Wellness & Well-Being Faculty
Dr. Nancy Bohl-Penrod
Focus: Clinical Psychology
Nancy Bohl-Penrod, Ph.D. holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a master’s degree in counseling/Education. She is the Founder and the past Director of The Counseling Team
International (TCTI). She is a member of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and a certified Master Trainer for the QPR Institute focusing on Suicide Prevention and Intervention for first responders. She is also a certified trainer for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), ICEMA for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), California Peace Officer and Standard in Training (POST) and Standards and Training for Corrections (STC). She is an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Departments for Riverside Community College and for the San Bernardino Valley Community College. Nancy also teaches for California State University Long Beach (CSULB) as a adjunct faculty member in their Criminal Justice Department. She has been a guest speaker for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), California Highway Patrol (CHP) Academies and she was honored to present at the United Nations to their Security Police. She is one of the past Presidents of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Psychological Services Section and Vice President of the National Sheriffs Association Psychological Services Section. (NSA). Nancy is one of the founders of the Public Safety Peer Support Association (PSPSA).
Dr. Bohl-Penrod is certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is a technique she uses to help trauma survivors She attended the FBI’s basic and advanced Hostage Negotiators courses to become a trained Hostage negotiator (CNT). She is known for her 5 day peer support and Critical Incident Stress Management training that has been taught to over 12,000 first responders throughout the United States and Canada, Peer supporters from all over the nation attend the course, so they may help their fellow co-workers. She believes in the “Helping Triad” and how important it is to provide peer support and Chaplains in addition to Clinicians to those that are impacted by their work. Nancy’s personal experience (her husband 38 years law enforcement), over the years, has allowed her to develop a personal approach to helping first responder families by providing “Significant Other Survival” (SOS) training and the importance of Wellness, Well-being and Behavioral Health. Her passion for First Responder families comes from attending the Police Memorial in Washington DC for the past 34 years to help those survivors who lost a loved one in the line of duty.
Nancy has responded to more than 1,000 critical incidents in her career. Many of her responses have been to shootings. She started a retreat for those officers involved in shootings, which has been on going for the past 31 years. She has research on 3,500 police officers that were in involved in on duty shootings. . Some of the major incidents she has responded to, are the ATF incident in Waco, Texas, the TWA Flight 800 disaster in Long Island, New York, the LA Riots, the Typhoon disaster in Guam, hurricane Andrew, the Alaska Air Disaster in Los Angeles, the Oklahoma City Bombing and the ATF Unabomber case. She led a team of Mental Health Professionals in assisting those severely impacted by the Terrorist Attacks in New York. While in New York she was sent by the FBI to the Pentagon to provide her services. She responded to the California Wildfires of 2003, and assisted the U.S. Forest Service in the loss of Engine 57 firefighters in the Esperanza Fire of 2006.Dr. Bohl-Penrod services were used for the Big Bear Manhunt (Dorner Case), the Los Angeles International Airport TSA shooting, Seal Beach Beauty Salon shooting, the Columbine school shooting, She also helped first responders with the San Bernardino Terrorist Attack at the Inland Regional Center, the Las Vegas 91 Harvest Shooting, the California Tubbs and Thomas wildfires, the Santa Barbara County mudslides, the Yountville Pathway Veteran Home shooting, the Borderline Bar shooting in Thousand oaks, California, and the Conception Boat Fire in Santa Barbara
Over the past thirty-five years Nancy has developed over fifty public safety wellness divisions for departments of all sizes through her public safety “Behavioral Health and Wellness Services” program. Dr. Bohl-Penrod has written numerous articles and book chapters focusing on mental health issues for police and fire personnel. She recently worked with a team of mental health professionals who created an APP to guide public safety peer supporters and supervisors in their endeavor to help each other. One of her greatest achievements was receiving from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) the “Exceptional Service in the Public Interest” certificate of appreciation.
Dr. Paul Zak
Focus: Neuroeconomics, Economic Sciences, Psychology & Management
Paul J. Zak discovered neurologic mechanisms that enable cooperation and trust, and these mechanisms have been used by the World Bank to stimulate prosperity in developing countries and by businesses to enhance economic performance. Zak is a professor of economic sciences, psychology, and management in Claremont Graduate University’s Division of Politics & Economics.
Zak was one of the first scientists to integrate neuroscience and economics into a new discipline: neuroeconomics. His research has identified the brain processes that support such virtuous behaviors as trustworthiness, generosity, and sacrifice, as well as those whose absence leads to evil, vice, and conflict. He uses these results to increase flourishing by individuals, organizations, and societies.
After receiving his BA in mathematics and economics from San Diego State University, Zak completed his doctorate in economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Zak has taught at Caltech, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, and USC Law. At CGU, Zak directs the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies in addition to his teaching roles.
Zak’s book, Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies (January 2017), applies neuroscience to organizational culture to demonstrate that high trust improves the triple bottom line and it explores ways in which managers can create and sustain a culture of trust. His book The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity was published in 2012 by Dutton, a member of the Penguin Group. The book received much attention for its approach to understanding such human qualities as empathy, happiness, and the kindness of strangers.
Zak delivered a TED Talk titled “Trust, Morality—and Oxytocin?” in 2011 that has been viewed nearly two million times. His research has made a substantial impact in explaining the variation in human social behaviors and has been cited by other scholars over 18,000 times placing in the top 0.3% of all scholars. He also co-founded the first neuroscience-as-a-service (NaaS) company, Immersion Neuroscience.
- Zak, P. J., & Knack, S. (2001). Trust and Growth. The Economic Journal. 111: 295-321.
- Zak, P. J., Kurzban, R. & Matzner, W. T. (2004). The neurobiology of trust. Annals of the New York. Academy of Sciences, 1032: 224-227.
- Zak, P. J. (2004). Neuroeconomics. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (Biology), 359(1451), 1737-1748.
- Zak, P. J., Kurzban, R. & Matzner, W. T. (2005). Oxytocin is associated with human trustworthiness. Hormones and Behavior, (48): 522-527.
- Kosfeld, M., Heinrichs, M., Zak, P. J., Fischbacher, U. & Fehr, E. (2005). Oxytocin increases trust in humans. Nature, 435(2): 673-676.
- Zak, P. J., Stanton, A. A. & Ahmadi, S. (2007). Oxytocin increases generosity in humans. Public Library of Science ONE 2(11): e1128.
- Zak, P. J. (2008). The neurobiology of trust. Scientific American, June: 88-95.
- Zak, P.J. (2015). Why your brain loves good storytelling. Harvard Business Review. October.
- Zak, P.J. (2017). The neuroscience of trust. Harvard Business Review, January.
- Zak, P.J. (2019). How our brains decide when to trust. Harvard Business Review, July 18.
- Zak, P.J. (2020). Neurological Correlates Allow Us to Predict Human Behavior. The Scientist. Oct. 1.
- Johannsen, R., & Zak, P. J. (2021). The Neuroscience of Organizational Trust and Business Performance: Findings from US Working Adults and an Intervention at an Online Retailer. Frontiers in Psychology: Organizational Psychology, 11, 3858.
Deborah Silveria Ph.D.
Focus: Clinical Psychology and EMDR
Deborah Silveria Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and LMFT. She works at the Amen Clinics, in Costa Mesa, California. She specializes in complex trauma. She has been practicing EMDR since 1996 and has traveled to areas providing EMDR after disasters (Haiti, San Bernardino terrorist attacks). Dr. Silveria is a Trainer for EMDR Trauma Recovery Network and a facilitator for the EMDR Institute. She is also an Approved Instructor in Critical Incident Stress Management for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. She is the EMDR consultant and program coordinator for a week long retreat for first responders with PTSD.
Dr. Jenny Prohaska
Focus: Officer Wellness, Wellbeing, PTSD and Addiction
Dr. Prohaska is a nationally sought-after public speaker for numerous law enforcement and public safety entities, presenting on topics such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Post-traumatic Stress Injury, Suicide Awareness, Prevention, and Response, Chronic Stress and Resiliency for First Responders and their Families, and the psychological components of Commander Leadership and Mental Health. She has been a featured speaker for the FBI National Academy Associates-Kansas/Western Missouri Chapter, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, MidAmerican Regional Council, and Central States Law Enforcement Executives Seminar.
Dr. Prohaska’s specialty is in Officer Involved Shootings and other critical incidents that fall outside of the scope of normal daily first-responder activities. She is Force Science Certified and has sub-specialty training in working with individuals with major medical repercussions from their duties, particularly Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury.
Her primary work is in consulting with police departments regarding a variety of personnel needs, as well as functional and operational needs or challenges that have a psychological component. Her other work is centered around assessment including New Hire Evaluations for police and public safety entities, Fitness-for-Duty, and Promotions/Management Readiness Evaluations. She also engages in assessment and treatment planning evaluations for individuals in public safety positions with severe trauma reactions and other psychiatric disorders and collaborates with the employee-patient and agency to find the best fit for appropriate and high-quality care for the employee-patient.
Prior to Dr. Prohaska’s current endeavors, she has been intimately involved in the development, training, implementation, and maintenance of over two dozen peer support teams across a three-state area. And she has consulted for over nearly 50 peer support teams as well. She has also been involved in critical incident response education and planning for both the public and private sectors. In addition, she primarily served in inpatient hospital units at the University of Kansas Medical Center, including, but not limited to, the Trauma, Intensive Care, Physical Rehabilitation, Neurology, and Burn Units. She was then hired on as clinical faculty where she worked at the University of Kansas Cancer Center addressing the psychological and neuropsychological needs of patients undergoing cancer treatment. In addition, she has worked for multiple public safety entities across Kansas and Missouri, independently practicing in police and public safety psychology. In 2016, she founded Insight Public Safety and Forensic Consulting, LLC.
Dr. Jennifer Prohaska graduated with her Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology in 2012 from the University of Kansas and completed her residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center in neuro-rehabilitation psychology, specializing in traumatic injury, life changing medical illness, and terminal illness.
Dr. Bryce Kaye
Focus: Wellbeing, PTSD, Stress Management, Self Esteem and Emotional Wounds
Bryce Kaye was licensed in 1979 after receiving his masters and doctorate from the University of Illinois with a specialty in personality. He completed his psychological internship at the Phoenix Veterans Administration Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona in 1976. From 1977 through 1983 he was the Director of Outpatient Services for Wake County Alcoholism Treatment Center. While there, he authored and directed a federal research grant that developed the outpatient program. He also researched the effectiveness of treatment and developed the family program as a part of his research grant. In 1984, Dr. Kaye started Cary Counseling Center which later became incorporated under the name Allied Psychological Services, PA in 1992. He has had years of experience in performing individual psychotherapy, marriage counseling, and substance abuse counseling. He is also a trained and certified EMDR therapist, having received certification by the EMDR International Association.
Dr. Kaye is currently the director of Cary Counseling Center and Oriental Counseling Center. He has researched and developed several types of therapies in addition to providing therapy for individuals and couples.
Stephen A. Petrilli Jr., Chief of Police, Normal Police Department, IL
Focus: Officer Wellness, Fitness and Nutrition
Steve Petrilli has been with the Normal Police Department for 22 years and is currently the Assistant Chief of Operations. He has been a recruiter, FTO, SWAT Operator and K-9 handler. Steve has held supervisory roles in Patrol, VICE, SWAT, Pro-Active Gang Crimes Unit and for the Town of Normal Employee Wellness Committee.
He is a graduate of Illinois State University (B.S.), Northwestern Police Staff and Command and the FBI National Academy Session #264.
Steve is a former college athlete, a Certified Physical Preparation Specialist (CPPS), a CF-L1 Trainer, and has successfully completed L-1 Power Athlete Methodology Training, CrossfFit Law Enforcement Application Specialty Training and Lee Taft Speed School. Steve is currently is a S&C coach at The Athlete Factory in Bloomington, Illinois. Steve is also the owner of First Responder Health and Wellness LLC.,
Dr. Ken Keis
Focus: Purpose, Leadership and Spirituality
Have you ever found yourself at a place in life where you just didn’t fit? Born and raised expected to take over his family’s dairy farm, Ken is no stranger to radical change and growth. It wasn’t until he owned a farm himself that he woke up one day at the crack of dawn (as usual) and asked himself, “if I did this for the next 20 years, would I be satisfied?” The answer was a resounding and immediate “NO!”
Ken decided to take action. It was terrifying. But after an extremely awkward and intimidating conversation with his family–where he had to explain why he was breaking three generations of Eastern European family tradition–he began to pursue his passion in speaking and sales.
Ken learned not to let fear hold him in a position where he would ultimately be miserable. It was the first step.
Ten years as a sales trainer later, Ken found himself traveling worldwide as a speaker. At first it seemed like he was living the dream: highly sought after, hopping from country to country, bringing in a six-figure salary working for big names like Chrysler.
Except that he never saw his wife or kids. And soon, the stress of never taking time off began to take its toll.
Once again, Ken found himself in an unsustainable situation. He learned the hard way that what he values most is his family and health… and thankfully was able to make a change before it was too late. He became the leader of Consulting Resource Group, an organization that has helped more than 1 million people in 50,000 organizations worldwide improve employee satisfaction and productivity.
Today, Ken’s passion remains leading others to experience the same clarity and joy he did by creating a life of purpose, and empowering leaders to empower others. With more than 4 million written words, 10,000 hours of consulting and speaking experience, and co-authoring of 10 professional development tools, Ken has had a profound impact on the world’s leadership landscape for the last 32 years.
Captain Dan Willis, FBI # 241
Focus: Officer Wellness, Wellbeing and PTSD
Capt. Willis served nearly 30 years with the La Mesa (CA)Police Department as a crimes of violence, child molest, homicide detective and SWAT Commander, as well as his agency’s Wellness Unit Coordinator. He is a graduate in Criminal Justice from San Diego State University, as well as the FBI National Academy Associates (NA 241) where he studied Emotional Survival. He is the author of the award-winning emotional survival guidebook “Bulletproof Spirit: The First Responders Essential Resource for Protecting and Healing Mind and Heart.” He now travels the country providing emotional survival and wellness training to first responders in order to enhance resiliency and coping ability, prevent or mitigate PTSD, suicide prevention, while providing proactive strategies to heal, protect, and enhance survivability. With suicide being the #1 cause of death annually for officers with another 1-5 suffering from PTSD – emotional survival and wellness training is essential to enable officers to sustain and enhance health, wellness, and professional service.
Dr. Mitch Javidi
Focus: Psychological Resilience, Leadership, Wellbeing and Performance
Mitch is an envisioneer with over 30 years of practical and hands-on Leadership Development experience in diverse industries including Academia, Military, Law Enforcement, Government, and Technology. As a globally recognized leader, he is the founder of the National Command & Staff College, Institute for Credible Leadership Development and the Criminal Justice Commission for Credible Leadership Development.
He has trained at the Joint Special Operations Command “JSOC” and the US Army Special Operations Command “USASOC.” He was awarded the honorary member of the United States Army Special Operations Command in 1999, honorary Sheriff by the National Sheriffs’ Association in 2016 and honorary Police Commander by the Santa Fe ISD Police Department (2019). He was also the recipient of the “Spirit Award” from the National Tactical Officers’ Association. This prestigious award is presented by NTOA to an individual whose work saves lives (2019).
He served as a tenured Professor at NC State University for 16 years before taking an early retirement but continues to serve as an Adjunct professor without pay (by choice) at both NC State and Illinois State Universities. He is a member of the “Academy of Outstanding Teachers and Scholars” at NC State University and the Distinguished 2004 Alumni of the University of Oklahoma.
Mitch is the developer of “MAGNUS OVEA,” a general theory of Officers’ Wellness, Resiliency and Leadership. He is a published scholar with over 890+ conference presentations worldwide to include presentations for Fortune 500 companies as well as top Public Safety organizations including FBI NAA, Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA), HIDTA, National Tactical officers Association (NTOA), California Police Chiefs Associations, National Sheriffs Association (NSA), Women Leadership in law Enforcement (WLLE), California Chief of Police Association (CATO), and may other national and state associations. As well, he has provided educational programs for NYPD, LAPD, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, Ogden Police Department, NC State Patrol, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Walnut Creek Police Department and 200+ other agencies nationwide.
His most recent co-authored article was published in the Police Chief Magazine. Two of his coauthored articles have been published by the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin ~ “Human Factors: Police Leaders Improving Safety While Developing Meaningful Public Trust” and “Unbundling Beliefs and Values.” His select books include “Deliberate Leadership: Achieving Success Through Personal Styles,” “Handbook of Research on Effective Communication, Leadership, and Conflict Resolution”, and “Moral Compass for the Law Enforcement Professionals”.
Dr. Javidi was the recipient of prestigious “Person of the Year” award by the National Society of Accountants ~ Senator William Victor “Bill” Roth, Jr. “Roth IRA” received the award in the following year.
M
ichael Apter Ph.D.
Focus: Emotional Resiliency
Michael Apter was born in 1939, and spent his early life in Bristol (UK), attending Clifton College before going on to Bristol University where he obtained a B.Sc in 1960, and a Ph.D in 1965. He also spent a graduate year in Princeton and a graduate year in King’s College London while working on his doctorate. He was on the faculty of Cardiff University from 1967 to 1988, being awarded a Readership in Psychology in 1984. During the seventies, collaborating with the psychiatrist Kenneth Smith, he established the foundations of a new theory of personality, motivation and emotion that became known as “Reversal Theory.” This has generated much research and been the subject of numerous books, papers, international conferences and dissertations. There is also an International Reversal Theory Society, and a Reversal Theory Journal (The Journal of Motivation, Emotion and Personality: Reversal Theory Studies). In 1988 he emigrated to the United States where, in parallel with consultancy work, he has held visiting faculty positions at Purdue, Chicago, Northwestern, Yale and Georgetown. He has also had visiting positions in Toulouse (France), Marseilles (France), Barcelona (Spain), Bergen (Norway), Louvain (Belgium) and elsewhere. In 1998, with colleagues, he set up a management consultancy company based in the UK – Apter International – using reversal theory for such purposes as self-development, team-building, leadership, and social advocacy. Subsequently offices were set up in the U.S.A. and a sister company – Apter France – was established in Paris. He has written or edited 19 books, together with numerous research papers, conference presentations and book chapters. He has given invited talks in many countries. His books have been translated into ten languages. Michael Apter is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (since 1978) and a Fellow of the Netherlands Institute of Advanced Studies (since 1985). He lives in Louisiana with his wife Mitzi Desselles who has an endowed chair in Psychology at Louisiana Tech University. They have three daughters and three grandsons.
Ian Hesketh, Ph.D, United Kingdom Police Services
Focus: Officer Wellbeing
Dr. Ian Hesketh is an Organisational Psychologist. He is a 30yr veteran of the UK police service. Dr Hesketh is the Wellbeing Lead for the UK College of Policing and also supports the National Health and Wellbeing forum, established by Prof Sir Cary Cooper with Alliance Business School, University of Manchester in the UK. He is an Honorary Researcher at Lancaster University Management School and a Visiting Fellow at the Open University Business School. He is also a visiting lecturer at several other Universities. He holds a PhD in Management and Social Psychology and an MBA from Lancaster University. He is a Chartered Manager (CMgr), and holds Qualified Teaching, Learning and Skills (QTLS) status with the Society for Education and Training. His research interests are centered on Wellbeing and has written two books on the subject. Ian introduced and labelled the concept of Leaveism to explain human behaviours associated with workplace workload and stress. In 2011 his article on Transformational Leadership During Change was voted one of the Top 5 Management Articles by the Chartered Management Institute in the UK. He is the author of numerous academic and trade papers on workplace wellbeing, change and public value. His current work is centered on trauma exposure and roles within policing that involve increased psychological risks; and responses thereto. He is a Member of the Society for Education and Training, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Cathy Greenberg, Ph.D
It takes someone with special insights into the workings of the human mind and the human spirit to help top U.S. military become even better at their jobs. Dr. Cathy Greenberg has those insights. For the past few years, this renowned entrepreneur, educator, bestselling author and leadership expert has applied her remarkable methods about creating fearless leaders to the elite within the U.S. Army, the Navy and Special Forces. Dr. Cathy Greenberg even helps those who’ve already achieved great things in life to recognize the power and potential they don’t know that they have. For Dr. Greenberg – who has a PhD in behavioral sciences and is an internationally recognized authority on human behavior – the keys to becoming a fearless leader include optimizing one’s emotional intelligence, stretching one’s comfort zone and developing a guiding moral courage. She has created a system to help potential leaders develop these qualities. Dr. Greenberg is one of the few coaches and thought leaders to have realized the powerful insight that mindfulness – being present in the world – and balancing all aspects of one’s life and work create truly fearless leaders. She has worked creating and fostering leadership for much of her career. Most recently, Dr. Greenberg created the above-mentioned custom-tailored leadership and self-actualization programs for the Special Operations community including SWAT, and Navy Special Warfare (which includes SEALs and Special Warfare Combat Crews as featured in Act of Valor). She also just completed a series of training videos for flag officers at the Pentagon. In addition, Dr. Greenberg is an educator and entrepreneur, often combining the two fields in her work on behalf of fostering leadership, workplace efficiency and happiness, and in showing how emotional intelligence ensures better performance, greater job satisfaction, higher profits and overall corporate stability. She was named one of the Top 50 Female Entrepreneurs by Executive Excellence, a journal on leadership from the renowned pioneer in leadership studies, Warren Bennis.
Dr. Mark L. Whitman, Police Chief (Ret.)
Focus: Officer Burnout
Dr. Mark Whitman completed a near forty year career in law enforcement in 2010 after serving as a Police Chief and or a Police Commissioner in three different venues. Dr. Whitman made the decision to finish his Ph.D. rather than search for another Chief’s Position. He received his Bachelor Degree from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, and a Masters in Community Service Administration from Alfred University, Alfred, NY, and his Doctorate in Public Safety Leadership/Criminal Justice from Capella University in 2013. He is a graduate of the FBINA 165th and the FBI LEEDS 43rd. He has provided Leadership training for the NYS Executive Development Program, Mid-South Training Institute, Mississippi Police Chiefs Association and the New Jersey Police Chiefs Association. He served as the Chairman of the NYS Municipal Police Training Council (NYS Post Certification equivalent) and was elected by his peers as President of the NYS Police Chiefs Association and the General Chair of the State Association of Police Chiefs within the IACP.
He began his career with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, which was interrupted by the U.S. Military Draft and he returned for a short period of time after receiving an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army. He then received a civil service appointment in his hometown police department of Hornell, NY. He served 21 years in the rank(s) of Patrol Officer, Sergeant, Captain and fifteen years as the Police Chief. He served as a Military Police Investigator during his military service at a work release prison, U.S. Army Retraining Brigade, Ft. Riley, KS.
In 1996 he accepted the Police Commissioners position in Troy, NY. Troy is a diverse community of approximately 54,000 people located in the Capital District of New York (Albany, Troy, and Schenectady, NY). Troy is the home of Uncle Sam, along with Rensselaer Poly-Technical Institute, Russell Sage College, Hudson Valley Community College, Emma Willard Prep-School, is intersected by major roadways traversed by hundreds of thousands of tourist making their way into the Berkshire or Green Mountains of the Northeast for recreation both in summer and winter. During the first three years of my tenure in Troy, it was under the financial control of the New York State Comptroller. At the same time Troy elected to go back to the strong Mayor/Council form of government removing the City Manager/Council from the charter. Troy, NY was five times the size of Hornell, NY and he was Police Commissioner during some its darkest days.
In 2003 he retired from NYS and accepted the position of Police Commissioner in York, PA, one-time manufacturing mecca that has been reduced to rusting hulls of factories and significant crime and economic concerns similarly situated with Troy, NY. In both locations the deep reduction in crime and fear of crime relied heavily on attitude modification by police and community. Crime rates were cut and the community was an active participant. In York, PA., He led the Federal Weed and Seed Program bringing over forty agencies together with the police to create a vision and gain momentum toward that vision. He is quoted as describing police and community change akin to turning a battleship in a bathtub.
His success is credited with being an innovative and transitional leader with demonstrated organizational, analytical and communications skills in managing change and specializing in turnarounds and establishing organizational professionalism. A knowledgeable leader with a proven track record of executive development establishing organizational legacy, building community and agency relationships vital for organizational success and has been selected by peers to lead professional organizations on their behalf; possessing leadership vision with achievement-oriented foresight; a dedicated team player who is able to work independently as well as within an organizational framework.
Upon leaving the police vocation, Dr. Whitman was an Adjunct at Alfred State College, Alfred, NY. He was the content specialist in the development of the new Criminal Justice Program, A.S. & B.S. Programs. The original programs were accepted by SUNY and the NYS Education Department the first time through the process. He is currently an Associate Professor in a Tenure Track. He has published:
- The Police Chief, November 2005. ”The Culture of Safety: No One Gets Hurt Today.” Pg.20-27.Mark Whitman and Christopher Smith.
- Investigating the correlation between preemployment screening and predicting unethical behavior in police candidates (Whitman, 2013).
- Drink, Swear, Steal & Lie: Leadership in Four Easy Steps. OER SUNY Textbooks. (Whitman, 2018).
- Ethics in Life and Vocation. OER SUNY Textbooks. (Whitman, 2018).
- Currently, Dr. Whitman is researching “Burnout” as a symptom of the job and not the result from the job. “Attitude is everything, so pick a good one!”
Master Sergeant Andrew J. Post
United States Air Force
Focus: Airmen Resiliency and Wellbeing
Master Sergeant Andrew J. Post is the Commandant, Rogers Airman Leadership School, 802d Force Support Squadron, 502d Air Base Wing, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio, Lackland Texas. Master Sergeant Post leads a seven member instructor cadre in the delivery of the 192 hour ALS curriculum in the largest ALS in the CONUS, graduating 672 students annually. Additionally, he ensures compliance with Air Force policies and programs by evaluating the facilitation of 30 EPME course subjects, and preparing the 26K square foot facility through judicous mamangement of a $70K annual budget.
Master Sergeant Post entered the Air Force in January 2003. He has an extensive experience in Air Force communications systems. His background includes theater deployable network infrastructure and telephones; Air Operations Center Falconer weapon system support; and the acquisition, depot maintenance, and lifecycle management of offensive and defensive cyber weapon systems. In 2009, he was one of 15 communications technicians selected to deploy with Army Special Operations Forces to Afghanistan in support of intelligence collection missions for OEF. Before assuming his current position, Master Sergeant Post was the Superintendent of the Responsive Cyber Acquisitions Branch in the Cryptologic and Cyber Systems Division and was responsible for the operations and management of 250 military and civilian personnel providing the only lifecycle acquisitions programs for cyber weapons in the Air Force. His assignments include bases in Arizona, Texas, and Germany. Master Sergeant Post assumed his current position in February 2017.
Dr. Richard Conroy, Criminal Justice, FBI NA#150, Dallas Baptist University
Focus: Officers Emotional Intelligence
Dr. Richard Conroy’s combined law enforcement and academic experience extends over four decades. Specific to law enforcement, he has served as a Director of Police at the university level, an Assistant Chief of Police at the municipal level, and a Special Agent in Charge at the state level. Prior to executive level leadership positions, he worked through the law enforcement career ranks, including communications, uniformed patrol, canine, undercover operations, and criminal investigations. Rich is a results oriented problem-solver with experience and career long work in the specialized area of public safety crisis intervention. He has participated in numerous critical incident stress debriefings (CISD) as a member of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). Rich is a graduate of the 150th session of the FBI National Academy as well as a life-member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). He is a member of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and has held membership in the FBI National Academy Associates in four different states.
Dr. Conroy holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University, as well as a master of science degree in criminal justice administration from Rollins College and a bachelor‘s degree from the University of Richmond. His dissertation research interest is in the area of emotional intelligence and performance measurement in law enforcement and included using the Multifactor Measure of Performance™ instrument to predict leadership styles in sheriffs’ and chief deputies throughout the United States. This was the initial use of the MMP3™ assessment tool in a doctoral level study and included a partnership with the National Sheriffs’ Association.
Dr. Conroy has served as a law enforcement agency accreditation manager and has published in the Law Enforcement Today, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, The Sheriff and Deputy Magazine, and The Florida Police Chief magazine on public safety topics including emotional intelligence and crisis intervention. He has taught as a police academy faculty member and is a faculty member in the Caruth Police Institute (TX) leadership development series. Rich has also designed recruit level, role-play training as well as online training in crisis intervention across the curriculum for other certified trainers. He is a certified practitioner/consultant in emotional intelligence using the EQ-i 2.0 and the EQ360 assessments.
Dr. Conroy has held faculty or administrative positions at Weber State University, Columbia College (MO), Armstrong State University, and Dallas Baptist University. His academic responsibilities have included grant writing, online distance learning course development, campus director and leadership mentoring of adjunct faculty across disciplines—including criminal justice. He is currently an assistant professor of criminal justice and leadership, teaching graduate and undergraduate classes in crisis intervention, criminal law, criminal procedure, organization and administration, law enforcement ethics, and criminology. Dr. Conroy and his wife have been married for over 40 years and have two children and three grandchildren.
