Administrative Sergeant of Communications
Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office
Okeechobee, Florida
MaryRoyce Lookabill, CPE, CMCP, MS, serves as the Administrative Sergeant for the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division, bringing more than a decade of experience in public safety communications. She began her career from 1999 to 2001 before returning to the profession in 2017 with a renewed sense of purpose. She believes the future of 911 starts before the headset, sometimes in a high school classroom.
Since reentering the field, MaryRoyce has advanced from telecommunicator to Communications Training Officer and later to Shift Supervisor/Corporal, where she discovered her passion for leadership, mentoring, and supporting others in one of public safety’s most demanding professions. She later served as Communications Training Supervisor, leading efforts to rebuild and strengthen her agency’s training program while focusing on developing confident, capable dispatchers prepared for the realities of the job.
Now serving as Sergeant, she is spearheading accreditation efforts for the communications division, working to strengthen standards, accountability, and teamwork across all levels of the center.
In 2024, MaryRoyce helped launch and began teaching a Public Safety Telecommunicator course through the local high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. Through this initiative, she prepares students for state certification while introducing them to meaningful careers in emergency communications and helping build the next generation of 911 professionals.
For MaryRoyce, this career has never been just about answering calls, it is about serving people, building others up, and leaving the profession stronger than she found it.
Building the Next Generation of 911 Professionals
Monday, August 3, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM