Presented by Sue Radcliffe, LCSW-C, Dorchester County Health Department

As a presenter, it is hard to compete against a fast-paced digital world where attention spans are minimal and the demand for constant stimulation is high.  This presentation will explore the neuroscience of audience engagement and offer actionable tips to keep participants' minds from wandering, all from a brain science perspective. 

Presented by  Wayne Silver, Executive Director, Police Training & Standards Commission & 

Robert Wagner, Director of Law Enforcement Training Unit, MD Police & Correctional Training Commissions 

This course will encompass the COMAR instructor code of conduct which dictates the highest standards of professional, moral, and ethical behavior. The responsibility of preparing public safety professionals to become respected and effective public servants is paramount within the profession. Instructors are viewed as role models, they must demonstrate a commitment to public service with honor and personify the core values of honesty, integrity, courage, compassion, fairness, and respect.  

Presented by  Joan Henard, Lead Certification Management Specialist, MD Police & Correctional Training Commissions

This session is designed for administrators, training coordinators, instructors and compliance officers involved in maintaining, submitting or teaching within agency training programs. This session will discuss Commission requirements and ensuring compliance within police and correctional environments. Emphasis will be placed on navigating regulatory and mandated requirements, managing and submitting program approvals, implementing processes for program approvals to audit preparation and post-review corrective actions. This session will be an informative presentation and then open discussion Q&A focusing on specific questions and topics inquired upon by attendees and regulations upheld by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions.

Presented by Dr. Luciana Zuest, Associate Professor, Towson University

This session will introduce instructors to practical strategies for working with generative AI tools in their training and curriculum development. Topics include different ways to use AI in instructional work, an approach to working with AI as a thinking partner, and what instructors should understand about AI's limitations before using it professionally. The session includes hands-on time in which participants apply these strategies to their own content.

Ms. Joan Henard is a 2009 graduate of the Anne Arundel Community College Police Academy who obtained an Associate’s Degree in Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice. Ms. Henard began her police career in 2010 in Prince George's County, working for two municipal agencies before medically retiring with 10 years of law enforcement experience in 2021.  After her retirement, she began her second career in August of 2022 at the Maryland Police & Correctional Training Commissions Certification Unit and moved through the ranks to become the  Certifications Unit Administrator. She is an MPCTC Certified Academic Instructor and assists instructing at the Maryland Public Safety and Education Training Center. Ms. Henard works closely with Executive Staff and Statewide agencies and oversees the certifications of approximately 40,000 officers and instructors across the state. 

In addition, Ms. Henard also manages Statewide Entrance Level training academies and in-service course programs catalog and approvals for both Police and Correctional agencies across the State. Ms. Henard is a recognized subject matter expert in Code of Maryland Regulations, General Regulations, Instructor Code of Maryland Regulations and Maryland Laws, Statutes and Regulations relating to Certification processes and requirements for both Mandated Police and Correctional Officers as well as all MPCTC Certified Instructors.

Sue is a mental health therapist with over 30 years of clinical experience working in sexual assault/domestic violence programs, therapeutic foster care, outpatient

mental health clinics, psychiatric units, partial hospitalization programs, juvenile delinquent facilities, detention centers, law enforcement agencies, and in public

health. A graduate of Yeshiva University with a Master’s of Social Work, she currently resides and works on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Sue is employed by the Dorchester County Health Department located in Cambridge, Maryland. She is trained in several evidenced-based treatment modalities such as Trauma Focused

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Acute Stress Adaptive Protocol (ASAP), iRest Yoga Nidra level 1, and trauma-informed yoga. She has been qualified as an expert witness in trauma and child and family psychotherapy in several judicial jurisdictions in her area. Additionally, Sue is trained in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). In 2023, Sue was appointed to the Police Training and Standards Commission Board by Governor Moore. Sue has a passion for neuroscience and trauma and breaking down brain science into understandable language. She has presented to law enforcement, FBI, correctional officers, first responders, states attorney’s offices, and is an instructor for the Maryland Judiciary. 

In 2019, Sue was awarded the Maryland Department of Health Individual Innovation Award for her development of a wellness program for correctional officers that incorporated the neuroscience of trauma, and the healing benefits of trauma informed yoga. This program was researched and later published in the January 2022 Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. Sue has also published in Corrections Today, American Jail, Daily Business Review, New Jersey Law Journal, New York Law Journal, Texas Lawyer, The Crime Report, The Legal Intelligencer, Policy and Practice, Social Work Advocates, and The Maryland Social Worker.

Wayne Silver served 30 years as a law enforcement officer in the Department of Defense before joining the Maryland Department of Public Safety. During this time, he held a variety of positions related to patrol operations, training, recruitment, and policy development. He has been actively involved in the development of numerous courses in the areas of entry-level training, firearms, defensive tactics, and leadership development. As an assessor for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) he assisted with the accreditation of law enforcement programs for the Department of State, Department of Treasury, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Mr. Silver served as a voting member for over 10 years on the Department of Defense POST Commission and its predecessor entities.  He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Maryland Police Training & Standards Commission and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. 

Bob Wagner, a 31 year veteran of the Howard County Police Department, oversees the Law Enforcement Training for the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions. Responsible for the integration of proactive training practices and procedures across the law enforcement institution, his staff is committed to ensuring excellence in customer satisfaction. In addition to leading efforts to ensure the best training practices, Director Wagner maintains close relationships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Director Wagner brings more than a decade of leadership experience at the Howard County Police Department. He joined the agency in 1984 and during his tenure had a number of roles within its operation and administrative divisions. Prior to coming to the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions, he was an Assistant Director at Johns Hopkins Corporate Security, overseeing university and healthcare security. In that role, he coordinated policies, programs and strategic planning related to the recruitment, development, retention, and training of the Johns Hopkins security workforce. Director Wagner is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST). Director Wagner currently serves as a board member on the Ethan Saylor Alliance Steering Committee.

Dr. Luciana Zuest is an Associate Professor at Towson University, where she was an inaugural AI Hub Research Fellow. She holds a Foundations of Artificial Intelligence certificate from the University of Maryland Global Campus and is an EDSAFE AI Women in AI Fellow. Dr. Zuest has 15 years of experience in teacher education and maintains a line of research on AI adoption in education. She designs and delivers AI literacy training for instructors, including work with the MPCTC Leadership Development Institute.