Lindsey Alli, MBA, CLEE Sergeant, Cadet Program Coordinator, Recruiting Unit

Columbus Division of Police

Sergeant Lindsey Alli has been a dedicated and accomplished member of the Columbus Police Department for the past 13 years, serving the citizens of Franklin County, while striving to create unity between the community and the police.  Currently, she is a Recruiting Sergeant in charge of the Cadet Program, and Public Safety Corps (PSC) Youth Program. Prior to implementing the Cadet Program, a paid internship for young adults with a desire to be law enforcement professionals, Lindsey served 7 years as a Patrol Sergeant tasked with special assignments in the Crime Scene Search Unit and Recruiting. Throughout her career, she has been able to familiarize herself in various areas, taking on roles such as a Field Training Officer, Peer Assistance Team member, Crisis Intervention Team member, Employee Action Review System (EARS) committee member, Awards Committee member, an FOP Grievance Representative, and acquired a seat on the Columbus Civil Service Oral Board Grading Committee. Lindsey is an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) Basic and Defensive Tactics instructor and assists as a guest instructor for The Columbus Division of Police Training Academy.

Furthering her experience as a protective force in the community, Lindsey became a member and instructor of the Teens and Police Service Academy (TAPS) in 2015 and began serving as President of The Ohio Women’s Law Enforcement Network (OWLEN), a seat she still holds in 2020. In addition to ensuring all local citizens benefit from her contributions, Lindsey has devoted time to issues that may not directly be in the forefront. She was the Vice Chair of Drug Safe Worthington (DSW) from 2017-2019, and in 2018, she was appointed to the Commission on Black Girls. This commission enables Lindsey to act as liaison between the law and young black females in need of government officials to shed light on inequities for the community. She is currently an active member of the African American and African Studies Advisory Council (AAASAC) for The Ohio State University and hopes to continue to have a positive impact with her guidance.

Lindsey obtained her Certified Law Enforcement Executive (CLEE) certification through the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) in 2020. She competed an Expert Witness Program at Capital University Law School in 2018 and earned her master’s degree in Business Management, with a concentration in Human Resources from Franklin University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from The Ohio State University. Go Bucks!

Brian S. Arrington Recruitment Coordinator Troop E

Pennsylvania State Police | Bureau of Training and Education

Trooper Brian Arrington served three plus years in the United States Army as a Light Infantry Scout (Recon) Team Leader. While in the US Army he earned a Combat Infantrymen’s Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and three Army Achievement Medals for leadership.

Trooper Arrington has over 30 years of Law Enforcement experience.

He began his law enforcement career in 1991 in San Jose, California with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department (Corrections). While with the Sheriff’s Department Brian achieved the rank of Sergeant and held several assignments such as C.I.R.T. Team Leader (Critical Incident Response Team), the Internal Affairs Unit Supervisor, the Programs Unit Supervisor, the Jail Custody Supervisor and Criminal Investigator.

Trooper Arrington is now a member of the nation’s First and Finest State Police Agency, the Pennsylvania State Police.

Currently Brian is assigned to the Bureau of Training and Education as the Troop E Recruitment Coordinator. Along with recruiting, Trooper Arrington has served in other assignments including Department Instructor for Diversity and Inclusion, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Training Academy Instructor, Certified Police Cyclist, Child Passenger Safety Instructor, Patrol Unit Trooper and as a Physical Readiness Coordinator.

In his private life Brian is the owner and lead instructor of Team TKO-Erie, Trinity Karate Organization, one of the country’s top competitive sport karate schools, TKO-Erie has featured on the reality show Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City and he was previously employed by the ASP Corporation as a Defensive Tactics Trainer.

Trooper Arrington has been recognized by the YMCA Black Achievers Program, Positive Youth Development, Junior Achievement and by the NAACP for his contributions to the community.

Trooper Arrington has dedicated his personal and professional life to public service and continues to be a role model in his community and within the Pennsylvania State Police.

Vereen Barton, MAFP, MPhil Captain, Assistant Division Chief, Director of Investigative & OAO Services

Maryland-National Capital Park Police

Captain Vereen Barton, Asst. Division Chief with Maryland-National Capital Park Police, Prince George's County Division. Education is a priority for Vereen. She attended Butler, Argosy, and Walden University. She earned a bachelor's degree & two master's degrees (Arts Admin., Forensic Psychology and Philosophy). She is working on dissertation for her Doctorate in Forensic Psychology. Vereen was called to serve and has done so for 20+ years. Her career encompasses many areas of first responding to include law enforcement and rescue as a Fire Fighter/EMT, Police Dispatcher, and officer. She moved up the ranks and is currently the Asst. Chief of the Criminal Investigations, the Office of Accountability & Oversight, and Recruiting. Vereen is a 4-time recipient of the MPCTC instructor of the year. Her peers recognize her for excellence in recruiting, training, and program development. Vereen is a true visionary. She met the recruiting challenge by creating the first LE Career Fair in the DMV with a specific focus on public safety jobs. Over 30 agencies attended this event. This created a platform for networking and sharing best practices. Other recognition includes numerous meritorious awards, a Leadership, and Chief's Award. She received external recognition for her service to the community to include the 2019 MLK Award from the University of Maryland Hospital Center's Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center, for her collaborative work with survivors of domestic violence. She received the Edward DeHavine Brown Community Service Award for her commitment to training citizens in CPR. Vereen has numerous professional certificates in various law enforcement leadership training. She is a certified MPCTC Instructor and teaches CPR, Tactical Emergency Casualty Care, Narcan, Ethics, and Report writing. Her organizational affiliation includes ΣΓΡ Sorority Inc., IACP, PERF, APA, and SPCP. She embodies her organization's brand, "Because We Care," demonstrating it in her daily work.

Jennifer A. Beskid, EdD Director, Office of Government & Legislative Affairs

Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

Sam Blonder CEO

Epic Recruiting

Sam Blonder received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in classic film techniques from the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2004, he co-founded Epic and has spent the last 17 years growing this dynamic agency into a creative powerhouse. Under Sam’s leadership Epic will continue to be an industry leader, expanding its services while deftly reaching into new markets. In 2011 Epic expanded into police recruiting. This marriage of top flight creative with targeted digital recruiting is a perfect fit for law enforcement as well as a personally rewarding way to work with the men and women of law enforcement.

Mike Boward Sergeant - Police Personnel and Training Unit

Fort Collins Police Department

Mike Boward has over 25 years of law enforcement experience, including 22 years at his current agency in Fort Collins, Colorado.   He is a Sergeant assigned to the Fort Collins Police Personnel and Training Unit.   Previously he served as a Patrol Sergeant and a Training Officer in the Personnel and Training Unit where he coordinated recruiting, police officer hiring and background investigations.  Boward served as a Criminal Investigations Detective for over six years prior and was a Field Training Officer.   Boward has taught numerous courses locally and around the nation, including Recruiting and Hiring Strategies, Robbery Investigations, Auto Theft, and Criminal Interdiction.  He is a Lead Skills instructor in police driving and a firearms instructor, and instructs in police academies.  Boward earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Andrews University.

Yasmin Brown Captain, Assistant Chief – Support Operations

Maryland-National Capital Park Police

Assistant Chief Yasmin Brown has 20 years of law enforcement experience with the Maryland-National Capital Park Police (Prince George's County Division). Prior to her employment with the Park Police, she served as a dispatcher with the Prince George's County Police Department for 4 years. During her tenure, she has served as Patrol Officer, Mounted Officer, Patrol Sergeant, K-9 Unit Supervisor, Field Training Officer, Field Training Program Coordinator, Patrol Lieutenant, Support Operations Lieutenant, Investigative Operations Captain/Assistant Chief and currently Support Operations Captain/Assistant Chief. Her responsibilities include management of the day-to-day operations of the Communications Division, the Records Section, the Technology Section, and the Training Division. She serves as the lead General/Academic instructor, Master EVOC instructor and lead Defensive Tactics instructor for her agency, as well as a guest instructor at the Prince George's County Police Academy. She also serves as an instructor at the Prince George's Community College Municipal Academy. She is the recepient of numerous awards to include Meritorious Achievement Awards, the Joseph K. Brown Academic Award (2002), MPCTC Instructor of the Year (2013) and the Leadership Award (2020). She attended the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command in 2015 and she completed the IACP Leadership in Police Organization in 2017. She is a dynamic leader with a passion for the profession, a passion for leading, and a strong passion for fostering career development for subordinate employees through training and mentoring. She has been instrumental in building and maintaining positive relationships with other agencies and community leaders and coordinating efforts between multiple agencies for positive operational outcomes. "My personal goal is to develop a police force that is known for its professionalism and dedication to it's officers and to the community that it serves."

Ron Camacho Chief of Police

Chambersburg Borough Police Department

Ron Camacho is an accomplished law enforcement executive with 26 years of experience, most of this time spent in supervisory and management positions. Chief Camacho has successfully trained all patrol ranks, from corporals to captains, on leadership, supervision, discipline, team building, policy development, and mentoring. He retired as the patrol operations captain with the York City (PA) police department, commanding over ninety officers and detectives. Chief Camacho also worked as the patrol commander for the Old Dominion (VA) University Police Department.

Chief Camacho spent time as an international police advisor and trainer in Afghanistan and Mexico. He developed and taught courses for patrol officers and sergeants on command leadership and tactical operations. He also worked in Mexico as the deputy program manager on a State Department police training contract. His duties included supervising the development of police-related courses for Federal and State Mexican law enforcement officers and ensuring the classes were delivered to a high standard.

Chief Camacho is a nationally published author and requested speaker on Emotional Intelligence, Transparency in Policing, Police Leadership, and Ego-related issues. In 2021, Chief Camacho spoke at several conferences on various police leadership topics for the FBI National Academy Association (National Conference), the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, and the Pennsylvania Association of Municipal Managers.     

He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, 239th session, has a Master's of Science in Criminal Justice from Liberty University, and is a Doctoral candidate in Criminal Justice at California University of Pennsylvania. Chief Camacho is currently on the leadership team of a   multi-county criminal justice project looking to increase safety by engaging the public's thoughts and feelings on law enforcement. He became the Chief of the Chambersburg Borough Police Department in July 2016 and started Camacho Consulting LLC, a company that helps public and private sector companies solve leadership and management issues.

Ryan Cantrell Lieutenant

Hayward Police Department

Ryan Cantrell is a lieutenant with the Hayward Police Department (Hayward, CA) and has been in law enforcement for 26 years.  He’s worked in a variety of assignments from 911 Operator, School Resource Officer, Field Training Officer, Detective, Sergeant, Homicide Unit Supervisor, Public Information Officer, Lieutenant, Patrol Watch Commander, and Community Policing Bureau Commander.  He possesses a BS in Criminal Justice Administration and a MS in Law Enforcement Executive Leadership.  For his master’s thesis he did research on the topic of “The Recruitment of 21^st Century Police Officers from the Millennial Generation.”  Currently he is his department’s project manager for recruiting and has been responsible for the development and implementation of new technology and strategies to engage and recruit today’s workforce generation.

Terry Cherry Senior Police Officer

Charleston Police Department

Senior Police Officer Terry Cherry has been with the Charleston Police Department in Charleston, South Carolina, for over nine years and is currently serving as the agency’s recruiter. In 2020, she was selected as an NIJ LEADS scholar and was the recipient of IACP’s 40 under 40. She is currently on the working group of the National Police Foundation’s Council for Police Reforms and Race and was recently selected to receive the NAWLEE Ina Mae “Tiny” Miller Award. Her articles have been published in IACP Police Chief Magazine and online for Police1. Officer Cherry holds a BA from UCLA and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Carly Ferreira Marketing Specialist, Executive Office of the Chief of Police

Metropolitan Police Department

Carly Ferreira attended American University in Washington, DC and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications with a minor in International Business. In 2017, Carly began her marketing career working at Discovery Communications. As an account coordinator within their internal creative agency, she worked on projects for Investigation Discovery (ID), TLC and Discovery Channel's corporate team. Carly later joined the DC Metropolitan Police Department as a marketing specialist and now manages marketing for the Recruiting Division with the goal of hiring a new recruit class each month. Through her current role, Carly has developed a passion for working in law enforcement and national security.

Claudia Gharai Marketing Director

Epic Recruiting

Claudia Gharai received her degree from The Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University in 2008 where she triple majored in PR, Media Analysis & English. She has spent the past 15 years working for both National & boutique advertising agencies as Marketing Director servicing Fortune 500 companies + brands. The combination of strategy, art and science coupled with her knowledge of the multi-channel digital advertising landscape allows Claudia to create purpose-driven solutions, while being a positive force for change with highest quality & quantitative outputs.

Anthony Gibson Sergeant

Charleston Police Department

Sergeant Anthony Gibson started at the Charleston Police Department as an intern in 2013 and now serves as the Recruitment, Selection & Retention Supervisor. In this role, he manages the department's recruitment initiatives, the unit's related research efforts, the implementation of various talent acquisition strategies, and has renewed the agency’s commitment to officer retention through critical research and analysis. Additionally, he oversees the department's commitment to the 30x30 Initiative, numerous mentorship and internship programs, as well as, the selection and hiring processes. Sgt. Gibson believes in blending the strengths of research and data with the dynamic nature of law enforcement to create precise solutions to modern day policing challenges. Sgt. Gibson has a B.S. in Psychology and a Master's of Public Administration. He was also selected as a 2022 National Institute of Justice LEADS Scholar and is managing a research-practitioner partnership to create a predictive model capable of identifying officers at-risk of prematurely leaving the department through the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing’s inaugural Applied Criminology and Data Management cohort.

Dwyane Gill Stand Up Comedian

Michigan State Police Recruitment Coordinator

Feeling his career as a Michigan State Police officer was way too serious for someone considered funny since birth, Dwayne found an outlet for his humor when he first stepped onto a comedy stage at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase in 1993. After only two performances, he joined the ranks of professional comedians with his first paid booking at Gadzooks Comedy Club. A native of Detroit Michigan and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc, Dwayne is taking the comedy world by storm. 

“Right then I knew comedy was what I was here on earth for,” he laughs. “And I’d much rather take laughter than a bullet any time.”

Dwayne’s topics range from current events, men and women relationships to the crazy situations he’s encountered as a police officer. As an actor, Dwayne has appeared in the ABC crime drama Detroit 1-8-7, and the movie “Crave”. He recently shot a pilot for a new sitcom starring him called “Joe vs Joe.”

Dwayne has shared the stage with Louie Anderson, Tim Allen and has opened for the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Dwayne Gill is one of the fastest rising comedians on the national scene today.

Dwayne has appeared in numerous comedy festivals and corporate events around the country. If you have never met a cop with a sense of humor, then it’s obvious you haven’t met Dwayne!

Jonathan Johnson Police Officer

Columbus Division of Police

Officer Jonathan Johnson has been a dedicated member of the Columbus Division of Police for the past ten years.  Officer Johnson is currently assigned to the Recruiting Unit as an instructor for the division’s Cadet Program and a lead mentor in the Public Safety Corps. (PSC) Program.  Officer Johnson’s main role within these programs is to build relationships within central Ohio high schools and to recruit for both youth centered programs and for the department.  Before coming to the Recruiting Unit, Officer Johnson worked as a patrol officer for nine years.  While in patrol, Officer Johnson was a Field Training Officer and a member of the Crisis Intervention Team. Officer Johnson also worked temporary assignments with the division’s INTAC Team (Tactical Narcotics) and the Homicide Unit.  Officer Johnson is also a certified Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) Basic Academy instructor.

Officer Johnson is a graduate from Denison University with a Bachelor’s degree in History and Sociology, and he played basketball for the university.  Officer Johnson is also a member of the Marauders basketball team.  The Marauders, formally known as the Columbus Police basketball team, is the department’s basketball team. Officer Johnson has competed in two World Police and Fire Games in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.  Officer Johnson has used basketball as an effective way to engage youth in the community while working within the police department.  He was an instructional designer for the CPD Basketball Boot Camps that developed partnerships with the local high school coaches and students.

Alex Johnston Chief Creative Officer

Epic Recruiting

Alex Johnston began his production career straight out of college. After receiving his degree from Northern Arizona University, Alex obtained a job as Promotions Producer for a CBS affiliate. After fine-tuning his writing, editing, and production skills, Alex co-founded Epic. At Epic, every day begins with a challenge, and ends with a creative solution. Above all, Alex enjoys the relationship he has with his clients, and discovering new and innovative ways to tell their stories.

Sabih Khan Industry Strategy & GTM Executive for Public Safety & Justice

Salesforce

Sabih Khan joined Salesforce as an Industry Executive for Public Safety & Justice. In this role, he serves as a subject matter expert for Salesforce and its customers in policing technologies—specifically within the areas of digital transformation, business automation, AI, data analytics, and data management. In addition, he leads Salesforce’s go-to-market strategy technology solutions for public safety agencies across the country.

Sabih spent 15 years working in various public safety roles, 10 of which were as a sworn officer. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Chief of the Strategic Initiatives Division at the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Within this role, he led a significant number of wide-ranging initiatives in the nation’s second-largest police department, including its supply chain and logistics response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. He also oversaw CPD’s transformation toward a mobile-only workforce with Samsung DeX. Earlier in his tenure at CPD, he led the development and management of the department’s technology and data analytics strategy while also overseeing six divisions such as Information Services, Data Analytics, Evidence and Recovered Property, Records, Facilities Management, and General Support.

His experience and academic background have helped lead the development of strategies that have increased public safety agencies' analytics capacity and maintain positions as model agencies across the country for innovative policing technology that embraces the philosophy of reducing crime through data-driven policing.
He holds a master’s degree in Predictive Analytics and Data Mining from DePaul University and a bachelor's in Business Finance.

Ryan Layne CEO 

Guardian Alliance Technologies, Inc.

Clint Long Recruiting Services Section

Pennsylvania State Police | Bureau of Training and Education

Trooper Clint Long enlisted with the Pennsylvania State Police in 2010. His first five years of services began in Patrol at Troop H- Harrisburg station. During that time, he served as a full-service patrol Trooper and provided necessary support for a variety of local, state, and federal agencies, including but not limited to assignments such as dignitary protection.

In 2015 Trooper Long transitioned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation within the Pennsylvania State Police. Long worked in an undercover capacity dealing with long term drug investigations in the Drug Law Enforcement Division, Strikeforce Unit. After Strike Force, Trooper Long intercepted illegal narcotics distribution in the Interdiction Unit.

In October of 2020 Trooper Long accepted a position in the Recruitment Services Section. This position provided him the opportunity to create and implement the Hill Impact Program. This program affords high school aged youth the opportunity to take an inside look into the Pennsylvania State Police. They receive several weeks of curriculum geared towards law enforcement and physical fitness training. Trooper Long has dedicated the last 12 years to serving the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and continues to serve his community.

Todd Mickelsen CEO

Converus

Todd Mickelsen has 30+ years of high-tech senior management experience in business development, sales and product management at start-ups and established software giants, including Microsoft. During his 9-year stretch as the CEO at Converus, Todd has led the transition of EyeDetect from a university science project to a fully productized and professional tool used by more than 600 public safety entities, government agencies and companies worldwide for pre-employment screening and investigations. Todd holds a B.S. in marketing and business from Brigham Young University.

Ray Nash President

Police Dynamics Institute

Ray Nash began his 40+-year law enforcement career as a police dispatcher while he was still in high school. After a time as a patrolman and street supervisor, he was appointed Police Chief in Irmo, South Carolina at the tender age of 23. Later, he served as a Training Specialist with the Institute of Police Technology and Management (I.P.T.M.) at the University of North Florida, then returned to his native state for his second tenure as a Police Chief, this time in Summerville, SC.

In 1997, Ray began the first of his three terms as the elected Sheriff in Dorchester County, S.C. He retired as sheriff in 2009 to pursue an overseas mission and, for over three years, supported the international police reform effort in Afghanistan where he served as the Criminal Justice Adviser for the US Embassy and Professional Development Director for the International Police Coordination Board.
In 2013, Ray founded Focal Point Investigations and serves as its Chief Investigator.

Sheriff Nash has provided consulting services and leadership training to law enforcement agencies for over 30 years. In 1998, he founded the Police Dynamics Institute to provide character-based leadership training and technical services on an international basis. He has personally trained over 15,000 police officers, government officials, and business leaders from around the world in his character-based training program called Police Dynamics.

Ray has visited Romania three times to present Police Dynamics to their National Police. He also traveled to Sierra Leone, Africa to train their national police and military leaders. In addition, Ray has trained Russian Police Commanders at the Moscow Police College (held in the US) and over 30 international police and governmental delegations during their visits to the US. Agencies throughout the world have adopted Police Dynamics and are reporting great success in fighting crime and improving officer performance.
Ray holds an M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration and a B.S. in Education, Training and Development. He is a commissioner with the National Command and Staff College, a certified polygraph examiner, and a co-founder of the Inductive Interview™ System. In 2022, he opened the Police Dynamics Training Center and Institute of Police Polygraphy (recognized by the American Association of Police Polygraphists) in Charleston, SC where he serves as the school director and program manager.

Mandy Nice Cordico Strategic Wellness Director

Lexipol

Mandy Nice has over 15 years of experience developing and implementing physical fitness and wellness programs that measurably improve the strength and resilience of tactical athletes and civilians.  Her science-based, results-focused approach has consistently produced positive results that have earned national-level awards for measurably improving employee health, fitness, and quality-of-life.  Mandy is a Physical Fitness Subject Matter Expert for leading organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).  She actively serves as a guest speaker at state, national and international law enforcement conferences to help share scalable best practices for sustainable success.  Mandy also serves as the Tactical Program Manager of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and, as the CEO of The Nice Life, LLC, provides professional consulting services for agencies across the U.S. and beyond.  Mandy is wholeheartedly dedicated to ensuring members of law enforcement and fire/rescue are fully equipped with the essential research, training, tools, and resources needed to establish results-focused, sustainable tactical fitness and health programs.  Her greatest motivator is helping noble tactical professionals optimize their physical job readiness and quality of life while mitigating injury risk so that they can fully enjoy strong, rewarding careers and long, healthy retirements. 

Weylin Proctor Detective

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department

Weylin is a U.S. Secret Service Task Force Officer and department polygraph examiner for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in Albuquerque, NM. He has earned a B.A. in criminology and an M.B.A. from the University of New Mexico.

During his 17-year law enforcement career, Weylin has been on patrol, in various investigative units, and an instructor at BCSO’s Regional Training Academy. Weylin leveraged his education to implement effective trainings, including proactive education against excessive uses of force. Weylin also pursued post graduate work in organizational training and implemented effective interleaving and evaluation standards for his department’s academy.

Weylin became his department's polygraph examiner in 2017. In this role, Weylin implemented a background process that included EyeDetect technology as an applicant screening tool. This new process successfully saved his department thousands of dollars and increased accuracy in applicant selection. 

Dr. Rick Ramos Director of Education and Public Safety Services

Legacy1Media

Dr. Rick Ramos has over 30 years of experience in education.  He has taught at both the Community college and California state University Level. His last assignment was as the Dean of Allied Health and Public Safety at Merritt College in Oakland where he served as the lead administrator of Workforce Development initiatives.

Dr. Ramos holds an EdD in Community College Administration. He has championed a number of student success initiatives over the past 20 years, working closely with Career Ladders and the Irvine Foundation. His interest in abolishing assessments, use of multiple measures for placement and contextualizing English composition courses have provided him with unique experiences in adapting instructional strategies to meet the needs of his students. His latest project involves creating easier access for potential student to Community Colleges particularly the “first generation college students” using digital recruitment hubs.

He has leveraged this experience to create digital recruitment and educational hubs to support police and fire applicants through the hiring process. As a police officer in the city of Berkeley, Dr. Ramos was successful in recruiting and preparing a diverse candidate pool for his department by designing weekend workshops to enlighten candidates about the hiring process. He developed mock oral boards and writing exercises to prepare candidates for police testing. He was successful with that model and so he adapted that curriculum to be mounted in a digital application to support police and fire candidate recruitment and retention. This lead to a partnership with Get Recruited Media and the development of digital platforms that market public safety jobs and prepare the candidates for testing.

Jasmine Reilly, MPhil, MS Corporal

Philadelphia Police Department

Corporal Jasmine Reilly is a 15-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, the nation’s 4th largest police department. Assigned to the PPD’s Office of Public Affairs and Media Relations, she currently serves as the PPD’s Digital and Social Media Manager, as well as the department’s Spanish-language Public Information Officer. Joining the Public Affairs Office during the fall of 2020, she helmed the department’s social media and Spanish-language communication efforts during one of the most tumultuous periods in the modern history of American law enforcement.

Jasmine decided to pursue a career in law enforcement after taking part in an internship with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit. She was inspired by the dedication of the members of the unit in helping investigators solve crimes and find justice for victims. After graduating from the police academy, she spent 10 years working in several patrol assignments across Philadelphia before being promoted to the rank of Corporal in 2019.

As a supervisory member of the PPD’s communications team, Jasmine oversees the Department’s social media accounts, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. In addition to providing timely and actionable information to the PPD’s nearly one million social media followers, she also helps the PPD’s Investigative, Patrol, and Special Units “tell their story,” and trains officers and civilians in Twitter use, Social Media policy, and the appropriate release of public information to members of the public and the media.

Aside from her digital communication duties, Jasmine is a consultant for the Police Commissioner and other executive-level leaders on critical issues relating to broadcast and digital media, as well as organizational messaging to internal and external stakeholders.

Jasmine holds a Master’s in Philosophy in Forensic Psychology, a Master’s of Science in Clinical Counseling Psychology, and Bachelor’s of Arts in Criminal Justice. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Forensic Psychology, and her dissertation is centered around the intersection of race and gender in traditionally male-dominated professions. She has a passion for telling untold stories and takes an active role in the Philadelphia Police Department’s 30 x 30 efforts.

Melanie Talia, J.D. President & CEO

New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation

A native of New Orleans, Melanie Talia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of New Orleans and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola School of Law.  Since 2009, Ms. Talia has served as President and CEO of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation.  In addition to executing the strategic goals of the Foundation, Ms. Talia oversees a targeted focus on the New Orleans Police Department as the Foundation plays a critical role in advancing constitutional policing, performance based training, positive community engagement, and recruitment and retention efforts for the NOPD.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Talia was an Assistant District Attorney in Orleans Parish for 17 years where she prosecuted white-collar crimes, public corruption, capital cases and other violent offenses.  Outside the office, Ms. Talia can be found in the gym, spending time with her dogs, indulging her oenophilia, and enjoying all things New Orleans.