Jerry Clayton

Advisory Board

Jerry L. Clayton is currently serving in his 36th year as a criminal justice professional, and his 16th year as the Sheriff of Washtenaw County. Sheriff Clayton leads a value- and mission-driven organization, focused on co-creating community wellness and safety through community engagement and collaboration.

During his career with the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Clayton served in a variety of front-line positions and was appointed to Corrections Commander, Police Services Commander and SWAT Team Commander. He has also been a certified criminal justice trainer and instructor for more than twenty-five years, specializing in a number of areas including Cultural Diversity, Bias-Free Policing, Organizational Management, and Leadership. Sheriff Clayton has provided training, monitoring, and consulting services to a variety of private and public sector clients, including the United States Department of Justice, the National Sheriff’s Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Sheriff Clayton has also served as a governor-appointed commissioner for the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards since 2013. MCOLES is responsible for developing and managing the training and licensing standards for all law enforcement officers in Michigan. Sheriff Clayton recently served as Chairperson for the commission. He also serves on the boards of numerous local organizations, including Washtenaw Area Council for Children, the local Chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the Washtenaw County Mental Health Treatment Court Advisory Board and the Washtenaw County Continuum of Care Board (ending homelessness). He is also a member of numerous other community service and law enforcement organizations.

Sheriff Clayton has received international recognition for his work in the criminal justice field. In 2016, he was invited as a representative of law enforcement to attend an international community policing conference in Barcelona, Spain. In 2017, at the invitation of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, Sheriff Clayton was the representative from the United States and a presenter at an international conference on law enforcement and bias-based policing in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sheriff Clayton attended Eastern Michigan University, majoring in Public Safety Administration. He also graduated from the EMU School of Staff and Command and numerous other leadership programs.