Campus Safety magazine has awarded Ray Gerwitz, executive director and deputy chief security officer at The University of Texas Police at Houston (UT Police), for a top honor. The magazine named Gerwitz as Campus Safety Director of the Year in the health care and security division.

"I’m deeply honored to have been selected for recognition," said Gerwitz.

A cross-selection panel of judges from the health care, higher education and school security, public safety and emergency management organizations reviewed and made selections in three divisions: K-12/school district, healthcare/hospital and higher education.

Gerwitz’s notable achievements in modifying UT Police’s service model have garnered high approval and wide appreciation within the health care security industry. He was selected in part for his role in developing UT Police’s security posture in response to institutional COVID-19 safety measures and implementing a visitor management system.

In Campus Safety’s podcast, Campus Safety Voices, Gerwitz describes in detail the new approaches UT Police and MD Anderson took to address safety and security concerns during the pandemic, which earned him the Campus Safety Director of the Year honor.

"Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic we’ve been able to forge new and strengthen existing relationships with the institutions we serve," said Gerwitz. “We’ve been able to realize new opportunities and our teams have been successful in areas not thought possible pre-pandemic.”

Gerwitz joins fellow honorees, Chief William Adcox, 2015 Campus Safety Director of the Year, and Assistant Chief Paul Cross, 2020 finalist.

Readers can learn more about Gerwitz’s top accomplishments in Campus Safety’s finalist spotlight. He also will be featured in upcoming articles appearing on CampusSafetyMagazine.com.