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Dale McClellan, President & CEO

With 16 years of military and private sector experience, Dale McClellan is responsible for shaping the future growth and diversification of STS. Since co-founding the company in 2000, McClellan has focused on the expansion of the company's client base and service offerings.

McClellan graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL Training in 1991. While serving at SEAL Team Eight he was deployed to Mogadishu Somalia in 1993. Trained as a Machine Gunner, Point man, Sniper and Scout Sniper Instructor, McClellan finished his military career training Seal Team members for combat operations as an assault cell Instructor.

Immediately following his military career in 1998 McClellan began instructing and became directly responsible for developing and teaching various course curriculums to include hundreds of different military, law-enforcement, and federal agencies.

He was appointed by former Governor of Virginia, James S. Gilmore, III to the Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Advisory Council. After 9/11 and subsequent operational and training events that followed McClellan approached SIGARMS with the concept to help the families of his fallen special operations Teammates by building mil-spec replicas of the SEAL Team SIGP226 with a special Naval Special Warfare (NSW) serial number making them available to the public raising $125,000.00 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) He has also appeared on several History Channel productions to include Guns of the Commando.

After several naval security assessments and by request of the Navy, McClellan facilitated the patented design for uparmored security shield emplacements for entry control points and shipboard machine gun emplacements replacing dated equipment across the globe. The Machine Gun Division of STS initiated by Mr. McClellan is currently assisting the United States Navy in the development of new modern programs for crew-served weapons.

“Our realistic approach to training continues to set a new standard in the firearms industry”

Steve Renz, Senior Vice President

With nearly 20 years of instructional experience in the military, law enforcement and the private sector, Steve is among those responsible for the direction of all activities that Special Tactical Services offers. Since joining the STS organization, he has assisted in the development, implementation and direction of all divisions of STS.

Having spent more than six years in the United States Marine Corps, Steve served as an anti-tank assault man assigned to a Combined Anti-Armor Team, a Scout Sniper and Scout Sniper Instructor and a Close Quarters Battle Instructor. While assigned as a sniper to the Surveillance and Target Acquisition platoon with First Battalion, Eighth Marines, he conducted several deployments to the Mediterranean area and to the Middle East. He later served as a Scout Sniper Instructor at Camp Lejeune, N.C. and went on to assist in the development and implementation of the Marine Corps’ Designated Marksman program. As a CQB Instructor, he was responsible for the training of Marines and other military personnel in all facets of handgun; sub-machinegun, shotgun and rifle/carbine combat marksmanship as well as all facets of covert and dynamic entries for vital asset recovery.

Steve went on to serve as a Police Officer for the City of Virginia Beach, VA for over 9 years. During his time on the force, he was assigned to the department’s SWAT team as a Police Sniper and as an entry team member. He was a DCJS Certified Firearms and General Instructor, providing instruction to both new recruits and veteran officers from throughout the department as well as from outside agencies. He was also an assistant instructor at the Carlos Hathcock Police Sniper School.

Since joining STS in 2001, Steve has been able to use his diverse background and real world experience to assist others in meeting their training objectives. He has provided instruction to members of every branch of the United States Military, various federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as well as select private entities. He continues to set a high standard and level of excellence and imparts those traits to all STS employees.

Jerry Hurd, Vice President

Jerry Hurd retired from the US Navy as a Chief Warrant Officer with 20 years of active duty service. During his career, he served with USS AINSWORTH (FF 1090), NATO Satellite Ground Terminal F3, Naval Special Warfare Group TWO, Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity Oceana, SEAL Team EIGHT, and as a plank owner at Mobile Security Group TWO / Naval Coastal Warfare Group TWO. At the completion of his Navy career, Jerry served as the Weapons, Ordnance, and Boat Officer for the creation of the Navy’s newest anti-terrorism command.

After his Navy career, Jerry worked as a counter-terrorism consultant to the Navy Fleet Forces Command training department and as a curriculum development consultant for the Navy Center for Anti-Terrorism Navy Security Force school house before coming to Special Tactical Services as a machine gun instructor. While at STS, Jerry has been instrumental in the development of the Navy Crew Served Weapon Instructor course and the Crew Served Weapon Operation and Maintenance course. While at the Navy Center for Security Forces, Jerry has become the subject matter expert for the FATS weapon simulator located there and is responsible for all maintenance and course development.

Bill Witherspoon, Vice President

Gunnery Sergeant William Hamilton Witherspoon, USMC/RET enlisted on 22 December 1985. Upon graduating from basic training as the Platoon Honor Graduate at Parris Island, PFC Witherspoon was meritoriously promoted to Lance Corporal. After completing training at The School of Infantry at Camp Geiger, he was assigned to 2 nd Battalion 4th Marine Division aboard Camp Lejuene Marine Corps Base, North Carolina. After numerous field training operations and overseas deployments, in 1989 Corporal Witherspoon was ordered to The Basic School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. He served as a squad leader in the Enlisted Instructor Company.

In 1990, Corporal Witherspoon was selected from amongst his peers to be the only enlisted instructor to join the Officer’s Instructional Group of The Basic School, serving in a Captain’s billet. Corporal Witherspoon was assigned to the machine guns section of the Officer’s Instructional Group. When not instructing one of five machine gun classes, he was in the field teaching Small Unit Infantry Tactics. After demonstrating extraordinary leadership and instructional abilities, Corporal Witherspoon was meritoriously promoted to Sergeant in 1991.

February 16, 2002, Staff Sergeant Witherspoon returned to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. He was assigned to Weapons Training Battalion, Marksmanship Program Management Section, where he served as one of the single points of contact on all Marksmanship matters for the United States Marine Corps and made significant contributions training Marines heading to Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Military Personal Security Detachments. On November 1, 2002, Staff Sergeant Witherspoon was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant.

In 2004, with a proven ability to communicate effectively in diverse environments, Gunnery Sergeant Witherspoon was assigned as the Staff Non-commissioned Officer in-charge of the Marksmanship Program Management Section for the Marine Corps. He attended several schools to develop his knowledge of military/law enforcement operations and firearms. He has received training and certifications from the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation-Survival Awareness In-Service Course. He is a National Rifle Association of America Certified Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor for Handgun/Shotgun. He also attended the Crucible Security Specialist Course and High Risk Personnel Course, along with numerous other military/law enforcement schools.