2023 Conference Speakers
Tracy Eldridge –
Title of Presentation 1 – Morale: The Good, the bad and the fixable! (Leadership)
2nd Title of Presentation – You got the Promotion, now what?
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Tracy launched On Scene First, and podcast, On Scene First with Tracy Eldridge. The company and podcast focus on educating public safety professionals on must-have technology tools and mental health resources to help save lives on both sides of the call. After leaving her 9-1-1 Director position she spent four years at RapidSOS, where she played a role in the delivery of device-based locations to 9-1-1 and field responders. Tracy has been recognized nationally for her efforts to train telecommunicators and bringing awareness to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and public safety through conference training sessions, webinars, and keynote presentations
Edie De Vilbiss (also closing session)
Title of Presentation- Rescue Your Team (Leadership)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Rev. Dr. Edie has slogged through the swamp of Compassion Fatigue three times. She knows the way through it. And it is her delight to clear the pathway for you. Former 911 pro, former counselor, and now a retired chaplain, she is passionate about 911
Annie Cahill
Title of Presentation- Creating Sustainable Workflows for NG911 (GIS)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Annie is a Public Safety GIS Technical Consultant for DATAMARK, leading all strategic planning and boundary facilitation services. Prior to working with DATAMARK, Annie spent 15 years in local government as an addressing authority and GIS data manager
Jeanie Pharis
Title of Presentation – Leadership Burnout- It really does exist (Leadership)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Jeanie Pharis is the Director for Morgan County 911, Alabama; a consolidated PSAP responsible for all disciplines of emergency services within the county. She has spent time working as the Emergency Communications Manager of Vance AFB Fire Department and was the chair of the Communications Unit for Oklahoma Homeland Security after obtaining her COML certification. Her career started more than 27 years ago in Tulsa, OK as a 911 operator. 12 of those years were spent participating as a tactical dispatcher and Communications Unit Leader for Tulsa’s Incident Management Team, and many years were utilized providing supervision and training to the Tulsa 911 team. Currently, Jeanie holds the 1st Vice President position for Alabama NENA and serves as the chair of the Professional Development Events Committee for APCO International.
Kelly Sanders- Kelley
Title of Presentation – Foundations of a Supportive Work Environment ( Leadership)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Kelly Sanders-Kelley has spent over 15 years in Public Safety education and training. After earning her Master's in Education and Business Administration she taught learners in the training classroom and higher education environment both on campus and online. Today, Kelly is the National Director at Virtual Academy, where she leads the 9-1-1 total training solutions division. She has found another way to serve those who serve us!
Doug Showalter
Title of Presentation 1- Doing Time in Dispatch (Telecommunicator) 2nd – Training for Success(training and public ed)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Doug retired after a 30-year distinguished career with the California Highway Patrol. During his tenure he was chosen to supervise a complete restructuring of the statewide CHP Communications Training Academy, including rewrites of several departmental manuals. His career has been highlighted with countless awards and commendations. Over the past 17 years he’s established a reputation as well-respected speaker. He performed extensive research to design several new training concepts by blending private sector successes into public safety communications. His passion and high energy presentation skills has afforded him unparalleled opportunities, including countless speaking, and training engagements for thousands of professionals throughout the United States and Canada. With decades of real experience, our presentations are unmatched. Our unique company motto of “Leave A Legacy” will leave you inspired.
Joe Serio (also Opening session)
Title of Presentation- Making a Real Connection: Critical Elements in Training (Training & Public Ed)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Dr. Joe Serio delivers conference presentations and trainings on leadership and wellness, focusing on providing tools to address the fear that keeps us from maximizing our potential. He is the founder of The 360 Dispatcher and co-author of Dispatcher Stress: 50 Lessons on Beating the Burnout and co-author of Dispatch Supervisor: 50 Lessons on Being a Great Leader. He is the author/co-author of forthcoming books on leadership, organizational culture, and effective communication for telecommunicators. Joe is the founder of the 9-1-1 Supervisor Leadership Academy, and the host of the 9-1-1 Leadership Training Event held at the Mayan Ranch outside San Antonio, TX, in March and September every year. He recently launched the Leadership in Action: 9-1-1 Best Practices workshop.
Charlsie Little
Title of Presentation- Adult Learners: Understanding the Core Principles of Learning (training and Public Ed)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Charlsie Little is the Communications Administrator for the City of Auburn and has 10 years of experience in Public Safety. Along with her 7+ years training experience, she also has a B.S. in Human Resources Management, a M.S. in Adult Education, and she is pursing another M.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Emily Scarpa has been a Communications Officer for the City of Auburn since July 2022. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration and is pursuing an educational specialist degree in adult education. She is passionate about training, education, and development of adult learners in public safety.
Sondra Wesley
Title of Presentation- Removing the Blindfold (leadership)
Speaker Bio: Sondra Wesley, Implementation Lead, is a highly regarded Certified Instructor. Training hundreds of law enforcement and telecommunications professionals across the country, she brings her three decades of public safety experience into her presentations. She is an MS candidate in Justice Policy and Leadership from Eastern Kentucky University and holds a BS in Criminal Justice and AS in Police Studies. And as a CJIS Subject Matter Expert and has sat on numerous boards
Adam Timm
Title of Presentation- Beating 9-1-1 Burnout: How to Overcome Chronic Stress and Compassion Fatigue (2 hr Session)
Instructor Biography: Adam Timm began his 20-year career in public safety as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for Los Angeles Police Department Communications Division, where he spent over a decade under the headset. He left the LAPD after founding his 9-1-1 training and consulting company, The Healthy Dispatcher. Adam’s energetic and interactive presentation style has made him one of the most highly regarded speakers in the industry. He is the author of three books, including the popular "Dispatcher Stress: 50 Lessons on Beating the Burnout,” and his most recent book, “People Driven Leadership: How the Best 9-1-1 Centers Inspire Positive Change,” is based on case studies of exemplary emergency communications centers across the country.
Anderson Brooms
Title of Presentation- Board Update of the GIS Program (GIS)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Anderson Brooms is the GIS Program Manager for the Alabama 9-1-1 Board. Prior to joining the Alabama 9-1-1- Board, Mr. Brooms served as a Senior GIS Analyst for the City of Montgomery, Al. Mr. Brooms has worked in the GIS industry in state and local government as well as in the private sector. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Geomatics from Troy State University and a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems from Penn State University.
Leah Missildine & Adam Brown
Title of Presentations- 1 Let’s Talk About the 9-1-1 Fund(leadership) 2nd Alabama Public Safety Telecommunicator Certification Program: Where we are now and where we need to go! (Training & Public Ed) 3rd- Overview of 9-1-1 @ the Federal, State, & Local Level ( Leadership) 4th- ECD Roundtable (Leadership)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Leah Missildine is the Executive Director of the Alabama 9-1-1 Board. Prior to joining the Alabama 9-1-1 Board, Mrs. Missildine served as Director for the City of Auburn Public Safety Communications Division. Mrs. Missildine received a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Auburn University. She and her husband, Matt, have one son, James. Adam Brown is the Deputy Director for the Alabama 9-1-1 Board. Prior to joining the Alabama 9-1-1 Board, Mr. Brown served as the Director for the City of Auburn Public Safety Communications Division. Mr. Brown received a Bachelor of Art’s degree in criminology from Auburn University.
Tom LaBarge
Title of Presentation- Stealing Lighting’s Thunder: Simple Steps to Dramatically Reduce Equipment Loss Due to Lightning Events (Leadership)
Bio of Presenter –
Tom LaBarge is the CEO and a co-founder of GroundLinx Technologies located in Blue Ridge, Georgia. As well, he is a regular speaker at regional NENA and APCO conferences regarding emerging innovations in lightning protection for mission critical facilities. With two other partners, Tom founded GroundLinx in 2018 to market his patents for electrical grounding and lightning protection products. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and is a professional tinkerer / research geek.
Rick Thomas
Title of Presentation- Connected Comms: How New Data and Devices are Advancing Situational Awareness (GIS & Tech)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
"Rick began his career in public safety in 1991 as a Volunteer Firefighter and moved into 9-1-1 in September of 1996. Over the years, he worked as a Telecommunicator, Training Officer, Shift Supervisor, Center Supervisor, and ECC Manager. Rick left the public sector in 2021 to pursue a career within the private sector. Rick is a Senior APCO Member and was awarded his RPL Certification in 2009. Additionally, he has served on numerous APCO Committees ranging in topics from ASAP2PSAP, Emerging Technology, Agency Training, and APCO Standards Development, and he was the NC APCO Chapter President from 2015 to 2016. Rick is also active with NENA; he has obtained his ENP and CMCP Certifications and is NC NENA's 2023 First Vice President. Rick is currently part of the RapidSOS Public Safety Team as an ECC Engagement Manager for the Southeast Region."
Halcyon Frank
Title of presentation(s) 1st Combatting Complacency (Telcommunicator) 2nd This is the Soundtrack to My Life[RY1] ( Leadership) 3rd Best practices of an Effective CTO
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Halcyon Frank is the Director of Training and Development for the Denise Amber Lee Foundation and has spent 8 years in emergency communications. She has spent much of her dispatch career training new telecommunicators and developing training curricula and resources. When not busy traveling and training or developing online courses, Halcyon still works under the headset taking 911 calls and dispatching. She holds the Emergency Number Professional Certification from the National Emergency Number Association and a degree in Training and Development.
Dennis Darouse
Title of Presentation I Hear You Smiling ( Telecommunicator)
Speaker Bio -Dennis Darouse grew up and attended school in Hammond, La. He started his response career in 1968 as a radio operator with the Tangipahoa Civil Defense at the age of 16. At this age he also became an active member of the Natalbany Volunteer Fire Department. Shortly after retiring from the fire service, Dennis began his 9-1-1 career in February of 2002, as the director of the Tangipahoa Communications District #1. While under his direction, the district has expanded with a new state of the art center, and an increased mapping department which doubled the size of its employees, each with their own vehicle and monitoring equipment, along with increasing the minimum staffing to 5 telecommucators/dispatchers per shift around the clock. Presently they are planning a building expansion, new equipment lease and bringing the ESInet on line for the Parish.Looking forward with NG911 we have begun with our mapping department, now GIS department, to prepare for coming changes.They also have additional fire dispatch responsibilities. Dennis is a member of APCO and NENA, where he has achieved the title of ENP (Emergency Number Professional). He is also Past President of the La. State chapter of NENA and presently serves at the state NENA President.
Tanya Lee
Title of Presentation - PTSD? Not My Problem (You're Right But Who Is It Impacting?)
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Tanya Lee is the Manager of EvansCare. She has over 20 years working in the medical field and has been working in the public safety industry for the past ten years. She is passionate about improving the overall health of mission critical environments and maintaining an optimal work environment for all operators. She resides in Florida with her husband Nathan and their seven children.
Blair Tyndall
Title of Presentation- Are You Marketing Your 911 Center?
Blair T. Tyndall is an Emergency Services Specialist that joined Glatfelter Insurance Group and VFIS Client Risk Solutions in September of 2013. Prior to this Blair was the EMS and Safety Director for Wayne County, N.C. His Emergency Services experience includes being an E911 Communication Center Director.
ALTERT Cadre- Jeff Dempsey, Robert Wright and Kristi Stamness
ALTERT Overview/ RoundTable for leaders
Bios- Robert “Rob” Wright is Director for the Pike County Communications District, a consolidated PSAP and emergency communications center, in Troy, Alabama. He has over 15 years’ experience as public safety telecommunicator, trainer, and supervisor beginning his career in Baldwin County before taking a position as Deputy Director at Pike County in 2021. Introduced to TERT in 2015, he had firsthand experience with a TERT deployment in 2020 when Hurricane Sally made landfall in Orange Beach, Alabama
Bios- Jeff Dempsey has thirty-eight years of public safety. Jeff began his career in 1984 as a volunteer fire fighter and then was employed as a dispatcher, then he moved to the line as a firefighter climbing the ranks, retiring after twenty-six years as Battalion Chief. During his time in the fire service, he had the ability to work on issues effecting 9-1-1, starting with enhanced 9-1-1 assisting Jefferson County Land Development with address issues, and began working on mapping geographic information system (GIS) to help develop better information to first responders leading to his current position logistics manager with Jefferson County 9-1-1. Jeff has served as the state coordinator of the Alabama TERT program since 2019, and currently serving on APCO/NENA TERT workgroup for the rewrite of the TERT standard STA-050. Jeff is an amateur radio operator (N4QKJ), COML, COMT. Jeff enjoys working assisting other first responders and assisting the citizens. Jeff married thirty-four years to his wife Becky, together they have two children and three grandchildren. KIDS ARE GREAT, GRANDBABIES ARE THE BEST!
Micelle Norton
Title of Presentation- FirstNet - The Evolution of Communications
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Michelle Norton is the FirstNet, Built with AT&T, Principal Consultant for central Alabama and the State of Alabama government accounts. Michelle has been with the FirstNet project for AT&T since the contract was awarded in 2016 and was part of the team that helped negotiate Alabama’s Opt-In to FirstNet. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Columbia Southern University where she graduated Cum Laude. She is a member of the State of Alabama Incident Command Staff under the Branch IV Communications & Technology Section, as part of the AL ICS at the State Emergency Operation Center. Additionally, she is a member of multiple industry Incident Response Teams and is the liaise with all sales channels. Prior to joining the FirstNet family, Michelle was appointed by Governor Robert Bentley to serve on the Alabama Executive Order 28 Workgroup.
Susan Nelson
Title of Presentation- Wellness Resources for Telecommunicators
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter) Susan Nelson began her career in 911 over 20 years ago as E911 Coordinator in Alachua County, FL. After 12 years of public service, she moved into the private sector, eventually finding her way to GeoComm where she is the Southeast Territory Sales Manager. Listening to customers’ challenges and helping them devise solutions is her favorite part of the job. She also has a life-long interest in health and wellness. She is a certified yoga instructor and sits on the NENA Wellness Continuum Resource Working Group. She has a BA in organizational communication and graduate certificate in public management.
Rick Thomas
Title of Presentation- Connected Comms: How New Data and Devices are Advancing Situational Awareness
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
"Rick began his career in public safety in 1991 as a Volunteer Firefighter and moved into 9-1-1 in September of 1996. Over the years, he worked as a Telecommunicator, Training Officer, Shift Supervisor, Center Supervisor, and ECC Manager. Rick left the public sector in 2021 to pursue a career within the private sector. Rick is a Senior APCO Member and was awarded his RPL Certification in 2009. Additionally, he has served on numerous APCO Committees ranging in topics from ASAP2PSAP, Emerging Technology, Agency Training, and APCO Standards Development, and he was the NC APCO Chapter President from 2015 to 2016. Rick is also active with NENA; he has obtained his ENP and CMCP Certifications and is NC NENA's 2023 First Vice President. Rick is currently part of the RapidSOS Public Safety Team as an ECC Engagement Manager for the Southeast Region."
Caleb Branch Co presenter of How to NG911 in Al and Beyond
Bio Of Presenter (Co-Presenter)
Caleb Branch currently serves as the Vice President of Market Management for INdigital and is responsible for the implementation of the Alabama Next Generation Emergency Network (ANGEN). Before his tenure at INdigital, Caleb was the Director of Blount County 9-1-1 where he oversaw a building project, a county-wide ambulance RFP, and a consolidation with another District. He has also worked in EMS management and as a paramedic. Mr. Branch holds a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a Bachelors of Science in Emergency Management with a minor in Public Safety Communications from Jacksonville State University, and an Associate of Applied Science in EMS from Southern Union State Community College. Caleb is a Nationally Registered Paramedic, a Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Provider, an Alabama Association of Emergency Managers Advanced Level Emergency Manager and holds the Emergency Number Professional certification through the National Emergency Number Association.