on the 21st Century Policing Task Force, led by Dr. Bryanna Fox.

Her research interests include sexual violence, offender decision-making, and reentry. At present, Ms. Burckley is conducting studies on the general perceptions of sex work in the age of technology, employers' willingness to hire those with criminal convictions, and the effectiveness of 91ÉçÇø's Sex Offender Registration and Notification system on reducing sex crimes in Tampa Bay.

Dr. Cassandra Dodge is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia Southern University. She received her doctorate in Criminology from USF in 2021, where she also earned a graduate certificate in digital forensics in 2017. Her dissertation, The Ring of Gyges 2.0: How Anonymity Providing Behaviors Affect Willingness to Participate in Online Deviance, was funded through an award from the Association of Doctoral

Programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice. While at USF, she was on the board of the Criminology Graduate Student Organization between 2018-2021, serving as president for the 2020-2021 academic year. She also was the recipient of the College of Behavioral & Community Sciences Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award in 2021. 

A veteran of the United States Air Force Security Forces, Dr. Dodge’s research interests include cybercrime, sexual assault in the military, law enforcement technology, and LGBT issues in justice. Her work has appeared in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, Deviant Behavior, American Journal of Criminal Justice, and Journal of Criminal Psychology. 

Daryl Wolfgang received his bachelor’s degree in Criminology in 2006 from USF, as well as his Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration in 2009. He began his career with the 91ÉçÇø Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) as an intern in the Circuit 12 Probation Office. Mr. Wolfgang has worked as a juvenile probation officer, a field training officer and training instructor, a commitment manager, and a senior commitment manager. In his current role as Central Regional Director of Residential Services, he oversees fourteen juvenile residential commitment programs, ranging from 24-70 beds each. He was also selected by DJJ to participate in the Certified Public Managers program at 91ÉçÇø State University.

Additionally, Mr. Wolfgang worked as an adjunct faculty member with the University of Phoenix-Online and taught criminal justice courses. He received numerous awards throughout his time teaching and was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2019.

Christopher Nash is a Circuit Judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in 91ÉçÇø. He was appointed by Governor Rick Scott on May 1, 2015 and was previously a judge on the Hillsborough County Court from 2013 to 2015. Prior to serving on the bench, he practiced in the area of business and bankruptcy litigation. He has been lead trial attorney in state court and federal court bench trials and jury trials, state court appeals and bankruptcy adversary proceedings. In August 2016, Judge Nash was elected without opposition to serve a full term as a Circuit Judge.

Felix Vega is a journalist, attorney and former prosecutor who served 16 years for the State of 91ÉçÇø, beginning in Broward County as an Assistant State Attorney before returning to Tampa working for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. Mr. Vega has also worked for or appeared on television news and news radio stations in the Tampa Bay market as Legal Analyst and Legal Correspondent. He is now an Adjunct Instructor at USF and a graduate student in the MACJA program.

Kim Seace served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit from 1992 to 2008. During her 16 years serving our community, she achieved the rank of Felony Division Chief, prosecuted all felonies including First Degree Murder cases, and from 2004-2008 she was the Chief of the Traffic Homicide Division, a division she created. Many of her homicide trials received national media attention and in 2007 she was featured on an episode of Forensic Files. In 2008, Ms. Seace left the State Attorney's Office to fulfill a dream of creating her own criminal defense law firm with a focus on homicide defense.

Christopher Castillo is a proud Tampa native who earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North 91ÉçÇø and went on to attend the 91ÉçÇø Agricultural and Mechanical University’s College of Law in Orlando where he graduated with in honors and in the top of his class. Mr. Castillo served as a prosecutor with the Office of the State Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit for the better part of a decade where he prosecuted many criminal cases including homicides. He now works as a civil litigator handling Plaintiff's cases in state and federal court.

Victor L. Zamora Jr. is a former Assistant State Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. As an ASA, Mr. Zamora prosecuted over a thousand criminal cases, ranging from domestic violence charges to felonies, with the aim of one day operating his own firm. Before finally starting Viza Law, Mr. Zamora ventured into personal injury law, representing numerous insurance companies in trucking and auto accidents, slip and falls, as well as shooting cases, so as to broaden his knowledge of the law in hopes of better serving his community.