A chance meeting at a sorority-fraternity mixer at Oregon State University is where the stars aligned for Dave and Benji Henslee in 1989.

Both age 18 — fresh-faced business and accounting majors — they went on to date all four years of college, marrying in July of 1993, immediately following their graduation.

Right Out of College — Police and Teaching

Right out of college, Dave and Benji jumpstarted their life together:

  • Dave — as an officer with the Corvallis Police Department
  • Benji — as a Business Instructor with Jefferson High School

In 1996, they started their family — and life was happy in Albany, Oregon where they resided.

What Attracted Dave to Benji

Dave — formerly Klamath Falls Chief of Police and now a Klamath County Commissioner — fondly recalls their courtship and college meeting.

"Benji was strong, independent, and interesting. She had her own thoughts, drive, and sincere ambition and commitments to what she wanted to do. I knew she would be a great life partner and we could accomplish so much together." — Dave

A Cop's Wife — The Honest Conversation

Many have asked Benji: "Was it tough being a young mother and a 'cop's wife'?"

"Shift work is not easy, and law enforcement has a high divorce rate, nationally. We knew that our marriage deserved kindness, respect, and a lot of give. We knew our investment in each other took work, time, and ownership — and that we recognized our worth and strength as a couple." — Benji

That kind of honest acknowledgment of the professional pressures law-enforcement marriages face is exactly what makes the Henslees' partnership a story worth telling.

Three Talented Daughters

The same qualities that attracted Dave to his wife-to-be are nearly identical to the characteristics and mindset of their three terrific and talented daughters:

  • Jessica — athletic trainer with the University of Maryland
  • Chelsea — in Physician Assistant School at Marquette University
  • Caydan — associate at the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities

Three daughters. Three accomplished careers — athletic training, healthcare, higher-education policy. The Henslees clearly raised young women with drive, professional purpose, and the confidence to pursue ambitious paths.

The Move to Klamath Falls — "Policing with Purpose"

Eventually, Dave and Benji were drawn to Klamath Falls by the strong sense of community and saw it as an opportunity for Dave to contribute his policing and leadership skills as the Chief of Police.

Dave's tenure saw:

  • The rebranding of Klamath Falls Police Department (KFPD)
  • A renewed emphasis on trust, respect, and inclusive communication within the department
  • "Policing with Purpose" — created to be a pledge, promise, and commitment to the Klamath community from the KFPD — now displayed on every police vehicle

That motto isn't a slogan. It's a leadership doctrine Dave implemented across the department — focused on:

  • Building community trust through consistent, fair policing
  • Treating every interaction as a chance to demonstrate department values
  • Developing officers who lead with respect
  • Connecting the police force to the community it serves

For a department in any American city in the current era, that kind of culture-building work is exactly what's needed.

Klamath Union Pelicans and Career Evolution

The two younger Henslee girls became Klamath Union Pelicans — and Benji would explore some exciting professional avenues as she came to know the business community.

Benji's professional path in Klamath:

  • Oregon Tech Foundation — supporting the university's fundraising and community outreach
  • Southern Oregon Education Service District — regional educational programming work

As the girls grew and began to move toward college careers, Benji returned to the classroom as the Business Instructor for Mazama High School — where she:

  • Teaches a series of interesting business classes
  • Runs the senior seminar curriculum
  • Leads the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Program

She is a trusted advisor, mentor, and teacher to so many students. Her FBLA Club routinely takes top honors in state, regional, and national competitions.

A Teacher with the Real World in Mind

Benji's students constantly ask her questions about work, life, marriage — and she is proud to always give authentic, hopeful, but unvarnished responses so that her students have a peek into real-world, grown-up life, which they will soon embark on.

"Like our daughters, I want my students to be so many things — good citizens, employees, spouses, parents, taxpayers — good humans all around that give back to our community." — Benji emphatically

That kind of values-driven teaching — pairing business curriculum with real-life mentorship — is exactly what high-school business education at its best does.

The Planner of the House

Aside from the life lessons, Benji does not leave her business mind in the classroom.

She laughingly shares — it always comes into play, whether it be financial planning, money management at home, family travel plans — she has it all programmed out.

"I have to work at being adventurous — I am the nerd doing the planning. I am the planner of the family." — Benji

Dave as Klamath County Commissioner

After his tenure as Klamath Falls Chief of Police, Dave transitioned to Klamath County Commissioner — bringing the same leadership philosophy and community focus to a different role with broader county-wide impact.

That career trajectory — frontline officer → Chief of Police → County Commissioner — is exactly the kind of public-service path that builds deep community knowledge and institutional credibility.

Why the Henslees Chose Klamath

The Henslees could have stayed in the Willamette Valley. They could have pursued careers in larger metropolitan areas.

They chose Klamath Falls — specifically because of the community, the values, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully through their work.

That choice — and the decades of community investment that have followed — is exactly what makes the Henslees one of the basin's foundational families.

Thank You

To Dave and Benji Henslee — and to Jessica, Chelsea, and Caydan — thank you for choosing this basin, for the policing-with-purpose culture Dave built at KFPD, for the business education and FBLA leadership Benji brings to Mazama, and for the three accomplished young women you raised in Klamath Falls.

The basin is better because the Henslees are here.