McGork Named AVP for Emergency Management, University Safety, and Transportation

Colgate University has appointed Derek McGork, director of safety and security at Le Moyne College, as its next assistant vice president for emergency management, university safety, and transportation. He will take up his new role beginning February 23, 2026.

"Colgate has found a remarkable leader in Derek, and we are excited to welcome him to campus," says Vice President and Dean of the College Paul McLoughlin. "The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors are paramount, making possible everything else we do here as a scholarly community. Derek understands the distinctive needs of a higher education institution as well as the broad landscape of safety, emergency preparedness, and transportation."

McGork has been Le Moyne's chief security officer since 2022. During his years at the college, he has provided strategic guidance and oversight for safety and security operations while also ensuring emergency preparedness and compliance with fire safety, Clery reporting requirements, and other mandates. Along the way, McGork led Le Moyne's transition to Alertus and to the RAVE emergency notification system, which is also used at Colgate. He led a remapping of the Le Moyne campus to assist first responders, and he helped to launch the college's first safety mobile app.

McGork was a member of Le Moyne's Campus Climate Committee, which works to improve bias reporting and investigative procedures. He engaged with the campus community by providing compliance education and regulatory updates, and he collaborated with leadership to update demonstration and protest policies to make sure that they were in keeping with students' education, best practices, and the college's mission.

McGork was a 23-year veteran of the Syracuse Police Department before assuming his current position at Le Moyne - where he has also served for 10 years as an adjunct instructor in the college's Department of Anthropology, Criminology, and Sociology. He served in a variety of roles and offices at the SPD, including as a deputy chief of the Uniform and Investigations bureaus, a detective in the Homicide and Cold Case squads, and as a hostage negotiator on the Crisis Response Team. Among his many accomplishments as an administrator, he helped to develop co-response partnership programs for mental health emergencies called into the Onondaga County 911 Center, and he served on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (Albany Division) Executive Board.

At Colgate, McGork will oversee emergency management, campus safety, environmental health and safety, fire safety, and transportation services, acting as expert counsel for the University president and his cabinet, the vice president and dean of the college, and other senior administrators. He will build relationships within the Colgate community and with the local, state, and national agencies that keep the campus safe. He will also lead the University's Emergency Operations Center - a group of more than 50 colleagues from across campus, who come together to address crises as they arise.

The national search was chaired by McLoughlin. Committee members included Interim Assistant Vice President for Emergency Management, Transportation, and University Safety Mary Williams, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Renee Madison, and Professor of Biology Eddie Watkins.

"Colgate's emphasis on values-based leadership, student-centered service, and community partnerships deeply resonates with me," says McGork. "I am eager to contribute to the University's success in this regard by fostering a resilient, responsive, and respectful safety culture."