Our Team
With decades of combined experience in public safety leadership, training design, and organizational development, The Cardinal Group II team is built on a simple commitment: recruit the best. We pride ourselves on identifying exemplary public safety leaders from across the country, bringing their proven expertise directly to the clients we serve.
Jerry L. Clayton
CEO
Jerry L. Clayton brings more than 35 years of criminal justice experience to his role as CEO of The Cardinal Group II. A certified criminal justice trainer and instructor, Jerry specializes in organizational management, leadership development, cultural diversity, and bias-free policing. He served as the elected Sheriff of Washtenaw County, Michigan, for four consecutive terms before retiring in 2024. Jerry’s conviction that “with effective leadership, any public safety agency is capable of success” drives TCGII’s mission and its Ultimate Outcomes philosophy.
J. Eric Waddell
CLO
J. Eric Waddell is a public safety professional with more than 25 years of experience in curriculum development and professional training. Eric specializes in public safety communications, training curricula design, and instructor development. He has designed adult learning-based courses for law enforcement officers, public safety dispatchers, corrections officers, and other government agencies. Eric joined TCGII in 2015 to fill a critical gap in public safety training, focusing on the often-overlooked skills of leadership, communication, and organizational culture that are essential for public safety success.
Lindsey Pappas
SOC
Lindsey Pappas is a public safety professional with over 20 years of law enforcement experience, specializing in criminal investigations. She has delivered training for first responders in areas including crisis response, officer wellness, and investigative best practices. Lindsey joined The Cardinal Group II to design training programs that strengthen leadership, communication, criminal investigations and behavioral health response across public safety disciplines. As the Senior Operations Consultant, she focuses on providing tailored, field-driven solutions that enhance performance, resilience, and organizational effectiveness, with an emphasis on training that drives meaningful behavioral change
Wes Fabian
LMS Systems Admin
Wes Fabian is an accomplished database administrator and a former public safety professional, possessing over two decades of expertise as a crisis intervention specialist and in public safety training. Parallel to his work in public safety, Wes has maintained an extensive career in photography and videography, producing media content for a diverse range of high-end commercial enterprises and corporations for 20 years. Having joined the Cardinal Group II in 2020 to support media production, he currently serves as the designer and administrator of the organization’s online Learning Management System.
The Cardinal Group II
Strategic Partners
Whether delivering training programs, consulting on assessment centers, or advising on leadership and organizational strategy, The Cardinal Group II is proud to partner with a growing roster of clients.
