Title: Faculty, School of Firearms Technology
Highest degree and school: MBA, University of Scranton
Teaching at SDI since: 2019
Randy Stewart teaches SDI’s Introduction to Firearms classes. He has spent nearly twenty years in law enforcement, currently serving as a police patrol commander in the suburbs of Phoenix, and oversees the department’s advanced training unit which is responsible for ongoing firearms and defensive tactics training. Randy is also one of three department armorers that maintain and repair the numerous weapon systems his department deploys in the field. He is a certified NRA Pistol and CCW instructor, holds Armorer certifications for the 1911, M-16, AR-15, Remington 870, and Glock, and is a member of numerous professional organizations including the National Tactical Officer Association (NTOA), Arizona Tactical Officer Association (ATOA), International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI), and the National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association (NLEFIA). He holds an Associate’s Degree in Administration of Justice from Rio Salado Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Western International University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Scranton.
As a law enforcement trainer and armorer with an interest in gunsmithing, Randy had followed SDI through its social media presence for quite some time before joining the faculty in 2019. When the opportunity arose, Randy said, “I felt the SDI curriculum was comprehensive and, as someone who earned his degrees online, I wanted to help represent such a great school.” He says what he enjoys most about teaching is “seeing students have that ‘a-ha’ moment and truly understand the concepts being taught. It is so satisfying to me to be able to facilitate the learning process.”
When not teaching, Randy is a dad of three who enjoys reading, watching movies, shooting, and is an avid student of the martial arts. If time were not a factor, he says he would want to learn more about producing visual media, both cinematography and photography. When asked about his idea of a perfect day, Randy shared, “To me, a perfect day is one where you have accomplished the goals you set for yourself for that day.”