Jeff Wohler – San Diego Harbor Police Foundation
When people ask me what I do for a living I often say “I am a story teller!”. At the end of the day that is really what most of us are. We have incidents and events that tend to shape our lives and the story it tells. This is how I love to engage people by taking stories from my adventurous life and applying them to my current message. I am the President and CEO for the San Diego Harbor Police Foundation. I Co-Founded this non-profit in 2018 along with then Chief of Police for the Port of San Diego Harbor Police, Mark Stainbrook. Our initial vision was to raise a little money in support of his officers, which we did but our vision quickly grew into something much greater. We now serve three specific areas including Officer Wellness, Perkins K-8 School in the Barrio Logan, and our Help Stop Human Trafficking awareness program. In spite of the pandemic, all three of our missions has grown significantly over the past four years. We have become nationally recognized for our work in human trafficking and our contributions toward improving the lives of the children at Perkins K-8 school is something I am very proud of. Our relationship with the Port of San Diego Harbor Police officers and staff has brought me to a greater understanding of how committed they are to their work. Everyday “Hero’s”! Our success has been brought about because of the commitment of many people but mostly because we have wonderful Story’s To Tell!
About Jeff Wohler
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I live with my wife Sheryl, the love of my life, her Chihuahua Lucy Lu. We have four children and three grandchildren and three horses. We enjoy living in North County.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Following my stent in the US Army during the Viet Nam war, I returned to California and obtained my Juris Doctorate. Subsequent to that I was a Special Agent for the US Treasury Department working criminal investigations centered on Organized Crime and drugs. After several years I moved into the private sector as an entrepreneur where I owned a number of businesses. One of those businesses had offices in fourteen countries which gave me a much broader perspective on the human experience. All of that was fascinating but once the Harbor Police Foundation was formed I became more passionate than ever before about the work we were doing. It was as if I had worked my entire life in several industries and roles, at the President and CEO level, all in preparation for this phase in my life where my lazer focus is on giving back.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Be a good listener, kind and generous but always “Practice for what happens before what happens, happens!” (be prepared)
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Adding value to our community by constantly striving for the Greater Good through our work with the San Diego Harbor Police Foundation.
Read about Jeff Wohler at Faces of San Diego
