Monday, 06 July 2026 01:03 PM
Awards
PORT SAINT LUCIE, FL / ACCESS Newswire / July 6, 2026 / Marquis Who's Who is proud to interview and honor Gene Saunders for his distinguished contributions to law enforcement, search and rescue, public safety innovation and nonprofit leadership. Mr. Saunders' recognition reflects a career defined by duty, persistence, courage and a life-saving commitment to vulnerable individuals and their families.
Mr. Saunders is the founder and chief executive officer of Project Lifesaver International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works with public safety agencies to help locate individuals with cognitive conditions who are at risk of wandering. Founded in 1999 after a pilot program in Chesapeake, Virginia, Project Lifesaver trains agencies in compassionate search-and-rescue response and supports the use of locating technology to help recover enrolled individuals quickly and safely.
In his Marquis Who's Who interview, Mr. Saunders proudly stated that what began as a local solution has grown into an international public safety resource. Project Lifesaver now includes more than 1,800 member agencies across all 50 states, multiple Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico, with thousands of rescues credited to the program. He also noted that documented and undocumented rescues are approaching 5,500, with recovery times still averaging under 30 minutes. For families caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease, autism, dementia, Down syndrome and related conditions, that speed can mean the difference between tragedy and reunion.
Mr. Saunders' path to Project Lifesaver began during a long and distinguished law enforcement career. He entered the field in 1968 with the Chesapeake Police Department in Virginia after serving in a military police unit. Over the course of 33 years, he served in every command position within the department, including captain, commander of the SWAT team for 23 years and leader in special operations. His responsibilities included tactical operations, training, investigations, narcotics and search-and-rescue work.
During the early 1990s, Mr. Saunders and his teams were increasingly called to search for individuals with Alzheimer's disease who had wandered away from home. He came to understand that searching for a cognitively impaired person was different from a typical missing-person search. Individuals might not respond when called, might hide from rescuers or might travel to locations others would not expect. Many searches consumed extensive manpower, taxpayer resources and time, and some ended in heartbreak.
Determined to find a better way, Mr. Saunders began exploring radio tracking technology used in wildlife studies. He reasoned that if radio transmitters could be used to locate animals for migration research, similar technology might help locate people who were known to wander. After securing grant support from a local hospital foundation, he launched a pilot program with tracking bracelets, each with its own radio frequency.
Speaking with Marquis Who's Who, Mr. Saunders recalled one man with medicinal dementia that his officers had searched for previously, requiring about nine hours and 30 people to find him. However, after enrolling the individual in the Project Lifesaver pilot program, the next search for him took only about 1.5 minutes. "That indicated that this thing was going to be successful," he said. "The press got hold of that, printed it and then we started getting calls from surrounding cities that I had to develop a training program." After two years of balancing full-time police work with the rapidly growing program, he retired from the department in 2001 to devote himself fully to Project Lifesaver.
Mr. Saunders' education and training include coursework at Old Dominion University and Tidewater Community College, certification in police administration through the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville, and extensive police and military special operations training. He is also licensed as a drone pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration. His service background includes the Army National Guard, Virginia State Guard and Air Force Auxiliary, as well as work as a helicopter flight officer with the Virginia Beach Police Department.
His achievements have earned wide recognition. Mr. Saunders has received multiple Silver Stars of Valor, Chief's Awards, police commendations, a Bank of America Hero Award, a George Washington Medal of Honor from the Freedom Foundation, nonprofit leadership honors and recognition from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. He also recently received the World Leader Forum Medal of Honor award in 2025 and the World Leader Recognition, London award in 2024 and 2025. Additionally, Project Lifesaver and Mr. Saunders have been featured in numerous national publications and media.
Looking ahead, Mr. Saunders remains focused on expanding Project Lifesaver's reach and preserving its mission. His long-term goal is to make the program free to everyone who needs it. Guided by the motto, "If not now, when? If not me, who?" he continues to advocate for practical, proven technology, improved training and unwavering service to vulnerable people and their caregivers.
"Gene Saunders exemplifies the caliber of public safety leader and humanitarian innovator Marquis Who's Who is proud to chronicle," the editorial team stated. "His work through Project Lifesaver International reflects a career defined by courage, persistence and an extraordinary commitment to saving lives." Through its interview and recognition of Mr. Saunders, Marquis Who's Who celebrates a professional whose vision has helped reunite thousands of families and reshape search-and-rescue response across North America.
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SOURCE: Marquis Who's Who