Faculty
Full-Time Faculty
Lindsey, Drennon
Professor Drennon Lindsey joins Chabot College as a full-time, tenure-track faculty member with the Administration of Justice Department, returning to the very institution where she began her academic journey as a dual enrollment student before transferring to California State University, Hayward. With 26 years of experience in law enforcement and over ten years of teaching experience at community college and middle school levels, her expertise is a significant asset to the academic community.
Her distinguished career with the Oakland Police Department includes pivotal leadership roles such as Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Investigations, where she managed various critical divisions and spearheaded community-focused crime reduction initiatives under the "Cease Fire" strategy.
Professor Lindsey holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from California State University East Bay, a Master's in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Golden Gate University, and is nearing completion of her Doctorate in Leadership Education at Saint Mary’s College, expected by Fall 2024.
Beyond her professional and academic accomplishments, Professor Lindsey is a dedicated family woman, married with several adult children. She enjoys traveling, hiking, and engaging in community service, notably leading a pipeline program for law enforcement careers at Merritt College. Her commitment extends beyond professional realms into fostering educational pathways that mirror her own transformative experiences.
With her extensive experience and deep commitment to education and community, Professor Lindsey is poised to inspire and guide the next generation of justice professionals at Chabot College, where her educational path first took shape.
Professor Drennon Lindsey
Mackey, Cheryl L.
Professor Mackey is a practicing attorney and full-time professor at Chabot College, as well as the Department Chair of Administration of Justice/Paralegal Studies/Alameda County Sheriff's Academy, teaching classes in the field of Criminal Justice and Paralegal Studies. She is licensed to practice law in both California state and federal courts and is a member of the East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association. She is also a law enforcement subject matter expert for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T), advising in areas of procedural justice, use of force and de-escalation, principled policing, racial profiling, and human trafficking, and is the faculty coordinator for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO). Recently, Professor Mackey had the privilege of co-facilitating the POST "Use of Force" Task Force with Chief Darryl McAllister and was the lead writer on the new POST use of force guidelines for the state of California.
Professor Mackey received her law degree, Magna Cum Laude and Order of the Coif, from U.C. Hastings College of the Law, along with a Master’s of Science in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCLA. Prior to teaching at Chabot, she taught at U.C. Hastings College of the Law, Diablo Valley College, and worked as a trial attorney representing police departments, fire departments and other agencies in various legal matters in both federal and state court. She also served as a Law Clerk to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Strike Force Division in San Francisco and to the California Assembly Judiciary Committee in Sacramento. She is a former Commissioner for the Contra Costa County Juvenile Justice Commission and former Cadet with both the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and Danville Police Department.
Finally, Professor Mackey is a proud Latina and first generation college graduate. She loves the law and its incredible potential to protect society's most vulnerable and ensure just and equitable outcomes. She believes the law is a vehicle for change and touches every aspect of a person's life. Professor Mackey also absolutely loves teaching. Please know her door is always open - she encourages you to reach out with any questions, especially regarding the criminal justice field, the legal field, law enforcement, internships, job preparation, transferring to a four year institution, or anything else that might be on your mind!
Department Chair/Professor Cheryl Lema Mackey
Part-Time Faculty
Cantrell, Ryan
Professor Cantrell is a lieutenant working for the Hayward Police Department in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently assigned as the northern district commander for the community policing unit and the project manager for the department’s recruitment efforts and has worked as a patrol watch commander. Prior to his promotion to lieutenant, he was a sergeant supervising the department's Homicide/Major Assaults Unit and worked as the department's Public Information Officer. He has been in law enforcement for over 22 years and has worked in nearly every division within the department. His assignments have included being a 911 Operator, Patrol Officer, School Resource Officer, Field Training Officer, Vice/Intelligence Detective, Patrol Supervisor, Robbery/Property Crimes Unit Supervisor and a Peer Support Team Coordinator.
He is the co-founder of the Alameda County Association of Homicide Investigators – a collaborative of homicide investigators working investigations in Alameda County, established to pool resources, share intelligence, and develop best practices for homicide investigations. He has served on the committee which developed the mandated Human Trafficking training for law enforcement in California (Proposition 35 -CASE ACT). Additionally, he is the founder and former coordinator of the Alameda County Vice Enforcement Team (ACVET) that conducts multi-agency vice enforcement operations that focus on the recovery of exploited children and human trafficking victims throughout Alameda County.
He has conducted large scale human trafficking investigations and street-level prostitution and child recovery operations as a lead investigator and undercover operator. He is a court certified expert in Human Trafficking, Prostitution and Asian Brothel Investigations in the State of California. He also lectures at local community colleges and law enforcement organizations on the topics of: Human Trafficking, Brothel Investigations, Vice Investigations, Prescription Drug Diversion and Alcohol/Tobacco Enforcement.
In January 2013, he published a book titled “Modern Slavery: Investigating Human Trafficking,” which is a guide for law enforcement and concerned citizens about Human Trafficking Investigations.
Lieutenant Cantrell is affiliated with several professional associations such as, the Western States Vice Investigators Association, International Association of Undercover Officers, California Robbery Investigators Association, California Homicide Investigators Association, California Crime Prevention Officers Association, and the California Narcotics Officers Association. He has participated in several FBI and United States Attorney’s Office sponsored task forces and intelligence sharing working groups that focus on child exploitation and human trafficking.
He possesses a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from California State University, Hayward and a master’s degree in Law Enforcement Executive Leadership through California Southern University. His formal training in human trafficking includes courses in Child Prostitution Investigations from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) from the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice.
Giambona, Salvatore
Salvatore Giambona is a licensed attorney and currently serves as a Deputy Public Defender handling felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile cases. He has tried nearly forty trials to jury verdict and has conducted countless evidentiary hearings in his time as a Public Defender. Mr. Giambona earned his bachelors degree with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Psychology and Sociology in 2003. In 2007 he earned a Master of Arts in education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2010, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
In 2016, the Solano County Bar Association recognized Mr. Giambona's work on behalf of his clients and honored him with the Leonard Oldwin Jr. Memorial Award for zealous advocacy. He became a member of the board of the Solano County Bar Association in 2017. He is also an advisor to the Contra Costa County Juvenile Justice Commission and is a frequent guest lecturer for the Administration of Justice Department at Chabot College.
Mr. Giambona is a lifelong resident of California and has spent much of this time in the San Francisco Bay Area.
McAllister, Darryl
Chief Darryl McAllister served throughout the ranks of the Hayward Police Department for more than thirty years. October 1, 2014, he was appointed as Union City’s chief of police. His primary focus—both in policing and in education—is to redefine the importance of police-community engagement as a means to promote trust and transparency in today’s policing.
A ranking officer in both cities, Chief McAllister has commanded several divisions, bureaus, and functions including Patrol Operations, Investigations, Youth and Family Intervention and Counseling Services, School Policing Services, Gang Violence Suppression, Community Policing Services, SWAT, Canine Units, and Media Relations. He also served four years as the Hayward Police Department’s primary Press Information Officer, dealing regularly with news media.
Chief McAllister is also an educator, previously serving as lead faculty at the University of Phoenix, and now as a faculty member of Chabot College, teaching primarily criminal justice and public policy courses. For nearly two decades he has served as a board member of several community organizations, currently serving as the President of the Board at the St. Rose Hospital Foundation, and as a member of the advisory board of the University of San Francisco's International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership. He participates on the selection panel for the California State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training’s Command College Program, and on the board of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. He serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations in the East Bay, and, in his spare time, he is a youth mentor with Reality Mentor, Inc.
He is a two-time nominee and one-time recipient of Hayward’s Police Officer of the Year Award, a 2007 Recipient of the “Hayward Pearl Award” honoring volunteer service to the community, and he was also awarded in 2013 as University of Phoenix’s Faculty Member of the Year for the San Francisco Bay Area Campus region. In 2015, he was selected by the Southern Alameda County NAACP for its most prestigious honor—the “Person of the Year” Award.
His manuscript, Law Enforcement Turns to Face Recognition Technology, was published by Information Today Magazine in May 2007. His strategic plan, 2008 and Beyond, was officially adopted and published by the City of Hayward in December 2008, and was the first of its kind for the organization since 1991. In 2016, he was honored to be one of a select number of police chiefs in the country to be invited to the White House to take part in a critical discussion with President Obama and his staff about how to build trust between police and the communities they serve.
Chief McAllister holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Studies from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master’s Degree in Administrative Development from Alliant International University. He is currently completing coursework for a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Saint Mary’s College of California. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia—a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders. He is also an alumnus of the California Command College—a graduate level futures study program of the California State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Nielson, Laura
Professor Laura Nielson Graduated San Diego State University with a degree in Business Administration/Information System Analysis and Design. She worked for over 8 years in the Information Technology (IT) field before realizing a change was in order. That desire for change and her background in the IT field led to applying for and graduating from the FBI academy at Quantico, VA as a Special Agent in 1996. Professor Nielson’s first office assignment was in the San Francisco Division chasing computer hackers all over the world. She remained in the San Francisco field office over 22 years before retiring December 31, 2018. As a Special Agent, Professor Nielson spent most of her career as part of the FBI’s elite Crisis Responses Team, working major cases in computer crimes, crimes against children, violent crime, complex financial crimes, art fraud, bank fraud, and both domestic and international terrorism.
After joining the FBI’s Evidence Response Team (ERT) in early 1997, Professor Nielson became the Senior Team leader on 9/10/2001, the day before the 9 -11 terror attack. As supervisor of over 32 Special Agents and professional support members of the ERT team, we processed many complex crime scenes in the US and overseas. She is experienced in all areas of forensic crime scene processing and specializing in body recovery; blood detection, collection and pattern interpretation; post blast scenes and fingerprint processing and collection. Professor Nielson has collaborated and consulted with local and international law enforcement and military to process crime scenes involving mass disasters, bombing scenes, homicide and shooting scenes.
Professor Nielson became a certified General Police Instructor in 1998 and have spent more than 20 years developing curriculum and teaching crime scene processing to federal, state and local law enforcement both in the U.S. and overseas. In 2000, she became an International Police Instructor teaching a 2-week Terrorist Crime Scene Investigation (TCSI) class to international law enforcement academies in several different countries.
Wilson, Bradon
I began my career in the field of public safety and criminal justice at the age of eighteen as a student service officer for the Cal State University East Bay police department. I worked as a student service officer while studying to obtain my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. During my time at Cal-State East Bay I also served on their Community Policing Advisory Board, which was my introduction to the world of community policing.
At the age of twenty-one I began my career as a law enforcement officer for the City of Hayward. I attended the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office 139th police academy and shortly afterwards I began my field training as a patrol officer. I served as a patrol officer until 2012 when I was assigned as the School Resource Officer for Hayward High School and the surrounding middle schools. During my time as a School Resource Officer I was in charge of the local Junior Giants outreach program as well as participating in the Gang Resistance and Education Training (GREAT) program.
I was eventually assigned as an acting Sergeant in 2016 and received a full promotion of the rank of Sergeant in 2017. As a sergeant I was assigned to Chabot College to act as their law enforcement liaison as well as director of campus safety and security from 2018 to 2019. In 2020 I was retired from the police department in good standing due to a work-related injury.
During my law enforcement career I also held ancillary assignments as a SWAT team operator and an arrest and control instructor. As a SWAT team operator I received training on team tactics and participated in training exercises such as Urban Shield. As an arrest and control instructor it was my responsibility to train officers on numerous areas such as searching, handcuffing, the use of force, and documenting such incidents.
After my law enforcement career ended I returned to Chabot College to act as the interim director of campus safety from 2021 to 2022. During that time I assisted in the implementation of the new parking system in use, the installation of a new security system, and consulted the college on various public safety matters as well. While I was the interim director of campus safety I obtained my Master’s degree in criminal justice from Lamar University. Before my graduation I was inducted into Lamar University’s honor society, Phi Kappa Phi.
This will be my first year as a part time faculty member for Chabot College and I am excited for the opportunity!
Administrative Staff
Jimenez, Yesenia
