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Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Terrance C. Cole

Photo of Secretary Terrance Cole

Terrance C. “Terry” Cole joined the Administration with over 28 years of law enforcement experience and success, 22 years of which with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. 

During his tenure with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terry advanced through the ranks, including tours in Oklahoma, New York, Texas, and Washington D.C., as well as foreign assignments in Colombia, Afghanistan, Mexico, and the Middle East. Before joining the DEA, Terry also serves as a Naval Academy Blue and Gold Officer. 

Terry served as the Chief of Staff and Executive Officer at the DEA/ Department of Justice Special Operations Division, the DEA representative to the National Security Council, and Chief of Staff and Executive Officer for the DEA Chief of Global Operations. He retired from federal service as the Acting Regional Director of Mexico, Canada, and Central America in 2020. 

Since retirement, Terry led the Financial Threat Matrix Division and the Government Solutions Division of Apeira Solutions, Inc. (Apeira), a Dallas, Texas based software and services company that provides secure transaction processing and regulatory compliance support to the financial services sector. 

Terry graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with a B.A. in Criminal Justice and has certificates in Leadership from the University of Virginia and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business, as well as continuing education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for Artificial Intelligence and Cornell University for Cryptocurrency, Block Chain Technology, and Cryptology. 

Above all, Terry is most proud and committed to being a husband and father. He has been married to Joy Cole for 32 years and they have four adult children together.

Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Lisa Walbert – Chief of Staff

Lisa Walbert

Ms. Walbert joined the Governor’s Office in July 2023 with 35 years of law enforcement experience with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).   

During her tenure with DEA, Ms. Walbert advanced through the ranks with assignments to various offices/divisions, including an 11-year tour in Bogota, Colombia.  In the diverse assignments in which she served, Ms. Walbert led initiatives that facilitated, streamlined, and built tools and platforms which aided DEA’s mission and its role in protecting the United States (U.S.).  She is recognized for her ability to build strong relationships with foreign allied partners as well as domestic public and private partners. In addition to her law enforcement background, Ms. Walbert managed and maintained DEA’s classified and unclassified information systems worldwide.  Her portfolio focused on finding complex solutions to challenging government problems.  Her extensive cyber background provided support to DEA’s enforcement mission and to maintaining national security systems and assets to protect the boundaries of the U.S.     

Ms. Walbert retired from DEA in 2023 as the Associate Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Information Systems Division. 

Today, Ms. Walbert is proud to continue to serve the people of U.S. and the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security.  In her current role Ms. Walbert serves as the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to Governor and manages portfolios for the Virginia State Police, Department of Corrections, Department of Criminal Justice Services, Department of Forensic Sciences, the Commonwealths Attorneys and serves as the Homeland Security and Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert.

Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Jonathan A. Schleffer

Jonathan A Schleffer

Jonathan Schleffer has over 34 years of Law Enforcement experience with approximately 7 years as a Police Officer in Massachusetts and 27 years with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a special agent. 

While at DEA, Jonathan served in Miami, FL, Worcester, MA, Boston, MA, and the Washington DC region.  In these assignments, Jonathan rose through the ranks to lead multi-agency drug task forces focusing on gangs and opioids, leveraging intelligence at the DOJ Fusion Center and leading and coordinating domestic and foreign high value investigations at the Special Operations Division. 

He retired from federal service as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division in 2022. 

As the Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Jonathan has primary oversight responsibilities for the Department of Criminal Justice Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, Virginia Parole Board and Northern Regions of the Virginia State Police.  Jonathan is coordinating state efforts to formalize an Office of First Responder Wellness, address issues of Hate Speech and Anti-Semitism in our communities and campuses and expanding resources to target gang violence. 

Jonathan holds a BS from Northeastern University and an MA from Anna Maria College.

Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Marcus R. Anderson

Marcus R Anderson

Marcus R. Anderson began his law enforcement career over 30 years ago, initially as a uniformed patrol officer with the Huntsville, Alabama Police Department. He subsequently joined the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1998, where he served as a Federal Agent. During his tenure with the DEA, Marcus undertook a wide range of both domestic and foreign assignments across various regions, including the Latin America and Caribbean Special Operation’s Division, Belize, Ohio, Alabama, Louisiana, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Kentucky. Notably, in recognition of his contributions to Kentucky, he was commissioned as an Honorary Colonel with the Kentucky State Police.

Throughout his career, Marcus held several significant roles within the DEA, including serving as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Special Operations Division. In this capacity, he supervised the largest multi-agency unit in the United States Government dedicated to combatting the world’s most prominent criminal organizations, operating across Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the United States. Later, Marcus assumed the responsibilities of Chief of Staff and Executive Officer for DEA’s Chief of Global Operations, who has operational oversight for all of DEA’s 239 domestic offices and 89 foreign offices. Marcus culminated his career with the DEA when he retired in July 2023, having held the position of Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Miami Division’s Orlando District Office, serving a population of over 4 million in Central Florida.

Marcus has been certified by the DEA in all aspects of clandestine laboratory manufacturing, along with Department of Defense training in weapons of mass destruction. Marcus is a subject matter expert regarding fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, and is an accredited United States Government Instructor, having delivered subject matter briefings to law enforcement and governmental leaders worldwide, particularly on topics related to drug trends such as fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic substances.

In terms of education, Marcus holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Athens State University, a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice from the University of Virginia, and a master’s degree in public safety, also from the University of Virginia. He recently graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy, Session 282.

Currently, Marcus is deeply honored to serve the people of Virginia in his role as Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, where he also serves as a special advisor to Governor Youngkin on opioid interdiction and related responses to the fentanyl epidemic. His primary focus is to establish a robust platform that fosters collaborative partnerships and, ultimately, enhances public safety within the communities he serves.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Marcus finds joy in spending quality time with his wife, three children, and their beloved five-pound Yorkie, along with cherished family and friends.

Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Sonny Daniels

Sonny R. Daniels

Sonny Daniels, a native of Bedford County, Virginia, boasts over two decades of dedicated service in public safety. Assuming the role of Assistant Secretary of Public Safety & Homeland Security in January 2022, Sonny also owns an executive protection firm and serves as a reserve Deputy with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.  

His journey in public service commenced as an EMT and Firefighter, ascending to the rank of Lieutenant at the Bedford Fire Department. Additionally, he contributed five years as a Communications Officer at the 911 center. 

During his extensive tenure at the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, spanning over a decade, Sonny excelled as Lieutenant of Field Operations, overseeing critical units such as the K9 and Narcotics Interdiction Unit, Field Platoons, and Animal Control. His previous roles included serving as a patrol Deputy, K9 Handler, Corporal, and Sergeant of the K9 unit.  

Notably, he was honored with a Lifesaving Award and recognized for his pivotal involvement in a complex multi-state MS13 homicide case.  

Sonny has over five years of experience in risk mitigation and protection measures to ensure the safety of VIPs or other individuals who may be exposed to elevated personal risk due to their employment, high-profile status or net worth. This experience has taken him across the United States in preparing, planning, and conducting details. 

Continuously seeking to broaden his expertise, Sonny is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management at Western Governors University.