Joshua A. Ederheimer
Joshua A. Ederheimer is a seasoned executive with nearly four decades of service in government and public safety. His diverse background spans the local, federal, non-profit, and academic sectors, with expertise in operations, leadership, education, technology and executive management.
Mr. Ederheimer retired from federal service in April 2025. Shortly thereafter, he joined the faculty of the University of Virginia as Assistant Professor of Practice and Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at the UVA Center for Public Safety and Justice.
From 2024-2025 he served as the acting Chief Learning Officer and Executive Director of the Office of Learning, Education, and Development Strategy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), overseeing training policy and programs for 260,000 employees worldwide. He chaired the DHS Chief Learning Officer’s Council and represented the agency on the federal-wide council for professional development.
From 2017 to 2024, he was Deputy Director of the Federal Protective Service (FPS), the DHS law enforcement agency responsible for protecting federal facilities and more than 1.4 million personnel and visitors nationwide.
His previous federal roles include Senior Law Enforcement Advisor at the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Tribal Justice at Main Justice (2016–2017) where he served as DOJ’s Liaison to tribal law enforcement in the United States. From 2014-2015 he was the Senior Law Enforcement Advisor at the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he launched FirstNet’s law enforcement portfolio to support national public safety communications.
From 2010 to 2013, he served as Principal Deputy Director of the DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), In 2013 he was appointed by Attorney General Eric Holder as acting Director and served in that role for a year. The DOJ COPS Office is the federal agency in the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for supporting all U.S. law enforcement agencies with an active portfolio of nearly $3 Billion in federal grants.
Before federal service, Mr. Ederheimer spent 23 years with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, rising to the rank of Assistant Chief. He led numerous innovative initiatives, several of which became national models.
He also directed the Center on Force and Accountability at the Police Executive Research Forum, where he advised U.S. and international agencies on executive development, use of force and accountability.
Mr. Ederheimer has taught law enforcement courses for over a decade as an Adjunct Professor at American University, and is widely published on policing topics. He is a frequent speaker on law enforcement practices, trends and innovation.
He has served on numerous boards, including the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the National Law Enforcement Museum and the International Law Enforcement Forum. He currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Global Consortium of Law Enforcement Training Executives at Rutgers University and is an active member of several professional organizations.
Mr. Ederheimer holds a B.A. in Justice from American University and an M.S. in Management and Leadership from Johns Hopkins University.