The Award
The Chairman’s Award is presented to a member of the national body or an organization in recognition of the recipient’s patience, perseverance and desire for the improvement of the national body, and for their awareness of and attention to issues and concerns that impact the quality of service to both its community and membership.
The Honoree
Gary Wallace is from East Hampton, CT. He attended Mitchell College in New London CT where he majored in business administration before joining the United States Navy in 1991. As an Operations Specialist, Gary was responsible for radar detection and tracking of aircraft and surface ships. He was discharged honorably with numerous awards and medals, specifically during the Gulf War on board the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier. Gary joined the Middletown Police Department in 1994. He was selected for numerous assignments including school resource officer, field training officer, patrol sergeant, patrol lieutenant, internal affairs supervisor, and eventually the captain overseeing investigative services.Throughout his career spanning 26 years, Gary also served on many community boards and committees in his community. Middlesex Health, the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, the Connection, the Middlesex United Way, Middlesex NAACP, the Middletown Military Museum, Oak Hill, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, and he leads the CT Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives as the current Connecticut chapter president. From 2020 to 2025, Gary worked for the Community Health Center home based out of Middletown, but he worked across the state of CT through the 16 other health centers and communities as the Director of Community Engagement. He left CHC in 2025 and began working for the CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence as the Vice President of Programs overseeing Law Enforcement Services, Legal Advocacy, and the Training Institute. His current role spans across the state working with law enforcement agencies, domestic violence advocates, and court officials to bring cutting edge training, best practices for investigating DV cases, and collaboration among agencies.
In his spare time, Gary is finishing is MBA at the University of Connecticut (Fall '26) He is also an avid drummer playing the snare drum with the Middletown PBA Pipes and Drums bagpipe band. He is married to his beautiful wife Karina of five years and they share four children together. Gary and family reside in Middletown, CT.