Ownership & Leadership
American Priority Project isn't run by career marketers. It's owned and operated by the safety and law-enforcement professionals who built their careers preventing incidents — not just writing reports about them.
Our Support Team
Beyond our founders, American Priority Project draws on a bench of specialists in occupational health, federal investigations, and regulatory compliance — so every engagement gets the right expert, not a generalist.
Leads company operations and strategy, pairing safety-management credentials with business leadership to keep client programs both compliant and practically run.
828-781-2743
Doctor of Occupational Therapy and ergonomics specialist. Applies clinical expertise to reduce injury risk and improve workplace safety design.
Manages client strategy and coordination, connecting assessment findings to practical, on-the-ground implementation.
828-838-7574
Brings federal law-enforcement investigative experience to threat assessment and security planning engagements.
An industry-leading HSE professional with a 35+ year career bridging complex regulatory compliance and operational excellence — a Virginia Tech graduate, Board-Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and Registered Environmental Manager (REM).
Stephen C. Jenkins, CSP, REM, is an industry-leading HSE professional who bridges the gap between complex regulatory compliance and operational excellence, with a career spanning more than 35 years. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech, a Board-Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and a Registered Environmental Manager (REM) through the National Registry of Environmental Professionals.
His previous leadership included international safety training deployments worldwide — including North America, Europe, and China. His leadership of organizations earned the prestigious Environmental Steward recognition from the NCDENR and OSHA's SHARP certification, an elite performance level that exempts recipients from random compliance inspections.
Stephen has highly specialized skills in risk assessment, risk management plans (RMPs), and interfacing with Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs). He is highly skilled at coordinating multiple private, governmental, and community resources during emergencies, and his greatest strength is preventing losses from emergencies resulting from both natural and manmade causes.
Stephen now brings this expertise to the American Priority Project team, dedicating his experience to the most critical aspect of any organization: protecting its most valuable assets — employees and students. Outside of his work with American Priority Project, he owns a private agriculture-related venture in Galax, VA, and contributes to his community through various church-related activities.
A safety, security, and tactical professional with 35+ years across law enforcement, school safety, crisis management, and instruction — a sworn Iredell County Deputy Sheriff, NC Licensed Criminal Justice Instructor, and Krav Maga expert.
Bill McQuiston is a safety, security, and tactical professional with more than 35 years of experience in law enforcement, school safety, crisis management, emergency preparedness, and professional instruction. He currently serves as a sworn Deputy Sheriff with the Iredell County Sheriff's Office and is a North Carolina Licensed Criminal Justice Instructor.
As a Krav Maga expert and experienced tactical specialist, Bill provides practical training and consulting support for public school systems, private and independent schools, churches, businesses, institutions, and government-related organizations. His work includes school safety assessments, security planning, emergency response preparation, active-threat and active-shooter response training, crisis intervention, disaster mitigation, workplace safety, and high-risk intervention.
Bill is a proven expert in designing and delivering high-stakes tactical training, subject control, and reality-based self-defense systems for elite personnel and civilian clients. He has developed and delivered specialized training for police officers, detention and corrections officers, probation and parole personnel, SWAT teams, and school resource officers. He has also provided safety, security, tactical, and crisis-management training for private industry, including Department of War contractors.
His school safety experience includes planning and training for Safe Schools initiatives, crisis response, emergency preparedness, and crime prevention through environmental design. He previously served as a state speaker and trainer for Safe, Orderly and Caring Schools programs, helping schools and communities develop safer, healthier, and more prepared environments.
Bill also brings significant international security experience, having conducted numerous overseas security assignments, primarily in Israel. His combined background in law enforcement, tactical operations, defensive tactics, risk assessment, instruction, and crisis management allows him to provide clients with practical recommendations and training designed to protect students, faculty, employees, congregations, and the broader community.
Anyone can write a safety checklist. Very few people have actually stood in front of an active threat, commanded a statewide emergency response network, or been cross-examined in court on a security assessment they authored.
Our team has. That's the difference between a generic template and a plan built by people who know exactly what an incident looks like — and exactly what it takes to prevent one.
Work With Our Team