July 18, 2023

John Van Dreal is a school psychologist and the retired director of Safety and Risk Management Services for the Salem-Keizer School District in Oregon. He continues his career consulting with school districts and communities on behavioral threat assessment systems and violence prevention.

He has over 35 years of experience in threat assessment and management, psycho-educational evaluation, crisis intervention, behavioral intervention, and security and risk management systems consultation.

In 1999, he began the development and implementation of the Salem-Keizer Cascade Model, a multi-agency student threat assessment system considered by experts to be a leading practice. Through that collaboration, he has worked daily with educators, law enforcement, trial court personnel, juvenile justice, and mental health personnel in preventive behavioral threat assessment—the management of youth and adult threats of aggression within the schools, institutions, and the community.

He served as Chair of Oregon’s Mid-Valley Student Threat Assessment Team from its inception in 2000 through 2015 and continues to provide consultation to its membership. He has served as a member of the Marion County Threat Advisory Team since 1999.

He is the editor and principal author of the book Assessing Student Threats: Implementing The Salem-Keizer System, Second Edition and has advised on, or contributed to, a number of threat assessment guides, publications, articles, and documentaries. His third book (authored with Courtenay McCarthy and Coleen Van Dreal), Preventing Youth Violence: The Pathway Back through Inclusion and Connection, was released in March 2022. He regularly provides training and consultation to audiences nationally on threat assessment systems, preventing and mitigating human violence, school security, and response options for violent intruder and active shooter situations.

John is dedicated to his own community, patronizing locally owned establishments and supporting nonprofit arts and human services organizations. He is a musician, a published poet, and a nationally renowned fine artist with paintings in several notable collections. Finally, he is lucky to be the partner of a gifted school counselor and the proud father of two brilliant adult children.