Training unit expands mission to include professional development and community education
Pictured from (L to R): Training Manager Anthony Cuozzo, Assoc. Dir. of YPS Support Services Tom Madera, & Training Manager Steve Teague.
March 19, 2026
Yale Public Safety (YPS) has relaunched its Training Unit as the “YPS Learning and Development Unit” to reflect its evolving and growing mission. While maintaining focus on training YPS staff, including Yale Security and Yale Police officers, the unit has expanded its offerings to include fostering the professional growth of its own officers and educating the Yale community with potentially life-saving skills.
“We’re no longer just training. We’re developing,” explained Tom Madera, Associate Director of YPS Support Services who oversees the unit. “We’re providing a career path. We’re developing our young managers to become better leaders.” Anthony Cuozzo and Steven Teague, both former police officers, continue their roles as training managers in this renamed unit.
In support of professional growth, YPS Learning and Development Unit is sending five managers to the FBI National Academy Regional Command College this March, which will focus on leadership, relationship building, and resiliency skills. The team also partners with Yale’s Organizational Effectiveness & Staff Development (OESD) to facilitate leadership training.
Cuozzo and Teague continue to provide annual training to YPS staff in areas such as CPR/AED and de-escalation. In 2017, Yale Security established a training unit to create more focused instruction for security officers. Over the years, the unit has evolved to serve all YPS, which includes four key units: emergency management, police, security, and systems.
In response to requests, YPS Learning and Development Unit has also expanded its offerings to the broader campus community. The training managers offer a variety of free courses, including CPR/AED, ‘Stop the Bleed,’ First Aid, de-escalation, and situational awareness. “When you think about the training that we offer to our community partners, it’s not just about the work environment. You can use these skills anywhere,” Madera explained. “God forbid you’re at a picnic or a family event and you need to apply a tourniquet.”
YPS Learning and Development Unit recently taught a CPR/AED course to employees of the Institute of Sacred Music (ISM). “Our unit hosts many public events and several of us wanted to refresh our understanding of the first steps needed to address a medical emergency,” said Ben Geertz, ISM’s lead administrator. Geertz highly recommends the training, “We are better prepared, as a community, to respond to a medical emergency.”
Yale departments and community members interested in these programs can explore our digital, self-directed courses, or email learning@yale.edu to request an in-person, customized session for your group.