Meet the Team
Joey Melvin - Executive Director
Joey Melvin serves as the Executive Director of the Delaware Comprehensive School Safety Program, leading statewide efforts to enhance school safety through comprehensive planning, training, and resource development. With a career spanning over two decades in law enforcement and school safety, Joey brings experience in crisis response, behavioral threat assessment, school-based policing, and emergency operations planning.
Before assuming this role, Joey served three years as Director of the Center for Safe Schools in Pennsylvania and 19 years as a police officer in Delaware, with over half of that time dedicated to serving as a School Resource Officer (SRO). His expertise in school safety led him to become an instructor with the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) in 2017, where he has trained law enforcement and school personnel nationwide. Additionally, he served as the Region 3 Director for NASRO, advocating for best practices in school policing in Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
He also served as Deputy Director of the Comprehensive School Safety Plan under the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security during the program's inception in 2013. In this role, he worked closely with schools and emergency responders to implement and refine emergency operations plans across the state. Now, as Executive Director, he is spearheading efforts to provide cutting-edge training, resources, and assessments for schools.
Under his leadership, the Delaware School Safety Center is committed to ensuring that every school in the state is equipped with the tools, knowledge, and support necessary to create a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff.
Joe Mriss
Joseph Mriss has had a long and distinguished career, beginning with his service in the United States Air Force from 1984 to 1988 as a Security Specialist. After his military service, he transitioned to a civilian role in 1991 as a firefighter at Loring Air Force Base in Maine and Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Throughout his career, Joe held a variety of positions within Fire Emergency Services, ranging from Firefighter to Battalion Chief for Special Operations, Assistant Chief for Operations, and Interim Fire Chief. He retired in May 2020 as Deputy Fire Chief, where he shared responsibility for managing a 59-person fire department.
Joe played a crucial role in the department's accreditation in 2016 and continues to serve as a peer assessor, evaluating fire departments seeking to achieve or maintain their accredited status.
In May 2020, Joe joined the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) as a planner in the Training and Exercise Division. In this role, he coordinated the delivery of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) courses through consortium schools and supported exercises for state, county, and local partners.
In February 2025, Joe joined DEMA's Comprehensive School Safety Division, where he works to enhance the safety of all Delaware public and charter schools. His responsibilities include assisting in the development of emergency preparedness plans and providing training on topics such as active assailant response, reunification, and threat assessment/suicide awareness.
