Cathy Anthoner-Fialon, a long-time public safety leader, has been named director of campus safety at Bennington College. She comes to Bennington from the American Red Cross, where she served as head of the Northern Michigan chapter, and previously held campus safety roles at Miami Dade College, Earlham College and Northwestern Michigan College.
“In Cathy, the college is gaining a strategic partner in shaping the campus experience for our students,” said Bennington President Laura Walker. “In this role, she will provide transformative and relationship-based leadership to the Department of Campus Safety, working with the community to ensure the college remains a safe and inviting place to live, work and study.”
At the American Red Cross, Anthoner-Fialon's work centered on emergency preparedness and disaster mitigation. Prior to that, she worked as the director of emergency preparedness at Miami Dade College across its seven unique campuses. There, she created the first emergency succession plan for college leadership, secured a SAMHSA grant to support students or staff struggling with mental health crises and established a community-wide understanding that emergency preparedness is not just reserved for hurricanes.
Anthoner-Fialo is a journalism graduate of Iowa State University and holds a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University and a doctorate in human services, with a specialization in criminal justice, from Capella University.