Mallory Campbell receives Tennessee SRO Presidents Award

PIGEON FORGE, TN (WLAF)- Out of around a thousand school resource officers from all across Tennessee, Campbell County native Mallory Campbell was the recipient of the 2026 Tennessee School Resource Officers Association (TnSRO) Presidents Award. This TnSRO award is presented annually to an SRO who has made outstanding contributions to school policing and youth development.

Campbell, who lives in Speedwell in Campbell County, is a school resource officer at Soldiers Memorial Middle School at Tazewell. She’s an officer among the 15 member Claiborne County Sheriff’s SRO team who has been in law enforcement since 2012.

“Mallory is an amazing SRO who is trained to respond to any and all emergencies. SROs receive extra training beyond most law enforcement positions,” said Meredith Arnold, Director of Schools for Claiborne County.

Campbell’s family was notified ahead of time of the upcoming award presentation and made the trip early last Monday for the ceremony. “We kept it a secret for a couple of weeks,” said Pam Campbell, Mallory’s mother. “I was totally surprised to receive the award and then even more surprised that my family knew all that time, said Mallory.

Arnold nominated Campbell for the award after she came to the aid of a student earlier this year. “I can’t go into detail, but it was a medical emergency,” said Campbell. I didn’t do anything any of my fellow SROs would have done in that situation,” said Campbell.

“She was prepared, reacted and responded in a timely manner. Because of her actions, the end result turned out much better than it could have,” said Arnold.

“The sheriff, Bobby Brooks, and I, along with our whole department, are very proud of Mallory’s recognition. She came to our team with years of experience and has learned a lot more in her almost two years here,” said Lt. David Buis, SRO Supervisor for Claiborne County.

“I nominated Mallory, because I felt her actions were worthy of being recognized. She’s a phenomenal SRO in all aspects and is responsible for 350 students and staff at her school on a daily basis,” said Arnold. The director of schools adds that it’s clear why SROs are needed at school, on campus and during special events, because it’s critical in keeping everyone safe.

Campbell received the award last Monday at Pigeon Forge during opening ceremonies of the 31st annual Tennessee School Resource Officers Association Conference held at the Music Road Resort. “I’m very honored, and this means a lot to me,” said Campbell. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-06/15/2026-6AM-PHOTOS SUBMITTED)