I am Christopher West, a Youth Employment Specialist in Citrus County, Florida. I was born and raised in upstate Albany, New York. In 1997, my family and I relocated from Rensselaer, New York to Brevard County, Florida. Within 6 months of graduating High School, I graduated from Brevard Community College with my A.A. degree. My initial college aspirations were to obtain my bachelor’s degree in business finance. After taking upper-level finance classes, I had a sudden change of heart and had a strong calling to become a Law Enforcement Officer. In 2010, I began my Law Enforcement career with the Florida Department of Corrections and worked as a Correctional Officer at a male juvenile maximum custody correctional institution in Vero Beach, Florida. In 2012, I relocated to Marion County and spent the next year working at an adult female maximum custody correctional institution. While at the FDOC, I felt a strong desire to find employment at a Sheriff’s Office, which would yield more opportunities for my professional growth and development, and ultimately help me obtain my professional aspirations.

In 2013, I relocated to Citrus County, left my employment with the FDOC, and pursued advancement with my Law Enforcement career with a local county Sheriff’s Office. After obtaining employment with the Sheriff’s Office, I spent the next decade building a successful career, working in numerous departments within the Judicial Bureau. In 2019, I was promoted to Corporal and was one of three supervisors on my assigned squad. In 2020, 13 months after being appointed to Corporal, I was promoted to Sergeant and spent the next 3 years commanding a staff complement of 4 civilians, 16 Deputies, and 3 Corporals.

Throughout my career in Law Enforcement, I have always aspired to be an effective, strong, and dependable leader. I love teaching, guiding, and providing both professional and personal assistance to others. In 2023, I retired from Law Enforcement and was hired by employU as a Youth Employment Specialist. I felt that the work culture within employU could provide me with the opportunity to reach my personal goals and aspirations. I strongly believe that I can utilize my experience as a leader, to effectively guide, counsel, teach, and assist others set achievable goals and assist them with reaching their full potential, by providing them with opportunities to become prosperous with their life aspirations.