Our Instructors

Kathy Vargas

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Kathy Vargas was born in Maine and raised in Maryland and Germany due to her father’s service with the U.S. Army and the National Security Agency. After graduating from Bowie High School, Kathy received her Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Prince George’s Community College. Soon after graduation, she moved to Virginia and began her law enforcement career at the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office in January of 1996.

During her 28-year career, Kathy has worked in various divisions, to include: Operations, Booking, Records, D.A.R.E., Property, Criminal Investigations, Professional Standards, and Training. She was certified as a General Instructor, as well as a D.A.R.E. Instructor and Mentor. Continuing her focus on education, Kathy graduated from St. Leo University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2010. Kathy has progressed through the ranks, and she was promoted to the rank of Captain in January of 2018. Kathy’s most recent educational accomplishment was graduating from the University of San Diego with a Master of Science Degree in Law Enforcement & Public Safety Leadership in January of 2022. She continues to serve the citizens of Virginia Beach as the Director of Training for the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office.

As Sergeant of the Criminal Intelligence Unit, Kathy assisted in supervising the investigation and prosecution of the first Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conviction in the Commonwealth of Virginia in many years. As a mentor for the D.A.R.E. Program, Kathy trained and certified dozens of new D.A.R.E. officers (civilian and military) for deployment in schools throughout Virginia, as well as military schools throughout the world. Kathy is a graduate of the National Criminal Justice Command College (2013), as well as the 271st Session of the FBI National Academy (2018). She developed and implemented her department’s first leadership development course and currently teaches first line and mid-level supervisors critical skills regarding leadership and management. Kathy has been a member of her department’s peer support team since 2014 and is currently the Peer Support Coordinator.

Kathy’s experience at the FBI National Academy inspired a passion for emotional intelligence, officer wellness and resiliency. She achieved certifications in the industry leading EQ-I 2.0 and EQ 360 assessments and has added emotional intelligence to the department's Leadership Foundations Course. Kathy enjoys volunteering in the community and has served as her department’s liaison for the various Virginia Special Olympic events for many years.

Kathy joined the growing team of Pinnacle TCI instructors in 2024 where she is instrumental in teaching Emotional Intelligence (EI) courses.