Effective Jan. 5, Andrew Powers will step in as director of campus safety and chief of the OUPD. Powers most recently was assistant director for emergency preparedness at Miami University, where he has served in a variety of positions since 1990. 

"I enjoy working with students, I enjoy the university environment and I have just found it to be a very rewarding career," Powers said. "(This position) seemed like a great opportunity."

In his new role, Powers will manage the $2.5 million budget of the Department of Campus Safety, be responsible for promoting campus safety, facilitate crisis response planning for serious incidents occurring on campus, and take charge of the overall leadership and development of the department with an emphasis on community policing.

Associate Vice President for Safety and Risk Management David Hopka said he was impressed by Powers' strong sense of ethics and dedication to his work. 

"I think he has good leadership qualities. He is diplomatic. He is collegial in his style and he is a personable individual," Hopka said. "In our collaborative environment, I think he will do very well."

Powers has a bachelor's of arts degree in sociology from Miami University and has completed a program in executive police management at the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.  

He succeeds Mike Martinsen, who stepped down from the position on Sept. 20 after two years at Ohio University in order to pursue a new leadership position in the Cincinnati area. Mark Mathews served as interim chief of police for Ohio University's Department of Campus Safety during the transition period.

"It's very clear that Chief Martinsen did an outstanding job with the department and he's going to be a tough act to follow," Powers said. "My goals are to get to know the campus, the people and the department so that I can identify areas that may need improvement while at the same time not trying to fix something that is not broken."