Anthony Bandiero – Senior Legal Instructor, Blue to Gold Law Enforcement Training
Anthony Bandiero is the Senior Legal Instructor for Blue to Gold Law Enforcement Training. He is also a Nationally Certified Instructor, and many consider him to be one of the best legal instructors in the nation. He has studied constitutional law for over twenty years and has taught search and seizure to over 70,000 officers around the country. Anthony was a sergeant with the Nevada HWP in Las Vegas, NV and as a municipal officer with the Elko PD. His assignments included traffic enforcement, emergency driving instructor, and training supervisor. Anthony’s education includes a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Harvard University. He graduated from Gonzaga School of Law.
Leslie Baxley – Correctional Officers Committee Co-Chair
With over 19 years in law enforcement, including five years in administration, Lelsie serves as the Statewide Counseling and Treatment Services Coordinator for the Arizona Department of Corrections. She also proudly co-chairs the Corrections Officers Committee. She is passionate about leading change, fostering innovation, and advancing the corrections profession.
Dianne Bernhard – C.O.P.S.
Dianne Bernhard is the Executive Director of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a national non-profit organization that supports the families and co-workers of our nation’s fallen law enforcement officers. Director Bernhard retired from the Columbia Missouri Police Department after 23 years of service as their Deputy Chief of Police. Ms. Bernhard learned about C.O.P.S. through the death of a co-worker and friend, Officer Molly Thomas-Bowden who was shot and killed in 2005.
Jennifer Boileau – Founder, Jennifer Boileau Mindfulness Coaching
As a national speaker with a background in special education, and a focus on facilitating restorative options that help people find peace in their lives, Jennifer Boileau offers a non-medicinal approach to processing trauma, addressing anxiety, and sleep disruptions. Jenn is a LEO spouse & utilizes this unique depth of perspective to impactfully teach people in high-stress occupations (military, veterans and law enforcement), and their families, how to find focus, resilience and balance.
Dan Bontz – Narcotics Detective
Dan Bontz has been a Police Officer since 1998 and is currently assigned as a narcotics detective. Dan has spent over 19 years working in narcotics and is currently on the advisory board for the Voices for Awareness/Facing Fentanyl Foundation. Dan believes in creating strong partnerships with foundations and community organizations in order to assist family members and loved ones of those who are struggling or have lost their struggle due to the fentanyl/opioid crisis.
Nazmia E. A. Comrie – Sociologist
Nazmia E.A. Comrie is a sociologist (policing assistance and reform) at the U.S. DOJ COPS Office. As a program manager for the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center and Critical Response programs, she leads the development, implementation, and delivery of technical assistance efforts to state, local, tribal, campus, and territorial law enforcement agencies nationwide. With over 14 years of experience, Nazmia has managed programs focused on police reform, mass demonstrations, agency safety and wellness, and combating human trafficking, hate crimes, and interpersonal violence. She has authored and coauthored numerous publications on these critical issues, including the Critical Incident Review: Active Shooter at Robb Elementary School. Nazmia’s contributions have earned her prestigious national recognition, including the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service (2025) for her work on the Critical Incident Review and the Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award (2022) for her work as part of the United Against Hate Program Team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in criminal justice from University at Albany, where her research focused on homicides, wrongful convictions, community policing, and gangs.
Michael Coviello – NFOP Associate General Counsel
Michael E. Coviello, Esq. has been practicing law since 1993 and is the Associate General Counsel for the Labor Services Division of the National Fraternal Order of Police. Michael has been representing FOP members since 1998 and was the General Counsel of the Florida State Lodge and its Labor Council for four years. He has extensive experience and has been successful in representing FOP members in civil, criminal, administrative, arbitration, and collective bargaining matters.
Adam Crawford – Succession Planning Committee Chair
Adam has been a police officer for over 17 years and an FOP member his entire career. Currently, he is the State Vice President for West Virginia and Chairman for the National Succession Planning and Mentoring Committee.
Nick Daugherty – Owner/Creator, FinancialCop
Nick Daugherty retired from the Grand Prairie Police Department & is the founder of FinancialCop, a full-service financial planning firm, & the largest financial wellness training group taught by cops, for cops, & now official FOP national member benefit / business partner. He is recognized as the voice of financial wellness nationally, having taught tens of thousands of first responders nationally. Nick has a passion for educating LEO’s on strengthening their finances through wellness, retirement planning, and investment advising.
John DiPietro – President, OH Crime Prevention Association
John DiPietro joined the Miami Township Police Department in 1986, and in March of 2013, he retired as the Deputy Chief of Police after serving as Interim Chief of Police. He holds six Certified Prevention Specialist credentials from Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and New York, one nationally by the National Crime Prevention Council and another internationally by the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners.
John is a graduate of the Police Executive Leadership College and achieved his credentials as a Certified Law Enforcement Executive (CLEE) from the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. He is also a graduate of Penn State University’s Police Executive Leadership program (POLEX).
John is the President of the Ohio Crime Prevention Association and has served with many other organizations, such as the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners. As a Crime Prevention Specialist, John has appeared on many television shows, including CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS, and The John Walsh Show.
Dr. Jacqueline Drew
Dr. Jacqueline Drew holds a Professoriate position in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Australia and is a police psychologist. Dr. Drew has over 25 years of experience in law enforcement, as a police practitioner and researcher. She began her career in law enforcement working with a large Australian police agency that employs over 11,500 sworn police (Queensland Police Service). Dr Drew’s work focuses on psychological impacts of organizational and operational systems of policing on those who serve, specifically police mental health, burnout and suicide. Dr. Drew conducts police leadership training and delivers expert advice to law enforcement agencies on recruitment and retention. Dr. Drew has been successful in securing large federal grants, for example, working with Police Chiefs to develop workplace health and wellbeing early warning systems to improve the mental health and wellbeing of police personnel. She works internationally with law enforcement in the United States (US); collaborating with the NFOP as a lead investigator with Sherri Martin (National Director, Wellness Services) on a national (US) biennial survey research program that delivers practical insights relevant to critical issues in policing and police wellbeing.
Robert Gaddy – Diversity Committee Chair
With over 25 years of law enforcement experience, Robert is a career veteran and a Captain of the North Carolina University PD. With expert skills in Tactical Law Enforcement, Drug Interdiction, and Narcotics and Criminal Investigations, Robert continues to be highly competitive, passionate, persuasive, and articulate. He can achieve results others believed to be impossible.
Hector Garcia – Associate Dean, Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Garcia brings over three decades of experience in law enforcement and education, shaping the next generation of leaders and professionals. A highly sought-after trainer, he has educated thousands of stakeholders on leadership, public administration, self-improvement, and public safety. He has worked with US Department of State, countless federal, state, local agencies and international partners to advance the law enforcement profession across the globe.
Travis George – Lead Operations Manager, Creative Planning
Lt. Travis George (retired) brings 27 years of law enforcement experience to his role at Creative Planning, where he leads a Financial Operations Team and champions retirement planning, education, and wellness for First Responders. A former Division Commander with the Belton, MO Police Department, his background spans K9 handler to Investigations Commander. He holds degrees from the University of Central Missouri and Lincoln University and is a graduate of the Missouri Police Chief’s Command College.
Mark Hong – CEO, Rise Technologies
Mark Hong is a business technology leader with over 20 years of experience driving large-scale innovation. From foundational work on Windows & AWS to launching Amazon Assistant, he brings deep technical expertise and cross-functional leadership. As founder and CEO of Rise Technologies, Mark is now focused on building products that empower groups to collaborate with purpose.
Jason Lehman – Retired Police Sergeant
Jason Lehman is a former Long Beach Police Sergeant, founder of Why’d You Stop Me? and owner of Chapter Two Consulting. A Division I football player turned nationally respected law enforcement leader; Jason overcame trauma and early missteps to become a subject matter expert in use of force, leadership, and communication. He now co-leads “Extreme Ownership in 21st Century Policing” alongside Echelon Front’s Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, helping officers shift from duty to desire while transforming modern policing through growth, resilience, and accountability.
Artez Lester – Radiological Security SME
Artez Lester is a subject matter expert for the Office of Radiological Security and conducts awareness workshops for law enforcement both domestically and abroad. Artez has 25 years of service as a sworn law enforcement officer and is currently a Lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol. During the past 17 years, he has specialized in security for radiological materials and has supported over 200 special events including 5 Super Bowls and 3 Presidential National Conventions.
Sherri Martin – Director of Wellness Services
Sherri Martin serves as FOP National Director of Wellness Services. A career police officer, Sherri achieved the rank of Lieutenant at the Charleston (SC) Police Department. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina, a master’s degree in clinical counseling psychology from the Citadel, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Sherri has experience in clinical therapy, is an author, and is licensed as a Professional Counselor Associate in the State of Connecticut. She also serves as the 2nd Vice President in the Connecticut State Lodge.
Andy Maybo
Andy Maybo is a federal law enforcement officer based in Washington, DC. He began his career with the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) in 1999. He has been a K-9 officer for over 22 years and is a peer support response officer. Andy has held numerous leadership roles such as Labor Chairman for the USCP and President of DC Lodge #1. He has also served as Chairman of the National FOP Memorial Committee, overseeing the National Peace Officers Memorial Service from 2008 to 2022. In 2024, he received the National FOP Jack Dudek Member of the Year Award.
Richard Mehner – AZ044 President, AZ ALC Lobbyist
Waldemar “Richard” Mehner has served as the President of AZ FOP Lodge 44 for Corrections for the past 14 years. In addition, he has been the Senior Legislative Liaison for the AZ FOP Labor into the correctional facilities. With statistical analysis on the dangers of working behind the walls and how to present this information to your state and local legislatures to utilize this information to change and enact laws.
Marcello Muzzati – Past State President (DC)
Marcello has been a member of the FOP for over 30 years, holding positions as Recording Secretary, Vice President, and local and state President. He also held union positions in the FOP MPD Labor Committee, now known as the DC Police Union. He is chairman of the NPOMS and is a member on other FOP National Committees.
Izabela Poludniak – Sassetti
Izabela joined Sassetti LLC in 2007 and has over 15 years of public accounting experience. She services numerous not-for-profit organizations and for-profit businesses, including the firm’s public company clients. Aside from her work in the assurance and tax departments, Izabela also serves as an outsourced CFO and provides advisory services to businesses and nonprofits as part of the firm’s Client Account & Advisory Services and Consulting practices. Izabela is a member of the firm’s Assurance and Audit Quality Committees and heads the firm’s Digital Marketing Committee. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in English from DePaul University and is licensed to practice as a CPA in the State of Illinois.
Rob Pride – Chairman of Trustees
Rob Pride has been a member of the Fraternal Order of Police since 1994. He is a Colorado native and started his law enforcement career as a reserve deputy at age 19. Over his more than 25-year career, Rob has worked as a corrections officer, patrol officer, gang enforcement, narcotics detective, general investigations detective, and currently serves as a sergeant in his patrol division. Rob also currently serves as team leader for his agency’s SWAT Crisis Negotiations Team and supervises the Field Training Unit responsible for training new police officers.
Rob was a charter member of his current lodge in Loveland, Colorado, and would later serve that lodge as Chairman of the Labor Council, State Trustee and a 6-year term as President. He was elected to the Colorado State FOP Executive Board in 2008 and has since served in the positions of Sergeant-at-Arms, 2nd Vice President and currently as the National Trustee. Rob was elected to the National FOP Executive Board as Chairman of the Trustees at the National FOP Conference in Nashville in 2017.
During his time as an FOP leader, Rob has been an active voice for officer wellness and police suicide prevention. Rob was active in a 5-year effort by the Colorado FOP to pass legislation in their state to recognize PTSD for first responders as a workers’ compensation injury and raise awareness about police suicide. Rob serves on the Colorado FOP Legislative Committee and has testified before legislators on various bills surrounding marijuana laws, drug enforcement laws, improving police tactics and practices, community relations and several other bills of importance to law enforcement.
Tim Richardson – Senior Legislative Liaison
Tim Richardson is the Senior Legislative Liaison with the Steve Young Law Enforcement Legislative Advocacy Center in Washington, D.C. and has been with the organization for nearly 30 years. He helped to pass some of the FOP’s highest legislative priorities including the Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act and the Social Security Fairness Act.
Jim Robbs – NFOP Lodge Tax Coordinator
Bob is a former partner at Sassetti, LLC (NFOP audit firm) and National audit firm. He has worked with many FOP lodges and foundations with setup, filing for exempt status, as well as accounting assistance, both audit and tax related.
Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, MSW, PhD – Professor
Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, MSW, Ph.D., Professor at the ASU of Social Work, and Director of the ASU Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research. She is the Clinical Director of Phoenix Starfish Place and the Director of the Arizona Human Trafficking Hotline. Dr. Roe-Sepowitz conducts research with multiple police and sheriff’s departments and helps develop data-driven innovative policing interventions for human trafficking cases. She provides sex trafficking awareness outreach and clinical group intervention for incarcerated women, Dr. Roe-Sepowitz has more than 50 peer reviewed publications.
Rich Shailor – Recruitment Committee Chair
Sergeant Shailor (ret.) is a 30-year veteran of Massachusetts Law Enforcement. During his career he served in most aspects of the profession including patrol, detectives, prosecution, administration and crisis negotiation. He has been deeply involved with the FOP throughout his career and currently serves as the Massachusetts State Lodge Vice President and National Trustee. He has served on the National Labor Committee and the National Recruitment Committee which he now chairs.
Brandon Smith – Deputy Chief
Brandon Smith is a Detention Deputy Chief with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. He has been with the Sheriff’s Office for over 23 years. He has obtained a Detective Certification, Victim Advocate certification, Sexual Assault Investigator, Staff Misconduct Investigator, and Force Investigations. For the last 6 years, he has been a Sex Trafficking liaison with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and co-taught with ASU Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research for Sex Trafficking Behind Bars.
Jason Smith – DART Committee Chair
Jason served over 25 years as a peace officer in the state of Oklahoma before retiring in 2021. He has served on his local and state Executive Boards in multiple positions, including State President. Jason was a founding member of the Oklahoma DART team in 2008 which led to the conception of the National DART team under the leadership of President Pat Yoes in 2019. Since then, over 70 thousand meals have been prepared, and hundreds of officer’s homes have been stabilized in multiple major deployments across this country. While first responders work hard to stabilize their communities after a disaster, your DART team works hard to serve and protect those who protect and serve.
Rick Snyder – National Chaplain
Rick Snyder serves as the National Chaplain for the Fraternal Order of Police, providing spiritual support for over 377,000 members and their families across America. Rick was recently named the 2024 National President’s Award Recipient. Rick has 29 years of law enforcement experience in Patrol, Investigations, Administration, and Training. Rick also served as the President of the Indianapolis FOP and is the longest serving President in the history of the Indy FOP.
Andrea Thomas – Founder, Voices for Awareness & Project Facing Fentanyl
Andrea Thomas is a dedicated advocate in the fight against the fentanyl crisis and the Founder of Voices for Awareness Foundation and Project Facing Fentanyl. Her mission began in 2018 after losing her daughter, Ashley, to fentanyl poisoning from just half of a counterfeit pill. This devastating loss fuels her commitment to raising awareness about the dangers of illicit fentanyl and counterfeit drugs.
Andrea collaborates closely with federal and local law enforcement, participating in initiatives to combat the illicit fentanyl trade and provide prevention resources to communities. Her advocacy also involves bipartisan legislative efforts to ensure effective policies are in place to address this public health emergency. Prevention remains a cornerstone of her work, particularly through youth education programs that foster mental health, wellness, and life skills development.
Shannon Wess – Manager of Program Development and Training
Shannon Wess, MSW, BCBA, is a seasoned professional with expertise in autism services, special education coaching, and staff development. She designs and leads impactful training programs that energize educators and promote continuous growth. Wess created First Response, an autism awareness program for first responders, and presents regularly at conferences. She holds an MSW from Park University with a focus on behavioral health and a post-master’s certificate in applied behavior analysis from Purdue University Global.
Michael Yon – Hylant Group
Michael Yon serves as the insurance advisor for the FOP Legal Defense Plan program, a national offering that provides legal protection to law enforcement officers. With more than 20 years of experience in complex insurance and risk management, Michael helps ensure the program remains financially sound and responsive to member needs. Michael is a familiar face at FOP Events, as he helps educate members and group administrators on the value of having legal defense protection.
