The 2018 NAACP 11th Annual Criminal Justice Seminar is set for Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the UTC Student Center. The keynote speaker will be Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, who retired after 30 years of service this May.
The 2018 Thurgood Marshall Award will be presented at the seminar.
The event is free and include a luncheon. All ages are welcome and there is a special seminar for the youth and young adults.
Representatives from the school system, criminal justice department, civil rights, juvenile justice department and other scholars will be present to assist those in need.
A lifelong Tennessean, Mark Gwyn became director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in 2004. Originally from McMinnville, he holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master’s Degree from Tennessee State University. Mr. Gwyn began his career in public safety as a patrolman with the McMinnville Police Department before joining the TBI as a special agent in 1988. Mr. Gwyn served as the agency’s executive officer and later led its Forensic Services Division before becoming director in 2004, becoming the first African-American to lead the state’s primary investigative law enforcement agency. In July 2016, Governor Bill Haslam reappointed Mr. Gwyn to serve as director, making him the first director in the TBI's history to be reappointed to a third term.
During his tenure, Mr. Gwyn has expanded the reach and resources of the agency. He oversaw the creation of the Technical Services Unit, which is responsible for high-tech surveillance methods, computer forensics, and investigating internet crimes against children. Under his leadership, the Tennessee Fusion Center was established within TBI’s headquarters as a central hub of information sharing between local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. More recently, Mr. Gwyn spearheaded the TBI’s efforts to combat human trafficking, including a unit of agents to investigate cases and train law enforcement officers across the state.
Director Gwyn has completed some of the most prestigious law enforcement and leadership training available, including the FBI’s National Executive Institute, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the FBI’s Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Program. He has also graduated from the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, the FBI National Academy, the Leadership Nashville Foundation, and the Tennessee Government Executive Institute. Director Gwyn also received extensive terrorism training conducted in Israel by the Israeli National Police while attending the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange. In 2015, he also graduated from the inaugural Tennessee Law Enforcement Command College.
In 2010, Mr. Gwyn received the Distinguished Alumni Award for professional achievement from MTSU, and in 2015, received the Lead By Example Award from the Tennessee Government Executive Institute. In 2016, he was awarded the Good Guy Award from the Women's Political Collaborative of Tennessee.
Mr. Gwyn proudly serves as president for the Board of Directors of the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies. Additionally, he serves on several boards, including the IACP Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee, the University of Tennessee National Forensic Academy, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the Criminal Intelligence Coordinator Council, Law Enforcement Executive Forum, Nashville’s Sexual Assault Center, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Partners Board, and the Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team.
To host a booth at this event please contact the NAACP at NAACPChattanooga@epbfi.com or call 280-0083 or 704-8232.