"We want to be the best public search firm, not simply the firm that conducts the most searches. We provide close personal oversight to the project and seek skilled, enthusiastic candidates who can hit the ground running."

Before becoming a Principal with William Avery & Associates, Gary Brown had worked in municipal government for more than 40 years. Most recently, he was Police Chief for the City of Monterey. Prior to his Monterey experience, Gary was Deputy City Manager for the City of Visalia and Police Chief in Ashland, Oregon. Earlier, he served for several years as Senior Vice President and Division Manager of Executive Recruitment for a prominent nationwide consulting firm serving local government. Under Gary's direction, it quickly became the number one public sector search firm in the nation. He personally has conducted more than 60 public sector executive searches and provided management oversight over hundreds of executive recruitments.

Gary began his law enforcement career with the Garden Grove Police Department and eventually served as Police Chief for the California cities of Chowchilla, South Pasadena, and San Clemente.

"This broad experience provided me with great insight into the leadership qualities needed for success as a CEO," says Gary. "My intuition -- when accompanied by a thorough, pre-employment inquiry -- will most often ensure a successful match."

Gary also worked for the federal government (ONI-NIS) and the State of California Department of Justice, as well as the firm of Public Systems, Inc. With PSI, he also conducted comprehensive consulting projects for major criminal justice agencies throughout the nation.

His educational background includes an A.A. degree from Mt. San Antonio College, a B.A. in Government from Sacramento State, and an MPA from the University of Southern California. He has served as an adjunct professor for CalState Pomona, CalState Long Beach, Southern Oregon, and Chapman Universities. He also has taught at the Basic, Supervisory, Middle Management, and the Executive Development levels for municipal police agencies.

Gary has been published many times and continues to lecture on executive development, managing change, and strategic planning. He has assisted many law enforcement agencies with strategic planning, and has had International training experiences in Bolivia, China, and Russia.