Ann Garvin, Ph.D. is the USA Today Bestselling author of I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around, The Dog Year, and On Maggie's Watch. Ann is a professor of Health Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a professor of writing at Miami University in their Masters of Fine Arts program. She is the founder of the Tall Poppy Writers, a unique author-driven marketing cooperative in the U.S. that is exclusive to female authors who traditionally publish in a variety of genres. The TPW is the only marketing group of it's kind and boasts Frances Ford Coppola Winery as a partner. She is a sought-after speaker on health, leadership and writing and has taught extensively across the country and internationally.

Beth Jasiak works with the Appleton Police Department, serving as the Assistant to the Chief and the Volunteer Program Coordinator. (Still loving it - having served six Chiefs!) Beth has been a member of the LEAP Advisory Board since its inception and is grateful for the opportunity to tap into the vast resources of her peers. She values the strong network forged within the group. Beth has been a Police & Fire Commission member for 22 years, first with Fox Valley Metro Police Department and currently in the City of Kaukauna. She is also on the Kaukauna Public Library Foundation Board, where she is helping to fundraise for what she sees as the “most incredible library in northeast WI”. She received her education in court reporting at Bliss College in Columbus, Ohio. Beth enjoys spending time with her family, including her three grandsons, and tries to get up north fishing as often as possible.

Brad Kurczek has been in law enforcement since 2005 and with Berlin Police Department since 2006. He is currently a supervisor, investigator, DAAT Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Ballistic Shield Instructor, Less Lethal Munition instructor and member of the Combined Tactical Unit.

Chief Brian Hoelzel has worked for the Waupaca Police Department since 1994. Chief Hoelzel was a patrol officer from 1994 - Oct. 2002 where he was promoted to Detective Sergeant. During this time frame, Chief Hoelzel was an investigator, drug officer, and patrol supervisor. Chief Hoelzel remained in that position until October of 2016 where he became the Chief of Police. Chief Hoelzel is a 1988 graduate of Menasha High School and a 1992 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Platteville where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice.

She conducts and oversees a variety of criminal justice research and program evaluation efforts. Connie also serves as the Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) Director for Wisconsin, is serving on the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) Board of Directors, and is a member of the Research Advisory Committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Connie brings approximately 20 years of research, analysis, and teaching experience on statistics and criminal justice topics and holds a Ph.D. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University, M.S. in Criminology from Florida State University, and B.A. in Criminology and Law Studies and Psychology from Marquette University.

Derek is the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program Manager within the Bureau of Justice Information and Analysis (BJIA) at the Wisconsin Department of Justice. With over thirteen years of experience with the Wisconsin UCR program, Derek has a thorough knowledge of the operations and functions of the program, has extensive data management and analysis experience, and has led the efforts in recent years to enhance and improve the functioning of the UCR program. He previously served as the president of the Association of State Uniform Crime Reporting Programs, and currently serves as a member on the FBI’s UCR Subcommittee, the FBI’s National Use-of-Force Taskforce, and Wisconsin’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Data Sharing Subcommittee. Derek also assisted with the development of Wisconsin’s Traffic Stop Data Collection program and has extensive knowledge in the collection, research, and analysis of criminal justice information among state and local systems.

Georgia Trochinski has been in law enforcement since 1993 and with the Berlin Police Department since 2001. She has been a supervisor, investigator, and is currently the Police School Liaison Officer for the department.

Master Sergeant Heather Hansen began her career in Law Enforcement in 1989, in corrections, probation and was a police and fire dispatcher from 1991 until 1995, when she began her career as a Trooper with the Illinois State Police. As a Trooper in the Chicagoland area, Heather was assigned to a special enforcement team that focused on gangs, guns, drugs, reckless drivers and DUIs. She has served in many roles in the last twenty-nine years. She has been the crime scene investigator for over 1000 major cases including hundreds of death investigations, scenes with multiple deaths, entire families and a few nationally covered cases.

Holly Nilles has been the Business Office Manager and Administrative Assistant at the City of Verona, WI Police Department since August of 2010. She loves to serve, whether it be for members of her department or for the community. Outside VPD, Holly is a Revelation Wellness Certified Group Fitness Instructor and NGA (National Gym Association) Certified Personal Trainer, and she uses those certifications by offering free fitness classes to anyone in or near her community, as well as online. She has been active as a fitness instructor for the past 17 years, but since 2016 she has taught fitness solely on a volunteer basis through her fitness ministry, Forward Fit. Holly loves pouring into others and teaches her classes with an emphasis on training the heart and allowing the body to follow.

Sergeant Ignacio Enriquez is an eleven-year veteran of the Appleton Police Department and has four-years of experience as a Juvenile Corrections Officer in the State of California. Sgt. Enriquez has served as a patrol officer, school resource officer, and is currently the Behavioral Health Officer for the Appleton Police Department. As a behavioral health officer, Sgt. Enriquez is responsible for conducting crisis interventions, safety planning, and connecting citizens to mental health services. Sgt. Enriquez further serves as the department’s main resource of mental health and substance abuse information, training, and officer wellness. He is also a founding member of the Officer Wellness Committee and is a Peer Support Officer for the department. Sgt. Enriquez earned a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and is a Licensed Professional Counselor-In-Training.

Chief Mignon has been with the Brillion Police Department since 1993. Prior, Mignon worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and also for the City of Waupaca Dispatch Center. She started out as part-time patrol officer and part-time Administrative Assistant. She became a full-time officer with the department in 1995. While at the department, she was the school resource officer, department evidence technician, public information officer, and department investigator. On December 19, 2007 Investigator Mignon was promoted to Captain. In August 2009 the City of Brillion and the Village of Reedsville signed a contract for part-time services and Jo Ann held dual roles as the City of Brillion Police Captain and the Police Chief for the Village of Reedsville. On September 23, 2013, she was promoted to Chief of the Brillion Police Department and the two positions were combined so she is continuing the dual roles as the Chief for the Village of Reedsville and City of Brillion.

Sheriff John Matz has been with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office since 1990. During his tenure, he has held the rank of Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain, before being sworn in as Sheriff in 2011, where he is currently serving his third term. Throughout his career, John has been heavily involved in the agency’s SWAT Team, serving in all facets to include Tactical Commander. John also has 30 years of military experience in the Wisconsin Army National Guard retiring as Command Sergeant Major in 2017. John was deployed along with his son to Iraq in 2009-2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. John holds a Bachelor of Science from UW Oshkosh, and is a graduate of the National Sheriff’s Academy as well as the FBI National Academy.

Captain Lara Vendola-Messer has been with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office since 1996. While the majority of that time spent was in the Patrol Division, she is currently assigned as the Communications Captain. She served as the Team Commander for the Hostage Negotiation Team, is CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) trained, and currently serves on the Boards of the N.E.W. Mental Health Connection and the Fox Valley Critical Incident Stress Management Team. She is one of a handful of statewide Team Leaders for the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG) and serves as the secretary for the accreditation user group Wisconsin Police Accreditation Coalition (WI-PAC). She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree of Public Administration, both from UW Oshkosh, and she is also an Adjunct Instructor in the University of Wisconsin Platteville Criminal Justice program.

Brian Amenson has served 21 years as an officer for the following departments (UW-Green Bay Police, Pulaski Police Department, Shawano Police Department, Ashwaubenon Public Safety). Brian currently is a Lieutenant with Ashwaubenon Public Safety. He has served Ashwaubenon for the past 16 years, 8 as a Lieutenant. Brian leads many community activities for the department, such as Citizen’s Academy, Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), and Active Shooter Preparedness. He believes strongly in the value of community engagement and giving back to your community.

Tamara started her law enforcement career in 1995 with the San Jose, California Police Department. For ten years, she worked in various capacities as a patrol officer, field training officer and as a detective in the Gang Investigations Unit. She was with the Gang Investigations Unit for three years before leaving in 2005 to accept a position with the Sheboygan Police Department as a Patrol Officer. In 2009, she was appointed a School Resource Officer and was promoted to Detective in March 2012. Tamara joined the Federal Human Trafficking Task Force –Eastern District of WI in 2013 and has investigated dozens of Human Trafficking cases, involved in both state and federal prosecution. In 2016 Remington was assigned to the Wisconsin State Human Trafficking Task Force Work Group to develop Wisconsin Child Sex Trafficking and Exploitation Indicator & Response Guide which was released in 2017. In 2018 Remington was asked to be on the Wisconsin State Human Trafficking Advisory Committee.

Officer Wesley Zube has worked for Waupaca Police Department since 2012 and is the Police School Liaison Officer and a Field Training Officer.