Stephen Strickland ’99 Accepts The 2024 Robert C. Bannerman Diplomatic Security Employee Of The Year Award
For his role in overseeing the safety and security of the U.S. embassy and diplomats in Haiti during the ongoing violence there, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken named Asbury alum Stephen Strickland ’99, a U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) supervisory special agent, the 2024 Robert C. Bannerman Diplomatic Security Employee of the Year.
“There are a lot of DSS agents around the world, and every single one of those individuals is doing meaningful work,” Strickland said. “To be singled out is very kind and generous, and I’m grateful to do this meaningful work where you can see the impact of it on a daily basis.”
Strickland approached college with the goal of studying something he enjoyed, rather than just earning a degree. With that mindset, he became a history major after taking his first class, Western Civilization I, with Dr. Robert Neff.
“I was so inspired by Dr. Neff and how he taught us to understand history from the perspective of faith and navigating the present,” he said. “I changed my major the next day.”
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in history and harnessing a passion for law enforcement, Strickland applied to the State Department. He joined DSS in 2005 and now serves as the DSS regional security officer — the senior security and law enforcement advisor to the ambassador — at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
Prior to arriving in Haiti in August 2023, Strickland served in Atlanta; Dakar, Senegal; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Erbil, Iraq; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Greensboro, North Carolina; Peshawar, Pakistan; and at the DSS Foreign Affairs Security Training Center in Blackstone, Virginia.
Blinken commended Strickland for his exceptional leadership during the March 2024 closure of the airport in Port-au-Prince and noted that the successful assisted departure of more than 1,300 U.S. citizens and others from Haiti was an example of the dedication and professionalism of the Port-au-Prince regional security office team, which created a helicopter landing zone near the embassy to facilitate travel from Port-au-Prince to safe locations.
Strickland played an instrumental role in facilitating Kenya’s leadership of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti, including the deployment of MSS mission personnel to help restore order and stability. He also established the U.S. Embassy’s Unmanned Aerial Systems program, significantly enhancing security and safety around the embassy.
In May 2024, Strickland led the recovery effort of the bodies of U.S. citizens Davy and Natalie Lloyd, who were murdered by Haitian gang members.
“That was arguably the most challenging professional situation I’ve ever been in because it blurred the lines between professional and personal,” Strickland said. “I’m not sure how I would’ve been able to manage those difficult emotions had it not been for [my faith] to fall back on.”
Working with his American Citizen Services colleagues and DSS agents in domestic field and resident offices, Strickland repatriated the Lloyds’ remains to the U.S., ensuring the two young missionaries were returned to their families in Missouri.
Nearly a year later, Strickland fought back emotions as he elaborated on how he approached such a sensitive mission:
“Part of the importance of managing that whole situation was to do right by their families,” Strickland said. “There was nothing we could do to save Davy and Natalie, but what’s the best we can do now for them? That was to ensure dignity in the way they were taken care of.”
Through his honorable and committed service, Strickland highlights the impact of his time studying at Asbury as a springboard into the crucial work he does today.
“My life has been so much better than I deserve, and Asbury has been a foundational piece of that,” Strickland said. “I would not be doing what I’m doing today without Asbury, and I am so grateful.”
DSS is the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Department of State and is the most widely represented law enforcement agency in the world. Operating at more than 270 U.S. diplomatic posts in over 170 countries, and in more than 30 U.S. cities, DSS leads worldwide security and law enforcement efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy, safeguard national security interests, and investigate transnational crimes. For more information, please visit https://diplomaticsecurity.state.gov.
The Asbury University Social Science & History Department offers four majors (History, Political Science, Social Studies Grades 8-12, and Sociology) and five minors (History, Human Trafficking Studies, Political Science, Pre-Law, and Sociology).