Laurie Thomas’ public safety and security work experience spans more than forty years and includes serving as a park ranger as well as with a municipal police department. She worked for the State of Ohio as Chief Park Officer of East Harbor State Park. She also worked as a reserve police officer for the police department of Sandusky, Ohio, one of Ohio’s deepwater ports. She joined the University of Findlay’s Center for Terrorism Preparedness, now the All Hazards Training Center, in 2003.

Laurie is the Maritime Security Coordinator at the University, and her primary duties include conducting facility security plan services for maritime facilities subject to MTSA, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. She also presents FEMA certified and U.S. Coast Guard-accepted maritime security training across the country.

She served two terms as a member of the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, vice-Chair of the committee 2015-2016. She was re-appointed to a three-year term in 2021. Under the guidance of the Coast Guard, the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee advises the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security concerning maritime security issues. She is a member of the Western Lake Erie Area Maritime Security Committee. She has served as Facility Security Officer (FSO) for several marine terminals, most recently for the Meldrum Dock in Huron, OH.
Laurie lives in Oak Harbor, OH.