Wm. H. "Bill" Dobson, Jr., a lifelong resident of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, married and has one daughter and two grand children.

Dobson is a decorated veteran of the United States Air Force, retired Lt. Colonel, Commander of the Special Operations Division of the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office, with more than 30 years of public service. He is a graduate of Mandeville High School, and attended Southeastern Louisiana University and Louisiana State University majoring in Law Enforcement and Criminology. Dobson is the cofounder and President of Applied Marine Technology, Inc., a consulting company incorporated in 1986 that specializes in Marine Accident Investigations and Reconstruction, headquartered in Louisiana with affiliates in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Dobson is a court accepted expert in Marine Accident Investigation and Reconstruction, Boating Safety, and Search and Rescue, in numerous Federal and State jurisdictions. Dobson serves as Executive Director of S.E.L.S.A.R., Southeast Louisiana Search and Rescue organization, which comprises more than 130 Federal, State, and Local governmental and private agencies. He also serves as a member of the Administrative Council of St. Timothy United Methodist Church in Mandeville, La.

Served as a member of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice. Holder of the Airmen's Medal for heroism from the U. S. Air Force. Named the Law Officer of the Year by Kiwanis International, and holder of Outstanding Achievement Awards by the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association and the National Association for Search and Rescue. Selected as an Honored Member of WHO'S WHO in Law Enforcement for 1991.

2003 recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement, International Association of Marine Investigators.

Dobson is a charter member of I.A.M.I. and serves as a regional coordinator for the Southern United States.