Aaron brings over 25 years of instructional experience, ranging from graduate-level teaching to leading seminar-style sessions for both public and private sector organizations. Previously, he served as a master instructor for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Instructor Development Program, and has taught at numerous colleges and police organizations. Aaron's instructional administrative roles have included coordinating law enforcement academies/jail academies, managing continuing education programs, and developing national criminal justice/social service-related programs. Additionally, Aaron worked as a police officer for nearly 20 years and found great fulfillment in serving the community. He holds a graduate degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Public Finance, as well as degrees in Adult Learning and Community College Leadership.

Anne LaFrinier-Ritchie, White Earth Anishinaabe, works as a Safe Harbor Regional Navigator for Someplace Safe in West Central Minnesota. Anne has worked in the anti-trafficking field in direct services and training and technical assistance in Minnesota and North Dakota since 2016, with previous history in advocacy and tribal child welfare. She is a 2020 graduate of National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center's (NHTTAC) Human Trafficking Leadership Academy Class 5. Anne consults on a national level on serving Indigenous survivors and also serves on local and national domestic violence and tribal boards.

Brandon spent a decade with the U.S. Customs Service as a Canine Enforcement Officer and an Inspector. While in Customs, Brandon delivered motivational workshops to various groups within the Treasury Department. Brandon went to work for a Fortune 200 Corporation as their Director of Training & Development. He later launched his own training and development company, Success Strategies. His roles enabled him to develop and deliver workshops and seminars nationwide. Since moving to Cottonwood in 2014, he has been active in the community as a part of MATFORCE, CASA, a Verde Valley Leadership graduate, and former CrossFit gym owner/coach. Currently, as a Cottonwood Police Officer, he is helping and serving others at a new level as the School Resource Officer at Mingus Union High School. The SRO is a key component to the department’s community policing and crime prevention efforts in Cottonwood. The Program focuses on fostering positive relationships with youth and reducing crime in schools.

Bryan Kastelic began his path to law enforcement while serving 10 years in the US Army Infantry (4 years active duty & 6 years WI Army National Guard). Bryan joined the Brown County Sheriff’s Department in 1996 where he served as Patrol Officer (2 years), Narcotics Investigator (6 years), DARE / GREAT Instructor (2 years) and held additional duties as a member of the Brown County Emergency Response Unit (6 years) and Unified Tactical Instructor. In 2006, Bryan joined DCI and served as a narcotics Special Agent in the Milwaukee Field Office and North Central HIDTA / DEA Task Force 63 until 2012. From 2007 to 2022, Bryan served on the WI Joint Tactical Team as a sniper team leader, UTT instructor and commander. Bryan served from 2012 until retiring in 2023 as the Native American Drug & Gang Initiative (NADGI) Task Force Commander.

Carly Hiti is the Safe Harbor Youth Advocate at the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA) in Duluth, MN. In her current role, Carly provides supportive services across 4 counties to youth who have experienced sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and/or sex trafficking. Prior to this role, she worked with homeless and runaway youth in a shelter setting providing basic needs and care to youth involved in child protection matters. In addition to direct services, Carly provides education and outreach to students in local middle and high schools, trains professionals on how to connect with and support youth, and frequently collaborates with prosecution, child protection, law enforcement, and juvenile corrections to support youth in a variety of settings. Carly has earned certifications in Sexual Assault Advocacy, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and ChildFirst® Forensic Interviewing Protocol.

Carolyn joined the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2021. She currently serves as a Project Coordinator for multiple anti-human trafficking projects, including Building Agency Capacity: A Toolkit for Human Trafficking Investigations and the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program for Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Forces. She was previously on the Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities team where she worked to enhance law enforcement response to individuals with mental health crises and to reduce the number of deaths and injuries of individuals with forms of dementia or developmental disabilities who may wander due to their condition. Prior to joining the IACP, Carolyn interned at the Arlington County (VA) Police Department in the Homicide/Robbery Unit and the Madison (WI) Police Department in the Burglary Crime Unit.

During his career, David was assigned to the Patrol, Criminal Investigations and Special Investigation Divisions of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD). David has been attached to two federal task forces for extended durations. The first was the FBI's Violent Crime/Fugitive Task Force (VC/FTF). David was responsible for locating and apprehending fugitives in the United States and abroad. The second task force was the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), where he was since the terror attacks of 9/11 until retirement in 2015. When not detached to multi-agency task forces, David worked on the FLPD Robbery and Burglary Units as well as the Vice Squad. After reaching full retirement from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, David was hired by the Coral Springs (Florida) Police Department where he became a School Resource Officer in the 6th largest school district in the United States.

David is currently a Senior Probation Officer in Cottonwood, Arizona. He's currently a Probation Resource Officer for Yavapai County Juvenile Probation. David has been with the County since June 2011. David has supervised different caseloads including standard, intensive, drug court, and crossover youth. He has been a Defensive Tactics instructor since 2013. Prior to becoming a Juvenile Probation Officer, David worked for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Officer in the Jail. He also was a Youth Pastor for a decade in Orange County and Los Angeles County. He received his bachelor’s degree from Sterling College and his master’s degree from Vanguard University of Southern California. As the PRO, David currently works with several schools in the Verde Valley area to help with decreasing truancy, addressing student behaviors, and providing support to the school resource officer, staff, students, and community. He also coaches football at Mingus Union High School.

Doneica is currently a Juvenile Probation Supervisor in Prescott, AZ. She has been with Yavapai County since May 2006. Starting out as a dispatcher then trying her hand at the jail, she found her passion as a Juvenile Probation Officer. She has supervised caseloads of standard, intensive, drug court and crossover youth. She holds a bachelor’s degree from NAU and a master’s degree from Ashford University. Prior to the 2021-2022 school year commencing, Doneica collaborated with area partners and created the Probation Resource Officer initiative. It was created to decrease truancy, address delinquency, provide support to students and educators while connecting youth to community resources. PRO was launched in October 2021. Since that time, the engagement with county-wide schools has grown to over 40 institutions with an average of over 800 youth interacting with a PRO yearly. This is one of her proudest accomplishments to be a part of the creation and execution of PRO in Yavapai County.

Ed O’Carroll began his public service career as an Emergency Medical Technician and Assistant Chief with an ambulance squad in Suffolk County, New York. Relocating to Virginia as a young adult, Ed joined the Fairfax County Police Department on September 11, 1989. He retired as a major/bureau chief in 2023, concluding a distinguished career of nearly 34 years. Throughout his tenure, Major (ret.) O’Carroll held every rank from cadet to major. His final role was as the Bureau Chief of Major Crimes, Cyber, and Forensics, where he led investigations into criminal and violent crimes, managed victim services, search and rescue operations, the crime analyst team, human trafficking cases, missing persons, and the Language Services Support Unit. In retirement, Ed has had the honor of leading numerous training sessions for the National Criminal Justice Training Center. He remains dedicated to advancing the use of technology in law enforcement to tackle unresolved cases.

Eric Cybulski graduated from the University of Iowa in 2014 and subsequently commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. After completing six years of service in the Marine Corps, Eric joined the FBI as a Special Agent in early 2021. After graduating from the FBI Academy, Eric was assigned to the New York Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force where he focused on critical threat response. He now serves on the Domestic Terrorism Squad on the JTTF, where he focuses on investigations related to the emerging threat known as 764.

Jeffrey is an author and founder of The Living Undeterred Project. He is also the host of The Living Undeterred Podcast.

Jeffrey Yarbrough is a school safety expert with 28 years of law enforcement experience. He is currently the Police Chief for the Hutto Police Department in Hutto, Texas. He created and served as the inaugural police chief of two Texas ISD police departments. The largest district served a population of over 51,000 students. Jeffrey developed a school safety model called the Four Pillars of School Safety and Policing as a national standard for effective, innovative, and transformative school safety. He authored an academic book called The Four Pillars of School Safety and Policing: A Transformative Four Pillar Model, published in August 2023 by the prestigious Routledge, Taylor, & Francis Publishing Company. The publisher has been in existence since 1836 and published original works of Einstein, Wittgenstein, and Freud. For his work, Chief Yarbrough received the TCOLE state award for professional achievement and outstanding alumni award from Texas A&M University School of Education.

Jesse Crowe has been in law enforcement since 1993 where he worked in local law enforcement and has held the positions of patrol officer, School Resource Officer, Detective, and Detective Sergeant. In 2010 Jesse was hired by the Wisconsin Department of Justice - Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) as a Special Agent and was assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. Jesse now holds the position of Special Agent in Charge and supervises ICAC Investigations in field offices in Wausau, and Eau Claire. Jesse is the Commander for the Wisconsin ICAC Task Force and the Commander for the DCI Child Abduction Response Team (CART). Jesse has conducted hundreds of investigations into the online sexual exploitation of children and has extensive investigative experience in peer-to-peer and online undercover chat.

Julie A. Knop is the Director of the Child Abuse Training Program for the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan. She began her career at PAAM as the Child Abuse Training Coordinator in 1998 and in 2002 accepted the position of Department Head. Ms. Knop has more than 20 years of experience in developing, implementing, and training child abuse topics to investigators including CPS, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, SRO’s and Child Advocacy Staff. Over the course of her employment Ms. Knop has become an expert in Michigan’s Forensic Interviewing protocol, training thousands of child abuse professionals on this and many other topics.

Laura Clary is a Registered Nurse, Forensic Nurse Examiner & Director of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center Sexual Assault Forensic Examination, Domestic Violence & Child Protection Program. She has been a Nurse for over 14 years. She is certified to care for patients across the lifespan that have been victims of sexual assault, child abuse, intimate partner violence and human trafficking. Mrs. Clary holds National professional certification as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE-A / SANE-P) from the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN). She is a Maryland Board of Nursing approved Forensic Nursing Instructor and has taught and precepted nurses, physicians, social workers, and law enforcement from all over the country. She is a member of the IAFN, as well as the Maryland Child Abuse Medical Providers Network, Chair of the Baltimore County SART, and partners with the Maryland Center for School Safety to train SRO's across the state on the victimization of youth.

Laura Cook is a Program Manager with National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) responsible for coordinating training and technical assistance projects in the areas of human trafficking, financial exploitation, and abuse of older adults. In this role, she primarily conducts research, consults with subject matter experts, assists with curriculum development, and presents training seminars. Laura has conducted many trainings seminars, conference workshops, and webinars on financial crimes, exploitation, and trauma-informed care. She currently oversees a project that trains law enforcement on victim-centered responses to transnational elder fraud. She also manages NW3C’s TraffickSTOP (Signs to Observe and Prevent), a project that teaches students about identifying and preventing human trafficking. In addition, Laura facilitates NW3C’s Targeting Investment Fraud course. Laura earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her law degree from Temple University.

Lauren Maldonado was a 4th grade teacher for 7 years before transitioning to law enforcement. She is a police officer with Deerfield Police Department, serving 4 years as an SRO. Lauren has received officer of the year award during the 2022 school year for the department. She has been involved in creating various community events within her department such as: Community Roll Call Coffee with a Cop, cram a Cruiser, Junior Police Academy Books & Badges, Pack the gym night, and Police & Fire vs 8th grader basketball game. Lauren is also in charge of training for Lake County SRO's for Lake County, Illinois.

Special Agent Maria Miller has been with the FBI since 2014. She has a PhD in Criminal Justice and master’s in applied Statistics from Indiana University. She is currently assigned to the FBI Milwaukee Joint Terrorism Task Force where she serves as an investigator as well as the Threat Management Coordinator (TMC). As the TMC, she provides training to a wide range of personnel in Wisconsin who are involved in threat assessment and threat management as well as coordinating meetings between key stakeholders on a case-by-case basis. She also provides referrals to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) on complex local matters as well as federal matters, and she works closely with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Threat Analysis Unit and the Office of School Safety.

Marshall started his WI law enforcement career in 2002 as a police officer for the University of Wisconsin – Madison Police Department. Marshall worked patrol for 10 years. During that time, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Management of Criminal Justice and then obtained a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. He was promoted to detective in 2012 & attended the Digital Forensics Certificate program at Madison Area Technical College. He performed digital forensics for UWPD & other police agencies in Dane County. In addition to his digital forensics role, he functioned as lead investigator in persons crimes & cases involving computers/computer networks. In 2017, he was hired as a special agent with the WI Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation & was one of two special agents tasked to investigate cybercrimes throughout Wisconsin. In 2021, he was promoted to Special Agent in Charge & supervises many focus areas within the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center.

Matt holds his degree in law enforcement. His passion for helping kids brought him to the field of education. He brings over 15 years of experience in supporting safety in K-12 education. In Matt’s role he oversees building safety assessments, emergency response training for students and staff. Uses security technology, such as surveillance systems, access control, and alarm systems, to enhance campus safety. Matt has a proven track record of implementing effective safety protocols and emergency response plans that help create a secure and nurturing learning environment.

Megan M. Aukerman, MSW, has specialized in forensically interviewing victims of abuse or neglect for the past fifteen years. Megan was instrumental in developing a neutral interviewing class for SROs and other first responders that work with children. Ms. Aukerman has previously worked in Michigan as a Children’s Protective Services worker and focused on recognizing past trauma symptoms, leading to more successful cases when creating care plans for the children. Megan specialized in investigating sexual abuse cases with a multidisciplinary team approach. Megan spent five years as a CPS supervisor; educating and coaching CPS workers. Ms. Aukerman taught Michigan’s interviewing protocol, The Forensic Interviewing Protocol for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association of Michigan for the past ten years. Recently, Ms. Aukerman developed her own training company, Lake MI Training Inc. Megan provides training on forensic interviewing and interviewing techniques for the first responders.

Dr. Michael Juech has been in K-12 education for over 17 years and has served in various educational roles from a Classroom Teacher to a District Administrator, throughout Wisconsin. Michael completed his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Edgewood College focused on leadership in high functioning organizations. Throughout his career in education, Michael has partnered with safety professionals and first responders to provide comprehensive safety plans and trainings.

Moe McClanahan is a High-Tech Crime Specialist with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). After 20 years in law enforcement, Moe retired from the Christiansburg Police Department (CPD) in Virginia. Moe served her last 8.5 years at CPD as the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Investigator. She has been trained and has worked both reactive and proactive cases including National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cybertips, peer-2-peer investigations, and undercover investigations. During her time as an ICAC Investigator, she trained and educated over 10,000 children, parents, and police officers in Internet safety. Aside from her work at NW3C, Moe also serves as the Director of Training and Education with the Safe Surfin’ Foundation where she continues to educate on Internet safety and volunteers her time with Special Olympics. Moe earned both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice from the University of Northern Colorado.

Special Agent Patrick Beckman has been with the Drug Enforcement Administration since 2016. SA Beckman was originally assigned, upon graduation from the DEA academy to the Chicago Field Division, Rockford Resident Office. In 2022 SA Beckman transferred to the Green Bay Resident Office. His additional duties include firearms instructor and tactical instructor for the DEA Chicago Field Division. Prior to working for the DEA SA Beckman was a trooper with the Illinois State Police for five years and also served in the United States Marine Corps.

Detective Kilpatrick, with over 19 years of dedicated service at the Baltimore County Police Department, has a commendable 16-year tenure as a detective, showcasing his unwavering commitment to upholding the law and pursuing justice. Early in his career, he played a pivotal role in dismantling drug trafficking organizations as a member of the Vice Narcotics Unit. He innovatively used social media to unravel the intricate structures of these illicit networks, even exposing a rogue unit within the Baltimore Police Department, which was documented in the book and TV series "We Own This City." Later, Detective Kilpatrick joined the Special Victims Unit, where his dedication to justice continued to shine. Currently assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit, he skillfully employs digital data to locate suspects involved in heinous crimes like sexual assault and rape, showcasing his proficiency in solving crimes utilizing digital data.

NYPD Detective Sean Quealy is assigned to the domestic terrorism squad on the FBI NY JTTF and is the co-case investigator on the 764 enterprise investigation.

Susan has nearly 25 years’ experience in the Criminal Justice arena to include over 7 years teaching tertiary education. Susan started her criminal justice career in Green Bay at the Green Bay Correctional Institution as a student at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. At the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay she received the honored Chancellor’s Medallion and high honors. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration, she was quickly promoted to Lieutenant with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department. During her tenure with Waukesha, she received her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Criminal Justice Administration. Susan is a master threat assessment trainer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, trained by the I Love You Guys Foundation in standard response protocol and standard reunification method and lead the development of the statewide school threat reporting system-Speak Up Speak Out Wisconsin.

Tamara has spent over 40 years in the criminal justice system, having worked with both offenders and victims. Tamara began her professional career counseling and advocating for domestic violence and sexual assault victims. Starting in 1992, Tamara worked as a probation officer with the federal courts in Alabama for 21 years. Following her retirement in 2013, she began the first Courthouse Facility Dog program in the state. In May 2014, facility dog Willow was placed with Tamara to serve victims and witnesses in the court system. Subsequent to Willow’s retirement, Tamara was matched with facility dog Yahini in May 2021. Tamara currently serves as the Coordinator and Facility Dog Handler for the Office of Prosecution Services HERO program in Montgomery, Alabama. Tamara serves on the International Board of Directors for the Courthouse Dogs Foundation, and is the National Coordinator for Justice Facility Dog, US.

Trisha Mellberg Cater obtained a B.S. degree from Samford University in 1998 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2002. Upon graduation from law school, she began working as an Assistant District Attorney specializing in child sexual and physical abuse cases. In 2006 she was awarded the 2006-2007 Prosecutor of the Year Award by the Governor. In May of 2010 she accepted employment at the Office of Prosecution services as the Sex Offender Resource Prosecutor for the State of Alabama. In 2018 she became the Deputy Director of the Alabama District Attorneys Association and the Office of Prosecution Services. Her duties have included rewriting Alabama’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Laws to become SORNA compliant. Mrs. Cater has also secured funding to create the first statewide facility dog program in the United States, HERO (Help, Empower, Restore, and Overcome). In 2021 she was awarded the VOCAL 2020-2021 Crime Victim Service Award.

Vienna Welch began in the field of probation in 2014 with Yavapai County Juvenile Probation. Vienna has managed caseloads including standard, intensive, diversion while being highly specialized and involved with trafficked youth. Vienna instinctively builds crucial partnerships with stakeholders no matter the task. She has formed collaborations with SROs and school administrators where the integration of resources and support systems for community youth is a reality. This significant accomplishment marks the first-ever such partnership in Yavapai County. Vienna's dedication and contributions earned her the honor of being voted Officer of the Year for Yavapai County in both 2016 and 2018. She plays a pivotal part in imparting evidence-based practices to Juvenile Court personnel and sharing her expertise in human trafficking with probation officers at the PO Academy. Vienna’s tireless efforts pioneering the PRO initiative has just begun improving the lives of those in the community.