Tampa, Fla. – Jane Castor received the 2016 Parke Wright III Award from Leadership Tampa Alumni at the group’s annual meeting on January 18. Established in 2002, the award is presented annually to a member of Leadership Tampa Alumni who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and made a significant difference in the Tampa Bay community.
Castor started her career at the Tampa Police Department in 1984 as a Patrol Officer. She was the first woman to be elected President of her Police Academy Class. She rose through the ranks, and in 2009, she was named Police Chief of Tampa, which is the first time a woman held that position. Over the course of her career, she built a reputation for working side by side with residents, community leaders, business owners and neighboring law enforcement agencies to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in Tampa.
Her strong leadership style was balanced with her efforts to help Tampa’s most disadvantaged children. As Chief, she helped to create a multi-million-dollar gymnasium for the Police Athletic League that serves more than 300 at-risk children. Under her leadership, the department also opened a brand new safe haven for children called the RICH House. It’s the second of its kind offering a safe environment for children to thrive and for parents to connect with social services. Her commitment to at-risk kids is exemplified in the Young Adult Police Academy, which targets kids on the verge of becoming involved in crime.
Among her many accomplishments, major crimes were reduced 70% city-wide under her leadership, and she implemented breakthrough technology to provide officers with real-time crime data. She also established community outreach as the cornerstone of the Department’s crime reduction, which changed the entire culture of the Police Department.
In addition to her degree from The University of Tampa, she has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University. She has attended the FBI National Executive Institute and Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Session on Policy and Public Safety.
For more information on Leadership Tampa Alumni, please visit www.ltalumni.org.
For more information on the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.tampachamber.com.
Tampa Bay Chamber 