Dianne Bernhard
Deputy Chief Dianne Bernhard of the Columbus, MO, Police Department retired in 2014 with 22 years of service to become the Executive Director of C.O.P.S. Dianne came to know of C.O.P.S. through the line-of-duty death of a co-worker, Officer Molly Bowden, in 2005. Dianne now is spending her second career working as the leader of C.O.P.S. where she can assure that surviving family members and co-workers of our fallen heroes have the support they need.
Leo T. Blackwell
Leo T. Blackwell is a retired member of the Indianapolis Police Department and focuses his practice on representing public safety officers. He is a 50-year member of the FOP. He serves as General Counsel to the Indiana Fraternal Order of Police, the Professional Fire Fighters Union of Indiana and many local police and fire unions. He also serves as legal advisor and critical incident response attorney to the Indiana State Police Alliance.
John Bostain
John Bostain is the President of Command Presence Training. He has committed the last 26 years to law enforcement, 24 of which have been as a trainer. He has trained more than 25,000 law enforcement professionals at the state, local, federal, and international levels and is a frequent speaker at national law enforcement conferences. He is also the recipient of the 2021 ILEETA Trainer of the Year award.
Jessica T. Cahill
Jessica T. Cahill is the Press Liaison with the National Fraternal Order of Police’s Government and Media Affairs Center in Washington, D.C. She is a native of Annapolis, MD. Previously, Jessica served as a United States House of Representatives staffer on Capitol Hill and then as Director of Media Relations for a D.C. public affairs firm. She earned her B.A. in Communication Arts, with a minor in Political Science, from Salisbury University. Jessica lives in Washington, D.C.
Heidi Cordi, MD, MPH, MS, EMTP, FACEP
Dr. Cordi came to Albany Medical Center in November 2016 as an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and serves as core faculty at the Division of Emergency Medical Services. She is also the Associate Director of the EMS Fellowship. In addition, Dr. Cordi holds the position of Visiting Professor of Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine at the Third People’s Hospital in Chengdu, China. She also remains the medical director for her local fire department in Elmsford, NY. Dr. Cordi holds many titles and functions, including Medical Director of Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety, Mohawk Ambulance Service, and several fire and EMS agencies.
Before Joining Albany Medical Center, she was an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine and the Associate Medical Director of Emergency Medical Services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Heidi Cordi has extensive training and experience in internal medicine, emergency medicine and emergency medical services, in addition to disaster medicine. She earned two master’s degrees, one in biology research and the other in Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Management and Emergency Medical Services.
Dr. Cordi provided prehospital trauma training and basic life support training for the United Nations in the U.S. and abroad and offered similar activities at the World Health Organization. Her disaster experiences include responses to natural disasters and leading emergency management drill training internationally, from lecture hall to field response. Dr, Cordi was the recipient of the prestigious AAPS Disaster Medicine Physician of the Year Award in July 2014 and is one of the American Board of Disaster Medicine co-founders. She served as President of the American Academy of Disaster Medicine from 2015-2017. Having received numerous awards throughout her career, most recently, Dr. Cordi was the recipient of the EMS Physician of Excellence award. She is board certified in Emergency Medicine by ABMS and in Disaster Medicine by ABPS.
Michael Coviello
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. Michael has also been a tireless advocate of police officers’ rights such as privacy and other constitutional and statutory rights, both in the litigation and legislative arenas. He has also been effective in recruiting and organizing efforts in Florida. Michael graduated magna cum laude from Nova University’s Law School in 1993 and began his career in the Broward County Public Defender’s Office, winning awards for his trial skills, and continued his training in prestigious firms in the Fort Lauderdale area before coming to the FOP.
Nick Daugherty
Nick Daugherty, aka Financial Cop, is a semi-retired Sergeant and current reserve officer with the Grand Prairie Police Department. In 2011 he created a progressive financial wellness training class, “Building Financial Strength in First Responder Families,” that has been taught to over 10k first responders from 2k agencies nationally and is now the largest financial wellness training group for LEOs. He has a passion for educating LEOs on strengthening their financial wellness and planning for the future.
Julie DeHaven
Julie has been with Aetna since July 2009. She has more than 18 years of professional experience in Medicare, operations, customer service and account management.
Carlos Farina
Carlos is a state certified addiction and mental health professional as well as a National Board-Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. Before joining Transformations, Carlos founded a unique substance recovery, wellness, and intervention program for first responders. His dedication to helping these men and women stems from decades of providing recovery and mental health services in private practice as well as community mental health and recovery centers.
Robert Gaddy
With over 25 years of law enforcement experience, Robert is a career veteran and a Captain of the Durham Police Department. 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. Robert currently serves as the National Diversity Committee Chairman and the North Carolina State Vice President. Robert enjoys representing North Carolina members and FOP members daily.
Steve Gervasio
Steve has been a labor activist since the late ’80s, supporting the labor movement in their efforts to improve health insurance benefits for all retirees, and is the program director for the FOP/Aetna Medicare Advantage program.
Dr. Lorraine Giordano
Dr. Lorraine Maria Giordano is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and in Disaster Medicine by the American Board of Physician Specialties. She is a Fellow of ACEP, FAADM and the NY Academy of Medicine. She has 50 years of experience in EM, having practiced clinically in urban, suburban, rural, and military environments.
Dr. Giordano has lectured throughout the U.S., the Caribbean and Europe, and is the author of multiple articles related to Emergency and Disaster Medicine. She is a past President of the Queens County Medical Society, the first woman Chair of the Board of Trustees, and a longtime Delegate to the MSSNY. The American College of Emergency Physicians designated Dr. Giordano a Hero of Emergency Medicine, a peer recognition Award; and the AMA awarded her their prestigious Medal of Valor for Meritorious Service Achievements. Her disaster work has also been acknowledged by the White House, the Pope, the United Nations, and various governmental entities.
As the Medical Director for FDNY EMS, which does over 1,000 MCIs a year, she has responded to many events including both World Trade Center disasters, the Happy Land Fire, plane crashes, train wrecks, and the land of the boat people from China off the waters of New York City. She is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Disaster Medicine and an Associate member of the Fraternal Order of Police, recently invited to join their DART.
Now semi-retired, Dr. Giordano is employed as an On Line Medical Control Physician for FDNY EMS, providing continuing Patient Care modalities to EMTs and Paramedics in the field. She also serves as the Medical Director of the LaGuardia College of the CUNY Pre Hospital Program, actively involved in the training of future allied health professionals.
John F. Kautzman
John F. Kautzman has been lead counsel on several high-profile State and Federal jury trials and appeals. Mr. Kautzman served as the 2005 President of the Indianapolis Bar Association and is an Executive Council member of the National Conference of Bar Presidents. Listed in Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America, John is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, limited by invitation to only one percent of Indiana attorneys.
Robert Krone
More than forty years of non-profit tax experience, including almost thirty-five years with the FOP. Taught many classes on tax issues involving small, medium, and large FOP lodges. Experienced with working with the IRS on filing issues and other matters.
Brad Landes
Brad Landes has been an FOP member since 1992. He was President of his local lodge, Idaho Falls FOP #6, for 16 years, Idaho State Lodge Secretary for four years, and has been the Idaho National Trustee for 17 years. He wrote proposals for his Lodge/Department for 12 years without having collective bargaining, which helped obtain many benefits they would not have today if they weren’t able to sit at the table and discuss issues.
Sherri Martin
Sheri Martin serves as FOP National Director of Wellness Services. Sheri served most of her 23-year police career at the Charleston Police Department in South Carolina, where she achieved the rank of Lieutenant. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Counseling from the Citadel, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In addition, Sherri is licensed as a professional Counselor Associate in the state of Connecticut and has experience in trauma therapy work with military veterans.
Mark McDonald
Mark McDonald serves as the Legislative Liaison with the Government and Media Center on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Fraternal Order of Police, Mark served as Regional Director for a Pennsylvania Gubernatorial campaign. In his role, he played a major role with the development, implementation, and execution of the campaign’s strategy. Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Mark grew up working in a small, family-owned business in Philadelphia that outfits public safety officers and other first responders. Upon graduating from Goucher College in 2016, where he studied Political Science and played lacrosse, Mark got his start working on Capitol Hill for former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA). Mark and his fiancé reside in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Adam Mogul
Adam Mogul is a retired New Jersey Police Sergeant who began his second career helping people into treatment from drugs and alcohol. After spending numerous years watching people suffer firsthand from the chemical dependency that has plagued our cities, Adam decided to help individuals seek the treatment they need. He then began creating treatment programs to help the First Responders who suffer from PTSD and other needs. Adam also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Kean University.
Rudy Perez
Sergeant Rudy Perez is a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles School Police Department and holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Management. He has worked a variety of assignments including school campuses, day and night patrol, interagency task forces, gang detail unit, training unit, lead detective for the Threat Assessment Unit and Mental Health Team, Social Media Unit, and PIO. Sergeant Perez has been involved in law enforcement union work for the last 17 years.
Izabela Poludniak and Jim Robbs
Sassetti LLC works with the National FOP, the FOP Legal Plan, Chicago Lodge #7, the IL State Lodge and several other local lodges, providing accounting, audit, and tax services, as well as resources for best practices. Jim serves as the firm’s co-managing partner and Izabela serves as a senior manager, collectively having decades of experience working with nonprofits, including member organizations.
Rob Pride
Rob has been the National Trustee for the Colorado FOP since 2013 and was elected as the National FOP Chairman of Trustees at the conference in Nashville in 2017 and still serves in that position.
Joseph Regan
Joseph Regan is a retired 28-year veteran of the Lower Merion Township Police Department in Pennsylvania. He served as the Past Vice President, Chaplain, Recording Secretary, and Past President of Lower Merion Lodge #28. He is the Past President of the Towns, Townships & Boroughs Association. He is a member of the State Endorsement Committee, Chairman of the State Legislative Committee and Chairman of the National FOP Recruitment Committee.
Timothy M. Richardson
Timothy M. Richardson is the Senior Legislative Liaison with the Government and Media Affairs Center in Washington, D.C. He is a native of Burlington, NJ, and comes from a law enforcement family. His grandfather, Mike Gallagher, co-founded the Burlington Township Police Department and later served as its Chief of Police. His father, who retired from the same Department with the rank of Lieutenant, was the charter President of the Burlington Township FOP Lodge #84. Tim is a graduate of Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County, PA. He was hired as a Legislative Assistant by the FOP in June 1996 and was promoted to Senior Legislative Liaison in September 2001. Tim, an ardent Philadelphia Phillies fan, lives in Stafford, Virginia with his wife and two children.
Jason Smith
For the past 25 years, Jason has served as a law enforcement officer in the state of Oklahoma. Early in his career he developed a passion for serving in the FOP. Jason has served as his local President and in numerous executive board positions on the Oklahoma State FOP Board, including State President. Jason proudly serves as his State DART Chair and has had the privilege to help build the National DART team.
Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith has a long-time success record in supporting individuals with autism and related disabilities. Sarah received her Masters in Special Education from Rutgers University and later, her Principal Certification from the University of Pennsylvania. She has developed evidence-based autism programs in public school districts across the country, with an emphasis on students’ independence, functional communication, and community integration. In addition, Sarah has extensive experience in leadership, coaching, specialized curriculum, program development, and data analysis.
Wade Steen
Wade Steen is a community and business leader with over 37 years of experience in not-for-profit and government management; financial reporting; budgeting; auditing; investing public funds; operation/efficiency reviews; performance audits; contract negotiations; performance assessments and top grading; and cash management and collections. He has a proven capability to develop creative solutions to complex operational and organizational problems. He is a hands-on leader known for his ability to motivate, train and guide diverse teams. His documented accomplishments in developing and implementing strategies have resulted in increased profitability, enhanced quality, and improved efficiency.
David Stone
David is a retired Cobb County Georgia police officer with over 30 years of service. Cobb County is part of the metro Atlanta area with a population of over 600,000 residents. At the time of his retirement in 2006, the department was over 500 strong. During his time there, he worked in all divisions within the department and all five precincts. He was both a Field Training Officer and classroom instructor as well as an instructor trainer. He was a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team as well as a member of the first multiagency DUI enforcement team in the state of Georgia. He is a lifetime member of the FOP. He served 22 consecutive years on the Executive Board of Georgia Lodge #13. He has served 16 years on the Georgia State Lodge Executive Board and served on the National FOP Legislative Committee for six years. He has chaired both his local and state lodge Constitution and Bylaws Committees for many years. He has been a member of the Recruitment and Retention Committee since 2008 and has been the Co-Chairman covering the Southeast U.S. for the last six years.
Shannon Swanson
Shannon Swanson is an energetic and passionate presenter with a long history of providing direct support to individuals and families affected by autism and related disabilities. Shannon received her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Missouri and her Master of Social Work from Park University. Throughout her professional career, Shannon has worked in a variety of settings including private in-home behavior therapy, state-wide training, public school consultation, and state and community-based agencies.
Rich Wistocki
Detective Richard Wistocki (Ret.) had been a law enforcement officer for 30 years, spending 28 years with the Naperville Police Department and 22 of those years as an Internet Crimes Investigator. He has also been a SWAT operator/sniper for the past 22 years. He is one of the founding members and an affiliate member of the Illinois Attorney Generals High Tech Crimes Bureau (ICAC). Rich’s passion is concentrated in teaching parents how to parent their children while online.
Michael Yon
Michael has worked closely with the FOP Legal Defense Plan for almost 20 years. He leads the team at Hylant who are the enrollment and marketing administrators. His knowledge of the plan and experience brings some great insight and information as it pertains to the legal plan and its benefits.
