Police Leadership Training Firm Expands Into Fire, City Administration, Nonprofits

Jon Fehlman, founder of Thatcher Lewis, speaking with hands raised mid-presentation in front of an American flag during a leadership training workshop.

Thatcher Lewis founder Jon Fehlman delivers a leadership keynote during a leadership training and development workshop.

Young Officer Jon Fehlman in dark patrol uniform leans over an open police vehicle, showing three young children the interior during a community engagement event with palm trees visible in the background.

Thatcher Lewis founder Jon Fehlman, pictured early in his law enforcement career, leans into a marked patrol vehicle to show three children the interior during a community policing engagement event. Fehlman went on to serve as a field training officer, de

Jon Fehlman, founder of Thatcher Lewis, stands at the front of a modern training room in a navy quarter-zip pullover delivering a command leadership session to seated law enforcement officers, with a uniformed officer visible in the foreground.

Thatcher Lewis founder Jon Fehlman teaches a command leadership training session to law enforcement officers and command staff. Command leadership training is one of two flagship Thatcher Lewis programs, “Training Tomorrow’s Leaders Today”

Three uniformed police officers stand in a station garage in front of patrol cruisers, with a young Jon Fehlman at center wearing a duty watch and arms crossed, and a fellow officer with a mustache smiling at left.

Thatcher Lewis founder Jon Fehlman, center, stands with fellow patrol officers in a department garage early in his law enforcement career. Fehlman served as a field training officer, detective, and police chief across three different agencies during a 30-

Thatcher Lewis introduces executive leadership programs for public sector and nonprofit organizations nationwide, addressing leadership gaps before promotion.

We’ve built a comprehensive executive training course for municipal staff and administrators.”

— Jon Fehlman, Owner & Founder at Thatcher Lewis LLC

MURFREESBORO, TN, UNITED STATES, May 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Jon Fehlman, a retired police chief with three decades in law enforcement, launched Thatcher Lewis to address a systemic problem: public sector organizations promote people into leadership roles without training them for those positions.

The company serves law enforcement departments nationwide and is expanding into fire departments, EMS services, public administration, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations starting in 2026. Fehlman’s law enforcement career included service as a field training officer, detective, and police chief across three different agencies. He later worked as an instructor with the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA).

Fehlman witnessed firsthand what happens when organizations promote unprepared candidates. The results often lead to low morale, poor retention of officers and possibly, litigation and financial payouts.“The fault often lies with the people who promoted,” Fehlman said. “Organizations need to train their people so they are prepared. A leadership title does not necessarily mean the person demonstrates leadership. This can cost an organization significantly.”

Thatcher Lewis’s solution: train leaders before titles are assigned. The “Training Tomorrow’s Leaders Today” program targets sergeants, field training officers, and support staff for intensive leadership development before promotion. Companion command leadership training focuses on executives already in organizational roles.

The model rests on four core principles: leadership can be taught, leadership can be caught through mentoring, leadership cannot be bought with a title, and leadership should precede promotion. Core curriculum covers critical conversations, decision-making consistency, relationship-based leadership, and accountability. “The most loving thing you can do for someone is have a critical conversation when you see them failing,” Fehlman said. “If we see it and do nothing, we own that. We own the consequences.”

Thatcher Lewis currently offers police leadership training and fire leadership development. The company is developing specialized curricula for city administrators, emergency management officials, church leaders, and nonprofit executives.

“We’ve built a comprehensive executive training course for municipal staff and administrators,” Fehlman said. “You get the title, let us provide the training of the needed leadership skills. We start with foundational leadership training: accountability, integrity, relationship-building, knowledge.”

Thatcher Lewis’s expansion into churches, nonprofits, and schools reflects gaps in leadership development across sectors. Schools commonly promote excellent teachers into administrative positions without equipping them to lead. Churches operate without formal succession planning or leadership pipelines. The company is booking classes now through 2027. Recruitment of experienced fire chiefs and retired executives as instructors begins soon, creating succession capacity and expanding instructor depth.

“I want to build something sustainable,” Fehlman said. “The foundation has to be solid. Once we have the right people ready, we bring them on board.” The goal is building a network of instructors capable of delivering police leadership training, fire leadership development, and executive programs across sectors while maintaining training quality.

About Thatcher Lewis
Thatcher Lewis provides executive leadership training and police chief development for law enforcement, fire departments, emergency management services, city administration, churches, and nonprofits. The company specializes in police leadership training through the “Tomorrow’s Leaders Today” pre-promotion leadership development program and command leadership training for organizational executives and fire chiefs. Programs address critical conversations, decision-making consistency, relationship-based leadership development, and accountability. Founded by Jon Fehlman, a former police chief and law enforcement consultant specializing in leadership development, the company serves departments and organizations across the United States with customized leadership training solutions.

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