February 02, 2011

By Katie Landers '11

Two Davidson folks are Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce Public Safety Officers of the Year -- Josh Peklo '97, technical director in the Department of Theatre, and Laura Vanzant, a sergeant with the Campus Police Department. Peklo is an assistant chief with the town's volunteer fire department and Vanzant fits right in with the community policing approach on a college campus.

Josh Peklo

Safety is an important part of Peklo's work in the Theatre Department, where he does production design and teaches students about scenery construction, lighting, audio, and props. Safety is key to his other job, as well -- as a Davidson volunteer firefighter.

Peklo has worked as a firefighter since he was 16, with departments in Maryland, New York and Davidson, where he volunteered with the Davidson Fire Department as a student. He is passionate about the community service that he performs as a member of the fire department, and says, "I also enjoy the skill set and activities required of the fire service. As part of our duty rotation, I serve as the company officer on a crew at the fire station that is on duty two to three times a month from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m." Peklo also serves on the department's training committee and purchases and maintains its uniforms and equipment.

Sgt. Laura Vanzant began her career in law enforcement in 1999 as an airport police officer, before spending four years with the Cornelius Police Department. She joined the Davidson staff in 2004 after getting married, thinking that Davidson would be a convenient place to live and work. But she was even more excited about the community-based work environment it would provide.

Laura Vanzant

Vanzant admits that working at Davidson comes with its own set of challenges. "This is a different style of policing. You deal a lot more with problem-solving and education, as opposed to just dealing with a situation as it comes up," she says.

As she'd hoped, Vanzant has really felt like part of a team at Davidson. "We have a great staff of officers who work together for the common goal of safety on our campus." A leader in the department, Vanzant is a patrol sergeant, the department's training coordinator, and the lead investigator. In November 2010, Vanzant received her North Carolina Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate -- an accomplishment that few officers achieve this early in their career.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,900 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
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