About Doug Babcock
Doug began his leadership journey when he enrolled in an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course at the age of 16. Being responsible for people’s lives before he turned 18, he quickly learned the importance of knowing what you don’t know and became a lifelong learner. While in college he was a crew chief on Lyndon State Rescue, leading crews on cardiac arrests, multi-patient car accidents and many hundreds of other calls. He also served on the local fire department as an interior and exterior firefighter and extrication technician. After college he served in the U.S. Coast Guard where he was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class in less than three years and led the deck department at the National Motor LifeBoat School while continuing his firefighting service.
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After his enlistment, Doug returned to Vermont and emergency medicine at the state’s largest hospital, and as a crew leader at Essex Rescue. He became a police officer in Essex, where he served on the tactical team and led teams of emergency responders through dynamic situations including vehicle accidents, assaults, domestic violence, homicides and much more. He earned his M.B.A. and applied his skills to procuring a radio infrastructure system costing nearly a quarter of a million dollars and spearheading multiple aspects of the years-long effort leading to the successful vote to build a new police station. During this time he also served as the Emergency Management Director for the town of Cambridge, VT where he oversaw the response to numerous floods, a monster ice storm, water system failures and more.
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In 2015 Doug accepted the position of Director of Public Safety at Saint Michael’s College, where he led a team of dedicated, 24/7 officers and dispatchers, and created networks throughout the college to support and guide students, faculty, and staff. He became known as a resonant leader with high integrity who engaged in tough conversations such as race and policing in a respectful and transparent manner, innovated to solve problems and actively sought stakeholder engagement. At the same time, he connected with the students, taught classes, and even ended up in some of their memes. When the Covid pandemic hit, he created and co-led a team of teams that leveraged expertise from across the institution to develop the procedures used to reconvene in-person classes and minimize the potential risks to students and employees. At the same time, he taught multiple subjects, fought for better conditions for his staff and led from the front.
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Seeking a new challenge, Doug moved to Dartmouth College in 2021 where he, among other things, oversaw the development of staff onboarding and training processes and quickly became known for his engagement with partners across the institution and the surrounding area, his willingness to listen and his expertise. Doug holds certifications as a Certified Emergency Manager (C.E.M.) and Certified Protection Professional (C.P.P.), infrastructure protection, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and more.
In 2023 he embarked on an even bigger journey, becoming a leadership coach. His vision is to share the lessons he had learned about leadership and the power of mindset with others who want to lead dynamic teams, based on their values, to achieve amazing results that benefit others, and who want to challenge themselves to grow professionally.
