Training Session Descriptions

Training Class Title:  2026 FIFA World Cup Overview 

Speaker(s): Felipe Den Brok

About the Class: 

TBD

Speakers Bio:  

TBD

Training Class Title:  Unconventional and Asymmetric Warfare:  The Christopher Dorner Murder Spree 

Speaker(s): Justin Eisenberg, Retired Deputy Chief, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

About the Class: 

Starting February 3, 2013, Christopher Dorner, a previously fired Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Police Officer, began a series of ambush shootings in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties in Southern California after posting his manifesto on-line.  His targets for murder were law enforcement officers, their families and innocent civilians.  During his killing spree, Dorner ambushed and killed four people and wounded three others.  One of the largest law enforcement manhunts in California history ended on February 12, 2013, when Dorner died during a standoff at a cabin in the San Bernardino mountains. 

Retired LAPD Deputy Chief Eisenberg was intimately involved in this incident, from participating in the Board of Rights that led to Dorner’s removal from the LAPD, to having his family directly targeted by Dorner during his murder spree.   

The pre-incident indicators, personal threat management, will to survive, workplace violence and lessons learned from this multi-agency unprecedented Southern California manhunt will be covered during this presentation.

Speakers Bio:  

Deputy Chief Eisenberg came to Los Angeles from the east coast to join the LAPD in 1990, and worked a variety of patrol and investigative assignments early in his career until his promotion to Sergeant in 1996.

He was promoted to Lieutenant in October 2000, and later served as Officer-in-Charge of Rampart’s Gang Impact Team and as the Department’s Bomb Squad Commander.

He served his country as an Officer in the United States Navy Reserve, and was mobilized to active duty in 2002 to the Pacific Fleet Intelligence Directorate.

In May 2007, he was promoted to Captain and served as Patrol Commanding Officer at both Pacific and Newton Patrol Divisions.  He also served as the Assistant Commanding Officer, Gang and Narcotics Division, and as the Commanding Officer of both North Hollywood Area and Internal Affairs, Administrative Investigation Division.

In October 2013, he was promoted to Commander and served as the Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations-Central Bureau, and Information Technology Bureau.  He also served as the Department’s Employee Relations Administrator.

In December 2016, Deputy Chief Eisenberg was selected to serve as the Department’s Chief of Detectives where he oversaw the seven specialized commands in Detective Bureau:  Commercial Crimes Division, Detective Support and Vice Division, Forensic Science Division, Gang and Narcotics Division, Juvenile Division, Robbery Homicide Division, and Technical Investigation Division.  In addition, Deputy Chief Eisenberg had functional responsibility for the approximately 1800 detective personnel who served throughout the LAPD.

In July 2018, Deputy Chief Eisenberg was assigned the role as Commanding Officer of Operations-West Bureau where he oversaw five geographic areas: Hollywood, Wilshire, West Los Angeles, Pacific and Olympic Areas.  Operations-West Bureau is comprised of more than 1,500 sworn and civilian employees, covers an area in excess of 120 square miles and serves a population of approximately one million residents.

Deputy Chief Eisenberg received his B.A. degree from Colorado College before joining the LAPD.  He holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and is a graduate of the FBI Academy and FBI/US Army Hazardous Devices School.   He honorably retired from the LAPD in 2021 with 30 years of law enforcement experience. 

Training Class Title:  FBI Atlanta Opening Remarks

Speaker(s): FBI SAC Keri Farley

About the Class: FBI Special Agent in Charge, Keri Farley will provide an update for the Atlanta Office

Speakers Bio: Ms. Farley joined the FBI as a special agent in 2004 and reported to the Boston Field Office, where she investigated a variety of national security matters. She transferred to the New York Field Office in 2007 and was promoted to supervisory special agent over New York’s first Terrorist Use of the Internet squad in 2010.

In 2012, Ms. Farley transferred to supervisor of the Joint Terrorism Task Force at the Long Island Resident Agency under the New York Field Office. Two years later, she was promoted to assistant inspector and team leader in the Inspection Division at Headquarters.

Ms. Farley was named assistant special agent in charge of the Intelligence Branch of the Charlotte Field Office in North Carolina in 2016. In 2018, she was named chief of the Human Intelligence Section in the Counterterrorism Division at Headquarters. In 2020, she was named the acting chief of staff of the National Security Branch.

Prior to joining the FBI, Ms. Farley practiced labor and employment law. She earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations from Cornell and a juris doctorate from Emory University School of Law. She also played for the U.S. National Handball Team.

Training Class Title:  Domestic Terrorism and Rise in Core Groups

Speaker(s): FBI Section Chief Chris Macrae

About the Class: TBA

Speakers Bio: Chris Macrae entered on duty as a Special Agent in 2003. Following graduation from the FBI Academy, he was assigned to the Miami Division where he investigated Healthcare Fraud for approximately five years.

In 2009, Mr. Macrae transferred to a Transnational Organized Crime – Western Hemisphere (TOC-West) squad.  He was the affiant on numerous Title IIIs, targeting drug trafficking organizations importing and distributing kilogram quantities of narcotics. In 2014, Mr. Macrae was promoted to the supervisor (SSA) for that squad.

In 2016, Mr. Macrae was promoted to Team Leader in the Inspection Division where he conducted assessments of the FBI Criminal, NSB, HUMINT, and Intelligence operations across several field offices, as well as review of FBI shootings incidents.

He has spent the majority of his career working criminal program matters. In 2019, Mr. Macrae became the SSA for a CT squad focused on Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs).

In December 2020, Mr. Macrae was named Assistant Special Agent in Charge where he led the Atlanta Division's Criminal Branch.

Mr. Macrae was appointed to his current role as Section Chief of the Domestic Terrorism Operations Section in August 2023.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Macrae worked in the computer industry including running his own computer consulting business for five years. He is originally from New Jersey and attended Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) where he studied Computer Information Systems.

Training Class Title:  Evolving Threats in Transnational Organized Crime  

Speaker(s): FBI ASAC Sean Burke and SSA Bill Donaldson 

About the Class: The FBI will identify which current Western Hemisphere Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) are impacting the United States, and more specifically the State of Georgia, through narcotics trafficking and money laundering activities.  The course will describe how these TCOs use various logistical means to distribute dangerous drugs throughout the U.S., and how they exploit the U.S. financial system to launder illicit narcotics proceeds.  The course will use recent case examples to illustrate the ever-changing methods of the TCOs and how law enforcement can use sophisticated techniques to disrupt and dismantle these organizations.

Speakers Bio:  Bill Donaldson currently serves as the Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) and Coordinator of the FBI’s Transnational Organized Crime – Western Hemisphere (TOC-West) Program in the Atlanta Field Office. In this role, he manages the FBI’s William J. Fay TOC-West Task Force, a component of the Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force, and oversees domestic and international investigations involving priority targets associated with transnational criminal organizations.  These investigations can include but are not limited to trafficking of narcotics and weapons, as well as international money laundering violations. SSA Donaldson previously worked in the Miami Division where he investigated a variety of complex financial crimes, including money laundering, bank fraud, and securities fraud.  Throughout his career with the FBI, he has also served temporary duty assignments involving violent crime and domestic terrorism in the Chicago and Milwaukee Divisions.  Prior to joining the FBI, SSA Donaldson served as the Deputy Inspector General for the State of Georgia’s Office of Inspector General.  In this role, he supervised investigations involving public corruption and fraud against the government.  He has also previously served in a variety of investigative roles in both the public and private sectors.  SSA Donaldson holds Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Accounting degrees from Georgia Southern University.  He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Sean Burke was named Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office in August of 2023. Sean has oversight of Atlanta Division's Criminal Branch.

Sean entered on duty in 1996 as a Professional Support Employee assigned to WFO's Special Surveillance Group (SSG). During the six years assigned to WFO-SSG, Sean was also a member of WFO's Hazmat Team, responded to the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and remained assigned to the Pentagon for victim/evidence recovery, as part of the Hazmat Team. Sean also responded to Boca Raton, FL with WFO Hazmat for the Anthrax investigation and the National Capitol Region for letters sent to Capitol Hill in 2001.

Sean entered on duty as a Special Agent in February of 2002. Upon graduation, he reported to the Chicago Division where he was assigned to the Violent Crimes/Fugitive Task Force (VC-1) and remained on VC-1 until March of 2017. During Sean's 15 years in Chicago, he was on the SWAT Team for 11 years and was Kidnapping Coordinator for 11 years. In 2007-2008, Sean volunteered for a 90-day TDY to Legat Kabul as part of CTD's Counter-IED Initiative where he and his teammates developed intel related to IED facilitators, shared the intel with the IC community in Kabul and accompanied an Army Special Forces team on actioning the intel. Sean earned the Director's Award and the FBI's Meritorious Achievement Medal for actions during the TDY. In 2013, Sean did a 90-day TDY to Legat Algiers as A/ALAT – A/LEGAT, after the In Amenas oil field attack.

In March of 2017, Sean was selected as an SSA in OTD's Tactical Operations Section (TOS), Sensitive Operations Support Unit (Flaps and Seals), traveling to Divisions as part of a team, supporting CI, CT and CID investigations.

In March of 2019, Sean was selected as SSRA of Rome (Cartersville), Dalton and Gainesville RAs where he oversaw all FBI investigations within 29 counties of North Georgia. As such, Sean supervised three Safe Streets Gang Task Forces comprised of over 60 task force officers. Sean remained SSRA until August of 2023.

Sean is a former Marine and a 1995 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. Sean's father is a retired Agent and his brother, Tim, is an Agent in the Atlanta Division 

Training Class Title:  Developing High Potentials: A Dale Carnegie Experience 

Speaker(s): Raquel Armendariz, Vice President of Training, Dale Carnegie Southeast 

About the Class: Many are struggling with leadership pipeline for the future. This workshop is essential for those looking to develop the leadership potential of their high-performing officers. By focusing on the art of conversation and small talk, participants will learn to build stronger internal relationships and foster deeper community connections. Additionally, through Dale Carnegie’s acclaimed human relationship principles, the workshop will provide strategies for managing stress and worry, enhancing officers' emotional resilience. Equip your team with these vital skills to lead effectively and positively impact your department and community.

Speakers Bio:  Raquel Armendariz started with Dale Carnegie Training in 2006. Starting as a trainer in Juarez, Mexico, Raquel had the opportunity to work with Local and International Organizations giving her the knowledge and experience she required to be transferred to the state of Tennessee. After working in the Nashville market for 5 years, she moved to Atlanta in 2019.  As a VP of Customer Experience & Certified Dale Carnegie ® Master Trainer, Raquel’s enthusiasm and expertise help organizations reach and exceed their expectations. She is passionate about coaching senior leaders to unleash their full potential while they empower the people in their teams to not only change their performance but also their lives.

Training Class Title:  A Fighting Chance

Speaker(s): Ashley Ferris

About the Class: A Fighting Chance is a firsthand account of former Lakewood Agent Ashley Ferris’ encounter with an active shooter on December 27, 2021. 

In approximately 45 minutes, a deranged individual traveled throughout the city of Denver and ultimately entered the neighboring city of Lakewood, shooting 7 individuals, killing 5, and engaging a total of 5 officers in gunfire. Ferris was the 7th and final individual shot by the suspect. Seriously wounded and on the ground, Agent Ferris continued fighting and shot and killed the suspect, ending his murderous rampage. This presentation is a detailed account of the investigative piece of Ferris’ critical incident, the impact of training on a critical incident, her efforts to recover, leadership successes and failures, and resiliency found through a focus on purpose. 

Speakers Bio:  Ashley Ferris was a law enforcement officer with a Denver metro area police department from January of 2018 to June of 2023. She now works as a law enforcement training specialist for a large university in Tennessee. Before becoming an LEO, Ashley was an All Source Intelligence Analyst with the United States Army and a project manager for a Denver area developer. 

After becoming an LEO, Ashley was appointed to several leadership, mentoring, and instructing positions. In her work as an LEO, she excelled most in speaking with individuals experiencing mental health related crises due to her own personal experience with depression. Ashley lives and loves to serve the community, her organization, and her friends and peers. She now lives this purpose through her role as a Training Specialist and her work as a public speaker.

Training Class Title:  "Above the Line/Below the Line" : The secret to creating a culture of accountability to build trust, create alignment and improve recruitment/retention. 

Speaker(s): Betsy Thomas, Vince Martinez, Colby Brannan

About the Class: Learn a simple model to determine the "why" behind any cultural challenges and how to fix them quickly.  Understand a simple yet powerful way to implement positive accountability throughout your organization. 

Speaker Bio:  Betsy Thomas is enthusiastic, optimistic, and an extremely successful team builder.  She has served the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) since February 1, 1994. During her 30-year career with the GDC, Betsy served the State of Georgia as a Probation Officer, Chief Probation Officer, Field Services Manager, Deputy Director of Human Resources, and Director of Human Resources. Betsy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Mercer University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from Columbus State University. Betsy has a passion for helping others realize their full potential and is a recognized leader in her field. Betsy is a SHRM Senior

Certified Professional who uses her experience and knowledge to lead others to their future potential. 

Betsy has shared her passion, knowledge, and experiences with other government and non-government entities to help prepare their employees for the future in Human Resources. Under her leadership, new initiatives such as team building, recruitment and retention, and leadership development have been incorporated into numerous agencies and staff within the Georgia state government. Betsy served as the Chair of the Georgia Council of Human Resources and will serve on the SHRM Georgia State Council in 2024. Betsy is a part-time instructor for Columbus State University in their Professional Management Program, teaching leadership courses to an array of law enforcement personnel. Betsy has served as Chair and Co-Chair on numerous initiatives and conferences within Georgia,

including national conferences that the Georgia Department of Corrections hosted. Betsy is a certified instructor and has utilized her talents training others in leadership, coaching, and state government policy and procedures.

In her free time, Betsy enjoys reading and relaxing with family and friends, as well as directing weddings and events. Betsy is an Independent Optavia health coach and loves to help others on their health journey.

Vince Martinez brings over 25 years of experience in facilitating, training, and business development, as well as certification as a Master Trainer in Consultative Selling and Developmental Coaching. He has worked with companies around the world in a wide variety of industries, including the retail, education, IT, nonprofit, and publishing sectors.

Vince’s business pedigree includes working as a Director of Training and Sales Effectiveness for Cengage, Director of Training and Sales Systems for Thomson/Cengage Learning, Sales Director for Pearson Sales, and

being one of the top sales representatives for Harcourt College Publishing. Having excelled in these roles, Vince is able to relate to individuals, leadership teams, and organizations in a practical and personal way. 

As a sought-after speaker and facilitator, Vince has worked with international audiences in Malaysia, Australia, South America, Europe, and throughout the United States and Canada. Vince is known for his engaging approach,

dynamic energy, and captivating style. 

Vince earned his undergraduate degree from Berklee College of Music with

a major in education. A former public school teacher, Vince also has graduate level coursework and teaching experience in all aspects  of Organizational Development and Leadership.

Colby Brannan brings over 25 years of experience enabling organizations to improve performance and profitability. Throughout his career, Colby has excelled at making the complex simple, working with startups, government agencies, and global Fortune 50 organizations. His background includes expertise in what he calls the “core 3” – business development, negotiation, and culture.

As a former business development leader, Colby worked with organizations in the IT and Telecommunications industry to help grow revenue and profitability. His ability to help businesses scale quickly led to a successful IPO for one organization and a private equity acquisition for another.

As Practice Head at The Gap Partnership, a global negotiation consultancy,

he delivered hundreds of millions in incremental profit for F500 clients across nearly every industry segment. He has advised, coached, and trained hundreds of leaders and managers around the world how to professionally negotiate. Colby is also the developer of the ADAPT model for professional negotiations.

Colby’s role at Culture Partners is multi-faceted. He’s a consultant, executive facilitator, strategist, and simplifier. He has supported clients in nearly every industry, which gives him the ability to leverage those experiences to help clients zoom-out and think creatively to solve challenges. Colby’s belief is that when organizations have a culture of clarity, alignment, and accountability, performance increases exponentially.

Colby graduated from The University of Arizona with a degree in Communication and Business. He lives in Naples, Florida with his family and enjoys golf, fishing, coaching youth sports, and volunteering as a Special Olympics basketball coach.

Training Class Title:  Psychological treatments for traumatic reactions in the law-enforcement and first responder community. 

Speaker(s): Major Doug Wilson, Georgia State Police (GSP), Dr. Willie Cameron, Office of Public Safety Support, Jessica Wheeler, LCSW, Lt. Stacey Collins, GSP 

About the Class: Instructors will begin their presentation by presenting the initial obstacles that arise logistically, when responding to a Line of Duty Death (LODD).  They will share the best practices on how to deal with the trauma and grief surrounding a Line of Duty Death and how to move forward utilizing peer counselors and coaching.

Speakers Bio:  Major Doug Wilson is currently serving as the North Adjutant of Field Operations with the Georgia State Patrol.  With a career spanning over 34 years in both state and local law enforcement experience.  He is also an alumnus of the prestigious programs, having graduated from the 271st FBI National Academy and participated in the 29th Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) delegation.

 Willie R. Cameron currently works as a mental health professional supervisor for the Office of Public Safety Support. Prior to this job, he worked for the federal government as a substance abuse professional and worked in private practice treating clients with substance abuse and trauma concerns for over 20 years.  His educational background includes Master of Science in criminal justice, Masters of Arts in Counseling, and a Doctoral Degree in Experimental Psychology. His current goal is to continue to effectively address positive mental within the Law-enforcement and first responder community.

Jessica Wheeler has been providing culturally competent care to Georgia’s first responders since December 2020 with OPSS. She specializes in trauma and grief, using the therapeutic modalities of EMDR, IFS-informed care, and BLAST to name a few. She not only provides therapeutic care to first responders, but also develops and teaches course content for first responders and for peer counselors, coaching in best practices in providing modern day care to Georgia’s sworn and certified.  

Lt. Collins has served in Law Enforcement for 26 years, 3 yrs. With GA Southern University PD and the remaining with GA State Patrol.  Lt. Collins received his bachelor’s degree from Ga Southern.  Collins was a founding member of the GA State Patrol Peer team in 2010.  In 2020 Lt Collins was assigned as the Deputy Director of the Office of Public Safety Support where he currently supervisors Mental Health Professionals, Law Enforcement Peer counselors and a Service Dog team.

Training Class Title:  Fostering Collaboration between the Hospitality Industry and Law Enforcement

Speaker(s): Sherri Foster, Director of Security, Extended Stay America

About the Class: This course will focus on building the partnerships between the Hospitality Industry and Law Enforcement.  Topics to be discussed include:

·         Actions that hotels are taking to keep their properties in compliance with the code enforcement and city ordinances.

·         How the “Broken Windows Theory” is being applied in hospitality.

·         Initiatives utilized in the hospitality industry to combat human trafficking.

·         The reciprocal relationship of Law Enforcement and hospitality.

Speakers Bio:  Sherri is a 40-year career law enforcement professional. She started her career in 1984 with the Winder, Georgia Police Department. In 1985, she became employed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as a Narcotic Agent and later served as a Special Agent. In 1990, she was hired as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration. As a DEA Special Agent, she worked in Atlanta, Georgia, Columbus, Georgia, and Lima, Peru. She also served as the Resident Agent in Charge in Montgomery, Alabama and Group Supervisor in Cartagena, Colombia. Sherri finished her DEA career in the Special Operations Division in Chantilly, Virginia, retiring in 2014.  From 2014 to 2018, she worked as the Supervisor in the Anti-Money Laundering Group, at Truist Bank. In 2018, she became employed by the Northern District of Georgia’s United States Attorney’s office, specializing in fentanyl overdose cases as well as coordinating meeting between local, state and federal agencies under Project Safe Neighborhood.  She remained in that position until December 2023. In 2022, Sherri was hired as the Director of Security for Extended Stay America Hotels. She is also a consultant in the development of training courses for hotels and restaurants focusing on De-escalation Techniques, Fentanyl and Drug Awareness, and Best Practices to Detect Human and sex Trafficking.

Training Class Title:  Titles vs Opportunities 

Speaker(s): Tony Bailey, Director of Education & Training, FBINAA   

About the Class: In the ongoing battle of recruitment and retention plaguing our profession, along with the despairing statistics of the average tenure of a chief of police, we must ask ourselves… are we (individuals) chasing titles or opportunities. This program will look at the difference between titles and opportunities and what true leadership looks like through the process of recruiting, retention, and seeking true opportunities to lead, to serve, and to impact lives.

Speakers Bio:  Tony Bailey is the Director of Education and Training for the FBINAA and has over 30 years of public safety experience. He served as the Chief of Police for the City of Powder Springs (GA) and the City of West Point (GA). Tony is a graduate of the FBI-National Academy, Session 242, and currently serves on the executive board for the Georgia Chapter. Tony has been an active member throughout his law enforcement career serving as an area representative for both the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) and the GA Chapter of FBI-National Academy Associates (GAFBINAA). He has also served on numerous advisory boards and committees for GACP, the GAFBINAA, the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC), and the Salvation Army.