Dr. Tamara Lynn is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Fort Hays State University, where she has taught in the department more than 12 years. Prior to teaching at FHSU, Dr. Lynn served as program director at Westside Alternative School, a collaborative program between the local school district and community mental health center. In this role, she worked closely with school and mental health administration and personnel, as well as professionals in law enforcement, juvenile probation, the courts, and social services to coordinate education and community-based services for at-risk youth in grades K-12. 

Dr. Lynn has a PhD in Sociology (concentrations in Criminology and Political Sociology), from Kansas State University and a Master’s of Liberal Studies (concentrations in Criminal Justice and Public Administration) from Fort Hays State University. 

Dr. Lynn, in coordination with the FHSU police department, worked with representatives from the National De-escalation Training Center to develop the first regional training center at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, to coordinate de-escalation training for law enforcement officers in Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.