Todd Kirkendol

Meet the owner and lead instructor of Northwest Defense Academy, Todd Kirkendol. Todd is originally from Tennessee and has lived in Oregon for over a decade. He holds a graduate degree and has enjoyed a diverse professional career including time with The National Football League. In addition to operating Northwest Defense Academy (NWDA), Todd owns and is the executive manager of Northwest Defense Contracting, LLC, one of Oregon’s elite private security firms.

Todd is a law enforcement firearms instructor certified through the National Rifle Association in addition to the Oregon and Washington State police academies (DPSST and CJTC). He is one of an extremely limited number of instructors in Oregon certified to train law enforcement officers on the patrol rifle weapon platform. Todd instructs and/or assists with most NWDA classes, handgun courses, carbine courses, medical courses, and is always available for private instruction. In addition to providing firearms instruction, Todd has years of experience putting what he teaches into practice in the professional security industry; most of which has centered around bodyguarding VIP/high-wealth clients, providing executive protection and protective security detail services.

Todd fundamentally believes that every individual is responsible for their own safety. With this in mind, he works rigorously to ensure each end-user is equipped with the knowledge, skills, and ability to self-rescue in any emergency situation.

He regularly receives additional high-quality combative training from national leaders in the industry. He retains other exceptionally qualified instructors, many of whom have previous military or law enforcement experience, who also continually seek to better their skills and instruction techniques. By continuing to hone their craft and remaining current on industry best practices, the end users of Northwest Defense Academy can be assured they are receiving the best training available in the Rogue Valley.