By making the safety of others their life’s mission, these four Saint Anselm alumni epitomize what it means to be an Anselmian.
Initially, St. Benedict may seem to have little in common with the leaders we look to in an emergency. But spend time with four alumni who have led their communities through a crisis—and supported communities in preparing for a crisis—and the similarities emerge.
Whether civil servants or advisors to them, these alumni chose careers that are defined by service to others and the greater good. Collectively, their experience stretches from coast to coast and spans municipal, state, and federal levels. They have worked in dense cities and rural towns, responded to shootings, negotiated in standoffs, and devised regional shelter plans for mass evacuations.
But the throughline of their experience, much like the Benedictines, is a deep commitment to community. And their work can best be described as a vocation.
Jim McDonnell ’81
CHIEF OF POLICE, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
Jim McDonnell ’81 was sworn in as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) in November 2024. Barely two months later, wildfires raged through Los Angeles County, destroying thousands of acres of neighborhoods in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities. As Los Angeles encountered the most destructive fires in California’s history, McDonnell oversaw L.A.P.D.’s emergency response, evacuating community members, maintaining safe transportation routes, overseeing traffic control, and supporting the Los Angeles Fire Department.
“Tragically, lives were lost during the fires, but without the amazing effort of our officers, firefighters, emergency responders, and many others, casualties would have been much higher,” says McDonnell. L.A.P.D.’s emergency response continued after the fires stopped burning. “The rain that helped extinguish the flames brought life-threatening mudslides to the hills surrounding many of the impacted neighborhoods,” he explains. “We facilitated more evacuations, which were happening in parallel with political protests in the city, so we had to plan around compromised traffic routes.” Officers also focused on crime suppression. “In the aftermath of any disaster, we see an uptick in crime as people travel to an impacted community to exploit victims during their most vulnerable days.”
Unprecedented wildfires, dangerous mudslides, and heightened crime. “The first quarter of 2025 was tremendously challenging,” McDonnell acknowledges. “But I couldn’t be more proud of L.A.P.D. and the City of Los Angeles.” And, as the first person to serve in senior leadership roles in the three largest policing agencies in Los Angeles County, McDonnell was prepared to handle it.
McDonnell grew up in Boston, where he attended Catholic schools. He knew by his senior year of high school that he wanted to go into law enforcement. “I wanted a career where I would be challenged, meet all different types of people, and be able to help someone every day,” he says.
He applied to Saint Anselm because of its highly regarded criminal justice program, and his freshman year in 1977 coincided with the first year of the humanities program. “The humanities curriculum gave me perspective that I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” he says. “Throughout my career and to this day, I do my research, question my assumptions, and approach problem solving from different points of view.”
While in college, McDonnell interned with the Boston Police Department and hoped to work for his hometown force. But when he graduated in 1981, Boston and many police departments had a hiring freeze. L.A.P.D. was hiring, and although he “didn’t know a soul outside New England,” he took a chance and moved across the country to start police academy training.
With more than 4 million residents, Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the U.S. and one of the most ethnically diverse. In the first of two stints of his 29-year tenure with the L.A.P.D., McDonnell worked in many units, including organized crime and homicide, and served as first assistant chief under former L.A.P.D. chief William Bratton. While his roles changed over the years, his commitment to community policing was unwavering. “It’s important to respect the dignity of everyone we encounter and remain compassionate,” says McDonnell. “As police officers, we won’t remember everybody that we interact with, but they will remember us. We are all ambassadors for our profession.”
In 2010, McDonnell became chief of police of Long Beach, Calif., a major metropolitan area south of L.A. After almost five years, he was elected as the 32nd sheriff of Los Angeles County, overseeing 4,700 square miles, 11 million residents, and the largest jail system in the nation. As sheriff, McDonnell instituted reforms in the county jail system to improve inmates’ access to mental health and medical care.
Following his term as sheriff, he became director of the University of Southern California’s Safe Communities Institute, an academic think tank that advances public safety solutions on a national scale. When L.A.P.D. announced their search for a new chief, he felt called to “return to the field.” He became L.A.’s 59th chief of police last fall and assumed leadership of the third largest police force in the country, with more than 8,750 sworn officers and close to 3,000 civilian employees.
As chief, McDonnell is strengthening connections within the department by building morale, streamlining internal processes, and improving access to wellness programs. He also emphasizes the need for officers to connect with the community members they serve. “We often talk about community in broad terms, but there are so many perspectives, priorities, and sensitivities under the umbrella of community,” he says. “We have to be cognizant that people don’t see the world through the same lens as we do. It’s the responsibility of police officers to bridge that gap and work together with community members.”
McDonnell also is playing a critical role in public safety planning as L.A. prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. This involves close collaboration with partners at local, state, and federal levels. “L.A.P.D. will be focused on safety, security, and transportation logistics for these major events,” says McDonnell. “We are also running through exercises to anticipate physical threats and cyberattacks. Our response strategies to potential threats are continuously evolving.”
McDonnell’s career spans a range of responsibilities, but honoring humanity has been at the core of every role. “Law enforcement is and always will be a people business,” he says. “It’s an eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart experience.”
David St.Pierre ’91
CHIEF OF POLICE, LEWISTON, MAINE
“I was very young when I felt the calling to be a police officer,” says David St. Pierre ’91, tracing his interest in law enforcement back to his middle school years. The calling was reinforced as a teenager, when he formed a close bond with his high school’s resource officer.
St. Pierre has lived in Lewiston, Maine, a tight-knit community of about 38,000 people, for nearly his entire life. One of the two times he briefly moved away was to attend Saint Anselm, where he majored in criminal justice. Professor Elaine Rizzo’s courses and an internship with the Manchester Police Department furthered his interest in law enforcement.
After graduating with an associate’s degree in 1991, his high school mentor encouraged him to apply to the Lewiston Police Department. St. Pierre worked as a full-time patrol officer for five years before transitioning to a state drug enforcement agent, where he focused on drug crimes and surveillance. Over the next several decades, he rose in the ranks to detective, sergeant, and lieutenant. As sergeant, he oversaw the department’s selective enforcement team, supervised patrol shifts, and was sergeant of detectives. As lieutenant, he managed various patrol shifts and served as the department’s public information officer.
In 2021, St. Pierre was sworn in as Lewiston’s chief of police, a position that oversees 86 police officers at full staff and 15 civilian employees. “It is a huge honor to serve as police chief in the same community where I grew up,” he says, noting that personal errands off duty can take a long time as he often bumps into familiar faces. “Lewiston has changed over the years, but it will always be home.”
St. Pierre’s favorite part of being chief is utilizing the communication and people skills that the job requires. “Whether you are helping a confused elderly person or de-escalating someone having suicidal thoughts, we use our interpersonal skills every day,” he says. “Oftentimes, when people see the blue lights [of police cruisers], it’s on the worst day of their life, and we need to approach situations with respect for everyone involved.”
For St. Pierre and many Lewiston residents, one of the worst days of their life is a shared experience. On October 25, 2023, a gunman opened fire at a local bowling alley and a bar and grille, killing 18 people, wounding 13 others, and traumatizing the entire community. St. Pierre was one of the first responders to the shootings. He led the Lewiston Police Department, in coordination with State Police, the Maine Sheriff’s Department, and many other law enforcement agencies in a multifaceted emergency response to secure the crime scenes, get victims urgent medical attention, locate the gunman, and prioritize public safety.
While many in Lewiston continue to cope with the immense tragedy of that day, St. Pierre emphasizes the resilience he has witnessed. “The way that we have come together as a community within Lewiston and outside of it has been amazing,” he says, citing the law enforcement agencies from across New England and beyond that dedicated resources during the emergency response and the local restaurants that donated food to victims, volunteers, and first responders.
St. Pierre says his work as chief is defined by “getting people the resources they need and protecting the community.” Currently, Lewiston officers are especially focused on supporting people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse.
His leadership style reflects the strong values that were instilled by his lifelong Catholic education and sharpened by his liberal arts studies at Saint Anselm. “Throughout my career, I’ve never asked someone who ranks below me to do something I wouldn’t be willing to do myself,” he says. “It’s important that, within the hierarchy of our department, we are continuing to build community.”
Community is the cornerstone of St. Pierre’s motivation to protect and serve. “As police officers, we get to see all sides of humanity. You see more in your career than most will see in their lifetime,” he says. “I often describe it as having a ringside seat to the best show in the world.”
Jenifer Wallitsch ’21
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS SPECIALIST, BOSTON, MASS.
For Jenifer Wallitsch ’21, her career is defined by helping communities prepare for the worst. As an emergency preparedness specialist at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the regional planning agency of Greater Boston, she partners with municipalities, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations to plan for public safety, public health, and climate-related emergencies.
Wallitsch has always been drawn to civics. She entered college as a politics major and soon decided to double major in criminal justice. “Criminal justice offers a lens to understand power structures in government,” she says. She also gained valuable experience in civic engagement while student chair of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) for two years. But it was living through a global pandemic that crystallized her career path.
“I was a junior on campus when the Covid-19 outbreak began and students were sent home to finish their second semester virtually,” she says. Despite the uncertainty, Wallitsch recognized a unique opportunity. “I was interested in emergency management and reached out to Dean [Alicia] Finn to ask if I could be involved,” says Wallitsch. Dean Finn (Dean of Students from 2005-2024) was encouraging, and Wallitsch became the student representative for the college’s Covid-19 response, joining Zoom calls with leadership to discuss protocols and planning that aligned with public health guidance.
Soon after graduation, Wallitsch moved to Germany to pursue a master’s degree in international organizations and crisis management at Friedrich Schiller University. Her experience living and studying in Orvieto, Italy, through the college’s Orvieto Program influenced her decision to apply to the selective international program. “I was also drawn to the university for its in-person program model and diverse student population,” Wallitsch says. “A big piece of emergency management is understanding diverse populations.”
Wallitsch kept in touch with Criminal Justice Department Chair Peter Cordella, and he served as one of her master’s thesis advisors. After graduate school, she completed an internship with the Region 1 Office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which oversees New England and Tribal Nation states. She worked directly with leaders of Tribal Nations to understand how FEMA responders can best coordinate with their communities in times of crisis. Wallitsch also interned with San Francisco’s Federal Executive Board, where her work focused on wildfire and earthquake preparedness, developing communications strategies to follow if natural disasters struck the region.
“Preparedness is all-encompassing and scalable,” she explains. “It can be as large as creating regional mass care and emergency sheltering plans or as small scale as hosting an event at a town’s Council on Aging to help older adults confirm their emergency contacts.”
In her current role at MAPC, she develops and implements preparedness plans for cities and towns in Massachusetts. Preparedness plans outline leadership roles, operations, communications, and resource management during crisis situations. She also serves as the 24/7 duty officer for all Region 3 Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition (HMCC) stakeholders and coordinates emergency preparedness efforts for the Region 3D Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coalition.
“My work takes a regional approach that brings municipalities and agencies together,” she explains. She appreciates the interdisciplinary nature of the work and the opportunity to connect people, including mayors, town administrators, emergency management directors, and public safety officials. “We focus on a collaborative approach and bring people together who do not often have a chance to work with each other.”
Wallitsch values the fact that her work makes a difference in people’s lives. “It is a government’s duty to support the entire community—especially community members who are most vulnerable. We proactively support communities in making connections, having a plan, and preparing for the unknown,” she says. “In preparing for the worst, we are also building community.”
Stephen Monier ’74
U.S. MARSHAL, DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (RETIRED), GOFFSTOWN, N.H
In January 2007, Ed and Elaine Brown stopped appearing in federal court during their trial for tax evasion. The Browns barricaded themselves in their compound in Plainfield, N.H., where Ed continued to organize an armed militia. The couple made clear that if any government official entered their property, they would respond with violence. The Browns posed a serious threat to public safety. And it was the responsibility of U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier ’74 to take them into federal custody.
“The U.S. Marshals Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the U.S., created by the country’s first Congress to help run the federal court system,” Monier explains. This includes taking charge of federal prisoners until they are sentenced, protecting judges and jurors, finding missing and exploited children, and running fugitive task forces. “Each year, the marshals arrest more fugitives and serve more warrants than all other federal agencies combined,” he says.
In the standoff with the Browns, community safety was Monier’s top priority. He and his chief deputy developed a strategy focused on clear communication and tactical negotiations as the standoff stretched into nine months and gained national attention. Ultimately, it was his team’s planning, patience, and creative problem solving that led to a safe resolution. “This was one of the first major cases where the world wide web played a major role,” says Monier. “Several of the Browns’ supporters used the internet to publicize updates and invite acolytes to visit the compound, and we decided to use that to our advantage.”
Monier and his team sent four federal agents undercover, posing as militia sympathizers, to the compound. After earning the Browns’ trust, the deputy marshals arrested the couple and ended the longest armed standoff in U.S. Marshals history. “There was an immense sense of relief when the Browns were arrested without any violence, while keeping the community safe throughout the entire operation,” says Monier.
Before becoming a U.S. Marshal, Monier made a career of keeping his community safe while an officer, and later chief, of the Goffstown Police Department. Monier moved to Goffstown as a child when his father, Robert Monier, accepted a teaching position at Saint Anselm. During his senior year of high school, he began working part time as a dispatcher for the Goffstown Police Department, a job he continued when he enrolled in Saint Anselm as a sociology major. “I was always interested in how people interact in groups,” he says. His interest grew as he learned about the field’s intersection with criminology through lectures from former sociology department chair Michael Dupre ’66.
Monier took on a full-time patrol position while finishing his last two years of college and continued working as a police officer after graduating. He served with the Goffstown Police Department for 30 years and was the department’s chief from 1984-1999. As chief, he oversaw significant growth in the department and the transition to a new police station. Under his leadership, Goffstown Police Department became the first town agency in New Hampshire to achieve national accreditation. Monier also maintained a strong relationship with Saint Anselm, establishing a student internship at the department.
“The philosophy I instilled in officers was that we have a responsibility to enforce the law, but that we should do it with compassion—even for those we are arresting,” says Monier. “It was a special experience to police the community where I grew up and have personal contact with the people I served.”
Monier retired from the force in 1999, and was replaced as chief of police by fellow Saint Anselm alumni, Michael T. French ’90. In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed him as New Hampshire’s 40th U.S. Marshal, and he served until 2009. He then worked as a senior special assistant to then-U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (now governor of New Hampshire). In 2017, he fully retired and turned to writing. His book No One Has to Die (Genius Book Publishing, 2024) chronicles the standoff with the Browns.
In reflecting on his career, Monier draws parallels between the values that guided his approach to law enforcement and those fostered by the Hilltop’s Benedictine community. “The core values of ethical service with honor and integrity, while protecting life, have always been my North Star during my career,” he says.