College’s new director has 40-year career in safety, security

Jim Ellington, director of Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness

Edmonds Community College has named Jim Ellington as the college’s new Director of Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness.

Ellington brings more than 40 years of experience in safety and security to Edmonds CC and began his duties in November.

He held the position of director of public safety at the College of Southern Idaho, where he served for five years. His career also includes safety and security positions with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, U.S. Department of Defense, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

“Being the director of research security at Georgia Tech was my first entree into higher education,” Ellington said, “and I really enjoyed it and the opportunity to work with faculty, staff, and students.”

Ellington takes pride in his ability to adapt security principles and techniques to various environments, including aerospace, public transportation, and federal and state agencies.

He’s also looking forward to applying the knowledge he gained at the College of Southern Idaho to the Edmonds CC campus, which serves about twice as many students.

“Edmonds CC offers an opportunity to take some of the things I’ve learned and implement them in a larger environment,” Ellington said. “But first, I’d like to learn about the culture of the college.”

Ellington said Edmonds CC has a larger population of international students than the College of Southern Idaho, and he noted that police and security agencies are not always viewed in a positive light in all countries.

As he gets to know the Edmonds CC community, Ellington said he’d like to create security policies that optimize services for all students and employees. For Ellington, it’s important to form cross-campus relationships and partner with others to make campus safety a priority.

“I’m a firm believer in an old management strategy called MBWA – management by walking around,” he said. “I want to get out, and I want to meet with people. It’s much easier if you’re seen as a partner.”

Currently, there are nine full-time and eleven part-time Campus Safety and Security officers.

“We can’t be everywhere,” Ellington said, “That’s why the college’s See Something, Say Something campaign is extremely critical to campus safety and security.”

The See Something, Say Something campaign supports and encourages a culture of reporting behaviors of concern to maintain a safe learning and work environment for students and employees of the college.

If you see a behavior of concern (e.g., in crisis, or welfare concern) or a student conduct violation, say something – use the college’s Incident Reporting Form or call the campus security 24-hour line at 425.754.0154.

Ellington also oversees the college’s emergency preparedness efforts, which includes regular participation in training exercises with local community partners, including the Lynnwood Police Department and the Lynnwood Fire Department.

“We have plans in place to ensure your safety, and we are prepared to respond quickly,” Ellington said.

Ellington holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University, Long Beach. He began his career as a K9 handler, and he and his wife, Karen, both enjoy working with German shepherds. They have three adult children, three grandchildren, and two canine kids – German shepherds, of course.

Learn more about Edmonds CC’s safety, security, and emergency preparedness efforts. Review the college’s Guide to Emergency Preparedness to learn more about what you can do to stay safe during many types of campus emergencies.