Meet Our Course Instructors
Our instructors and facilitators are bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our courses and we are proud to have them on our team!
Foundations of Executive Leadership in Policing
Chief of Police (Retired), Union City Police Department
Darryl McAllister’s policing career spans 37 years. He devoted the first 32 years of service to the Hayward, California community, rising through the ranks and receiving numerous prestigious honors along the way. In 2013 he migrated to the city next door to serve as the chief of police in Union City. Throughout his entire career, his passion has been to edify police-community engagement to build meaningful relationships and to foster trust and transparency between police and the communities they serve.
McAllister is also an educator. He served two years as faculty and four years as lead faculty area chair at the University of Phoenix, and since 2016 he has continued to teach criminal justice and community-relations courses at Chabot College and Las Positas College, both in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to teaching college courses, he also taught three years in POST’s Executive Development Course, and he currently serves as coordinator of the California Police Chiefs Association’s Executive Certification Program.
For over two decades he has served as a board member of several community organizations, including as president of the board of directors of the St. Rose Hospital Foundation, and as a member of the advisory board of the University of San Francisco's International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership.
He is a two-time nominee and one-time recipient of Hayward’s Police Officer of the Year Award, a 2007 Recipient of the “Hayward Pearl Award” honoring volunteer service to the community, and he was also awarded in 2013 as University of Phoenix’s Faculty Member of the Year for the San Francisco Bay Area Campus region. In 2015, while serving as police chief, he was selected by the San Francisco East Bay Area/Southern Alameda County branch of the NAACP for its most prestigious award: “Person of the Year”.
In early 2019, immediately following his retirement from a storied law enforcement career, he began a new calling to provide healthcare safety and security management. Initially overseeing security and safety operations for one of Sutter Heath’s major medical centers, he served the second half of his two-year tenure working in Sutter’s corporate offices as the enterprise’s security plans and programs manager, developing policies and rolling out new security programs and innovations. On April 5, 2021, a new chapter of his private sector leadership emerged when he was selected as the director of corporate safety and Security for Pixar-Disney Animation Studios. He also serves a senior associate with Meliora Public Safety Consulting—a company that provides a suite of services to clients across the United States for continuous improvement and implementation of contemporary practices in the field of public safety.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Studies from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master’s Degree in Administrative Development from Alliant International University. He has completed the first two years of his pursuit of a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and an alumnus of the California Command College—a graduate level futures study program of the California State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Chief of Police (Retired) Newport Beach Police Department
Chief Jon Lewis was the 10th Chief of Police in the Newport Beach PoliceDepartment’s history, assuming office on March 22, 2016 after successfullyworking his way through the ranks. He honorable retired on December 30,2022 after serving in this role for nearly seven years. He graduated with honorsfrom California State University, Long Beach, with a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in Criminal Justice and Speech Communication and also holds a Masterof Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University. He is a graduateof several advanced law enforcement training courses including the ShermanBlock Supervisory Leadership Institute as well as the Commission on PeaceOfficer Standards and Training Command College, where he was selected asclass speaker.
He has authored two university-level text books in criminal justice and was selected as adjunct faculty at GoldenWest College’s Criminal Justice Training Center and the Center for Criminal Justice Research and Training atCalifornia State University Long Beach.
During his tenure as Chief of Police, the Newport Beach Police Department has achieved reduction in crime tohistoric lows through effective, data-driven community policing strategies as well as excellence in emergencyresponse and 911 call answer times. The Department has developed innovative wellness initiatives in collaborationwith national experts, fostering morale, productivity and unparalleled police service.
Chief Lewis has held executive leadership positions at the local, county and state levels including: Orange CountyChiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association President, Orange County Regional Narcotic Suppression Program ExecutiveBoard (RNSP), Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory Local Executive Board (OCRCFL) andthe Orange County Commission to End Homelessness. He currently is a member the Visit Newport Beach andNewport Beach and Company Executive Board and the California Police Chiefs Association Board of Directors.
He and his wife, Darcy, have two children and reside in Orange County.
Chief of Police (Retired), Cypress Police Department
Chief Jackie Gomez-Whiteley is a 33-year law enforcement professional having served with distinction in Orange, Los Angeles, and Monterey Counties. In 1986, she began her sworn career at the Orange Police Department where she worked in all three divisions: Patrol, Investigations, and Administration. She was the department’s first woman motor officer, as well as sergeant and lieutenant. In 1989, Jackie was involved in an officer-involved shooting of a kidnap and attempted murder suspect. Because of her actions, she was awarded the Medal of Valor.
Gomez-Whiteley would go on to serve as a command level officer and Chief of Police at three other agencies in California: Cypress, Alhambra, Pacific Grove. In 2011, she was appointed Chief of Police and the first woman to serve as Police Chief of a municipal agency in Orange County, CA. Under her leadership, the Cypress Police Department was recognized multiple times for various community policing and trust building programs. She served as Interim Police Chief at Alhambra PD from 2016-2017 and at Pacific Grove PD from 2018-2019, where both agencies focused on updating their policy manuals in preparation for accreditation. In 2020, Chief Gomez-Whiteley was awarded the California Police Chiefs Association, Joe Malloy Memorial Award recognizing her lifetime of outstanding service and dedication and the long-lasting positive impact to the law enforcement profession.
Gomez-Whiteley obtained her Master of Arts degree from Chapman University in Organizational Leadership with a certificate in Public and Non-Profit Leadership. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola Marymount University in Psychology with a minor in Alcohol and Drug Studies. In 2007, Gomez-Whiteley graduated from the P.O.S.T. Command College, where she published an article in Police and Security News Magazine titled: Dirty Bombs: Calculating the Threat.
During her career, Gomez-Whiteley has been an adjunct instructor at various law enforcement training centers throughout the state for nearly 30 years and is Program Director at the prestigious California Police Chiefs Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker (Claremont Graduate University). Prior to founding Meliora PSC, she has maintained a successful consulting practice focused on leadership development and training, strategic planning, executive coaching and mentoring, organizational assessments, policy development and alignment, and other areas of public safety management throughout the country. Gomez-Whiteley continues to serve on many boards, is a member of the Chiefs Advisory Board for the California Police Chiefs Women Leaders in Law Enforcement, and consults and trains Police Chiefs and City Managers throughout the United States.
Chief of Police (Retired), Gardena Police Department
Edward Medrano is currently the President of a private consulting firm. He recently served the Attorney General as the Chief of the Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) for the CA Department of Justice. In his capacity as Chief, he is accountable to over 1000 personnel in the Division’s four bureaus—Investigations, Gambling, Firearms, Forensics—and responsible for the management of a 270 million-dollar budget.
Before this position, Edward has over thirty years of Public Service, including eleven years as a Police Chief and two years as a City Manager. Chief Medrano has served as the President of both the California Police Chiefs Association and The Los Angeles County Police Chief’s Associaton.
In addition to his professional career, Chief Medrano serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern CA (USC) at the Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Edward possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Executive Leadership. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is a United States Marine Corps Veteran.
Chief (Retired), Bakersfield Police Department
Lyle Martin attended local schools in Bakersfield, CA. Lyle possesses a Master’s degree of Business Administration and has completed his course work toward his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. December of 2016, Lyle Martin was selected as the 20th Chief of Police for the Bakersfield Police Department. Chief Martin worked for the Bakersfield Police Department for 32 years. His experience includes serving as a street level narcotics officer, motorcycle officer, homicide detective, Special Enforcement Unit Sergeant and Lieutenant, SWAT operator and SWAT team leader. After retiring from the Bakersfield Police Department (2019) Chief Martin was selected as the Chief Investigator for the Kern County District Attorney’s Office to lead the organization’s transition (2020).
Chief Martin is a recognized Subject Matter Expert in Law Enforcement Executive Management Development by California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). Chief Martin was a planning committee member and is a graduate of the first cohort of the California Police Chiefs Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker. He was appointed by the Board of State and Community Corrections to the JAG Grant Executive Steering Committee as a Subject Matter Expert for the 2018 funding cycle representing California municipal police departments. Chief Martin is dedicated to public safety and quality of life issues in our community.
Chief Martin is Adjunct Faculty for California State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield College, and was the Lead Faculty Area Chair for the University of Phoenix Central Valley Campus for over 10 years.
Chief Martin is a member of Bakersfield Downtown Rotary, International Association of Chiefs of Police, California Police Chiefs’ Association, California Police Officers Association, Board Member for Mendiburu Magic Foundation, and Kegley Institute of Ethics Community Associate (California State University Bakersfield), California State University Bakersfield Center for Social Justice founding board member, Adventist Health Governing Board member, and President of the Bakersfield Police Activities League (BPAL). Chief Martin also enjoys reading and working out.
LCW attorney's provide rotating instruction in this course. To learn more about their firm, visit www.lcwlegal.com
Dean of Public Policy, Pepperdine University
Pete Peterson is a leading national speaker and writer on issues related to civic participation, and the use of technology to make government more responsive and transparent.
He was the first executive director of the bi-partisan organization, Common Sense California, which in 2010 joined with the Davenport Institute at the School of Public Policy to become the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership. In 2008, he developed the organization's annual Public Engagement Grant Program, which has provided over $500,000.00 in grants over the last several years to dozens of municipal governments across California. Peterson has also consulted on several of these projects with local governments, and has directly facilitated public meetings.
Peterson has co-created and currently co-facilitates the training seminar, "Public Engagement: The Vital Leadership Skill in Difficult Times" a program that has been attended by over 2,000 municipal officials, and he also co-created and co-facilitates the seminar, "Gov 2.0: What Public Officials Need to Know."
Peterson writes widely on public engagement for a variety major news outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle, as well as numerous blogs. He is a regular guest on the "Politics Roundtable" with host Larry Mantle on KPCC radio. He has also helped write several survey-based reports on the subject, including "Testing the Waters: California's Local Officials Experiment with New Ways to Engage the Public" (in collaboration with the League of California Cities), and the "California Civic Health Index" (in collaboration with the National Conference on Citizenship). He contributed the chapter, "Place As Pragmatic Policy" to the edited volume, Why Place Matters: Geography, Identity, and Civic Life in Modern America (New Atlantis Books, 2014), and the chapter "Do-It Ourselves Citizenship" in the volume, Localism in the Mass Age (Wipf & Stock, 2018).
Pete has been a public affairs fellow at The Hoover Institution, and he serves on the Leadership Councils of the Public Policy Institute of California and California Forward, and on the boards of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and the Da Vinci Charter Schools.
Peterson was the Republican candidate for California Secretary of State in 2014.
Partner, Jones & Mayer
James Touchstone is a partner in Jones & Mayer. Mr. Touchstone is the Litigation Department Manager for the firm. His primary practice areas include litigation of civil rights actions, police representation, tort defense, business disputes, and employment/discrimination claims.
Mr. Touchstone’s representation has included the defense of a number of civil rights lawsuits alleging a variety of claims ranging from excessive force claims arising from officer-involved-shootings to false arrest claims. He has significant trial experience in both State and Federal Court. In addition, he assists police agencies in drafting of policies and procedures to ensure compliance by these agencies with the most recent state and federal case law. Mr. Touchstone has also defended literally hundreds of Pitchess motions in both the trial and appellate courts. He also provides general legal advice to police agencies on a variety of day-to-day issues that arise during the course of performing law enforcement duties. Finally, Mr. Touchstone provides representation to police agencies on civil forfeiture actions, which complement traditional law enforcement activities. He has also represented clients in civil appellate matters.
Mr. Touchstone has been practicing law since 1996, when he received his law degree from the University of California, Davis, School of Law (King Hall). While in law school, Mr. Touchstone served as editor for the Law Review from 1994 to 1996. He received the American Jurisprudence Award for bankruptcy. Mr. Touchstone received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Riverside, in 1990. He joined the law offices of Jones & Mayer in February 2009.
Mr. Touchstone is general counsel for California State Sheriff’s Association, California Police Chiefs Association and the California Peace Officers’ Association. He is also on the Board of Directors for Law Enforcement of Ontario (“LEO”), the Board of Directors for the Scheu Family YMCA of Upland and a former member of the Board of Directors for the Chaffey College Foundation. In addition, Mr. Touchstone has served as a lecturer at the University of California, Riverside Extension Program, on the subject of civil procedure and a guest lecturer at Campbell University on the subject of police liability.
Critical Considerations for the Police Executive
Chief of Police (Retired), Union City Police Department
Darryl McAllister’s policing career spans 37 years. He devoted the first 32 years of service to the Hayward, California community, rising through the ranks and receiving numerous prestigious honors along the way. In 2013 he migrated to the city next door to serve as the chief of police in Union City. Throughout his entire career, his passion has been to edify police-community engagement to build meaningful relationships and to foster trust and transparency between police and the communities they serve.
McAllister is also an educator. He served two years as faculty and four years as lead faculty area chair at the University of Phoenix, and since 2016 he has continued to teach criminal justice and community-relations courses at Chabot College and Las Positas College, both in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to teaching college courses, he also taught three years in POST’s Executive Development Course, and he currently serves as coordinator of the California Police Chiefs Association’s Executive Certification Program.
For over two decades he has served as a board member of several community organizations, including as president of the board of directors of the St. Rose Hospital Foundation, and as a member of the advisory board of the University of San Francisco's International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership.
He is a two-time nominee and one-time recipient of Hayward’s Police Officer of the Year Award, a 2007 Recipient of the “Hayward Pearl Award” honoring volunteer service to the community, and he was also awarded in 2013 as University of Phoenix’s Faculty Member of the Year for the San Francisco Bay Area Campus region. In 2015, while serving as police chief, he was selected by the San Francisco East Bay Area/Southern Alameda County branch of the NAACP for its most prestigious award: “Person of the Year”.
In early 2019, immediately following his retirement from a storied law enforcement career, he began a new calling to provide healthcare safety and security management. Initially overseeing security and safety operations for one of Sutter Heath’s major medical centers, he served the second half of his two-year tenure working in Sutter’s corporate offices as the enterprise’s security plans and programs manager, developing policies and rolling out new security programs and innovations. On April 5, 2021, a new chapter of his private sector leadership emerged when he was selected as the director of corporate safety and Security for Pixar-Disney Animation Studios. He also serves a senior associate with Meliora Public Safety Consulting—a company that provides a suite of services to clients across the United States for continuous improvement and implementation of contemporary practices in the field of public safety.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Studies from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master’s Degree in Administrative Development from Alliant International University. He has completed the first two years of his pursuit of a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and an alumnus of the California Command College—a graduate level futures study program of the California State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Chief (Retired), Hawthorne Police Department
Michael Ishii worked for the Hawthorne Police Department from 1990-2022, the last four as the Chief. He worked various assignments during his career, including Motor Officer, Traffic Investigator, Field Training Officer, Internal Affairs Sergeant, Public Information Officer, Patrol Bureau Watch Commander, and Detective Bureau Commander. He was promoted to Captain in 2010 and oversaw the Administration and Operations Divisions of the Police Department along with the City’s Information Technology Services Bureau.
During his tenure as Chief, Chief Ishii helped transform the department into a community policing-driven culture that prioritized creating an organizational culture focused on employee empowerment, wellness, and innovating community policing programs. He implemented the Hawthorne Safe Initiative, a policing strategy that provided safety and engagement in five key areas: Parks, Schools, Traffic, Neighborhoods, and Businesses. He also created the Care for Blue Initiative that focused on Officer wellness in mental care, career mentoring, finance, and health.
Under Chief Ishii's leadership, significant cultural changes took place, particularly in the field of medical care provided by first responders. He hired the region's first and only full-time Medical Director responsible for overseeing the Paramedic, EMT, and Tactical Medicine programs. By the end of 2022, the Hawthorne Police Department had six fully trained paramedics and over 25 officers certified as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).
In 2011, Chief Ishii was part of the team that helped create the national Coffee with a Cop program, which has gone on to become one of the most successful national community policing programs with events held in all 50 States, 41 countries, and in 9 languages. He also developed the National Coffee with a Cop website and started the National Coffee with a Cop Day (held annually nationwide on the 1st Wednesday of October). Chief Ishii continues to oversee the Coffee with a Cop non-profit organization as the Program Manager and CEO.
Chief Ishii holds a MA in Negotiation, Conflict/Management from California State University Dominguez Hills, as well as a BA in Communication Studies - Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from California State University Long Beach. He was born in Japan and grew up on a US military base near Tokyo and is fluent in Japanese.
Chief of Police (Retired), Gardena Police Department
Edward Medrano is currently the President of a private consulting firm. He recently served the Attorney General as the Chief of the Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) for the CA Department of Justice. In his capacity as Chief, he is accountable to over 1000 personnel in the Division’s four bureaus—Investigations, Gambling, Firearms, Forensics—and responsible for the management of a 270 million-dollar budget.
Before this position, Edward has over thirty years of Public Service, including eleven years as a Police Chief and two years as a City Manager. Chief Medrano has served as the President of both the California Police Chiefs Association and The Los Angeles County Police Chief’s Associaton.
In addition to his professional career, Chief Medrano serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern CA (USC) at the Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Edward possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Executive Leadership. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is a United States Marine Corps Veteran.
Laura Cole, President and Founder of Cole Pro Media
Laura Cole is the President and Founder of Cole Pro Media, a Media Consulting firm credited with taking a “revolutionary approach” to helping law enforcement agencies and city governments navigate Crisis Communications and Social Media Management.
Cole’s exemplary communications work with Police Departments and Sheriff’s Offices across the West Coast is considered to play a key role in reshaping the narrative surrounding law enforcement in America. As a respected former TV New Reporter who has worked at every level of the industry and served as a White House Correspondent, Cole is passionate about teaching agencies how to tell their own stories through social media, and in turn build their following online. This approach allows for direct communication between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve in a time of crisis. With a “no spin” policy, Cole places a strict emphasis on transparency. Cole Pro Media is the media consulting firm for the California State Sheriffs’ Association. As a sought-after speaker, Cole has shared her Crisis Communications philosophy at several events for the California Police Chiefs’ Association. She’s recognized for leading the exemplary communications efforts of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office during the 2017 deadly Sonoma Fires. With commitment and dedication to strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the community, Cole continues to lead the charge in steering agencies in the direction of best communication practices.
Chief (Retired), Pasadena Police Department
Bernard "Barney" Melekian has nearly 50 years oflocal law enforcement experience, most recently the Interim Police Chief in Santa Barbara for 17 months. He also served as the Assistant Executive Officer for Public Safety in Santa Barbara County and the Undersheriff for the Santa Barbara County SherifPs Office from 2015 to 2018. Barney was the Police Chief for the City of Pasadena from 1996 until 2009. During that period, he held assignments as the acting City Manager and the acting Fire Chief In 2009, Chief Melekian was selected as the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) by Attorney General Eric Holder. He served in that capacity until March 2013.
Barney holds a Bachelor's degree in American History and a Master's degree in Public Administration, both from California State University, Northridge. In 2012, he was awarded a Doctorate in Policy, Planning and Development from the University of Southern California for his doctoral project on Values-Based Discipline in Law Enforcement Organizations. His thesis was selected as the recipient of the Sol Price award for the best dissertation in 2012.
Dr. Melekian has provided consulting services to numerous jurisdictions throughout the United States including Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Dr. Melekian has worked with Moreno Valley (CA), Skokie (IL) and Prescott (AZ). Additionally, he has participated in several high-level after-action reviews in California including the Christopher Dorner review, the killing of four Oakland police officers, and the LAPD SW AT incident that resulted in the death of a hostage.
Barney served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1970. He was a member of the Coast Guard Reserve from 1984 until 2009. During that time, he was called to active duty in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm and served in Saudi Arabia. He served a second tour of active duty in 2003 when he served for eight months in the Pacific area. He retired from the Coast Guard Reserve as a Chief Petty Officer in 2009, after 25 years of service.
Effective Stewardship in Policing
Chief (Retired), Sacramento Police Department
Retired Chief Daniel Hahn was raised in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento after being adopted at three months old. When he was nine years old, he witnessed gun violence, including a murder, and at age 16, he was arrested for resisting an officer. His younger brother was murdered by gun violence in downtown Sacramento in 1992.
Although he never considered a career in law enforcement growing up, Hahn was persuaded to apply for the Sacramento Police Department while attending Sacramento City College. He was hired as a community service officer in 1987 and rose to the rank of captain. He served in numerous assignments at Sacramento PD, including public information officer, high school criminal justice academy coordinator, watch commander, special investigations commander, patrol commander, and commander of the Personnel Division.
In March 2011, Hahn was selected and sworn in as chief of police in the nearby city of Roseville. In August 2017, after six years at the helm in Roseville, he returned to his hometown to become the Sacramento Police Department’s 45th chief of police. He is also the first African American to hold the office in Sacramento. Eclipsing a distinguished 34-year career in policing, Hahn retired in December 2021. He now serves as dean of the Sacramento Regional Public Safety Center at American River College.
Chief Hahn demonstrated model leadership through several high-profile crises, all the while being focused on the vitality of the Sacramento community and the fidelity of the police department to be at its professional best. He led with genuine belief that by working in true partnership with the community, Sacramento would remain a great city in which to live, work and play.
Throughout his career, Chief Hahn was honored with numerous awards. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the California Police Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and he has perpetually volunteered his time on boards and committees throughout the region. He serves as an adjunct professor at California State University, Sacramento, and he regularly teaches a history and bias course that he developed through years of research.
Hahn holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree in Public Administration from National University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, P.O.S.T. Command College, Sierra Health Foundation Leadership Program, American Leadership Forum (ALF), and Stanford University’s Local Governance Summer Institute.
Chief Hahn is also a committed and proud father of two incredible daughters, and dedicated husband to his beautiful and always supportive wife, Katrina.
Chief (Retired), Bakersfield Police Department
Lyle Martin attended local schools in Bakersfield, CA. Lyle possesses a Master’s degree of Business Administration and has completed his course work toward his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. December of 2016, Lyle Martin was selected as the 20th Chief of Police for the Bakersfield Police Department. Chief Martin worked for the Bakersfield Police Department for 32 years. His experience includes serving as a street level narcotics officer, motorcycle officer, homicide detective, Special Enforcement Unit Sergeant and Lieutenant, SWAT operator and SWAT team leader. After retiring from the Bakersfield Police Department (2019) Chief Martin was selected as the Chief Investigator for the Kern County District Attorney’s Office to lead the organization’s transition (2020).
Chief Martin is a recognized Subject Matter Expert in Law Enforcement Executive Management Development by California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). Chief Martin was a planning committee member and is a graduate of the first cohort of the California Police Chiefs Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker. He was appointed by the Board of State and Community Corrections to the JAG Grant Executive Steering Committee as a Subject Matter Expert for the 2018 funding cycle representing California municipal police departments. Chief Martin is dedicated to public safety and quality of life issues in our community.
Chief Martin is Adjunct Faculty for California State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield College, and was the Lead Faculty Area Chair for the University of Phoenix Central Valley Campus for over 10 years.
Chief Martin is a member of Bakersfield Downtown Rotary, International Association of Chiefs of Police, California Police Chiefs’ Association, California Police Officers Association, Board Member for Mendiburu Magic Foundation, and Kegley Institute of Ethics Community Associate (California State University Bakersfield), California State University Bakersfield Center for Social Justice founding board member, Adventist Health Governing Board member, and President of the Bakersfield Police Activities League (BPAL). Chief Martin also enjoys reading and working out.
Chief (Retired), San Mateo Police Department
Chief Manheimer has recently retired from a 37-year storied and diverse career in Law Enforcement in the San Francisco Bay Area, having served over 22 years as a Chief of Police. During her career she has served in appointed leadership roles in three Bay Area departments, while serving in leadership roles at the regional, state, national, and international levels. As an early trail blazer for women serving in law enforcement, she’s had many “firsts” and has always been mindful of the responsibility to set a high bar and ensure the door is “wide open” for others to follow to ensure diversity and inclusivity within her profession. Chief Manheimer is the only woman to have served as President of the California Police Chiefs’ Association and the San Mateo County Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association.
Chief Manheimer is an innovator and collaborator, and her hallmark is forging community partnerships to improve and enhance the safety and quality of life in the many challenged areas in which she has chosen to serve. Widely recognized for her work in improving and enhancing neighborhoods, she is a recipient of many awards recognizing her accomplishments to include: the Law Enforcement Shield Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the Community Advocate Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Color People, The Guardian Award from the Bay Area Freedom House Anti-Trafficking Coalition, and the Joe Molloy Award, the highest recognition from the California Police Chiefs Association, after serving as their President for 18 months.
Chief Manheimer began her career and served almost 17 years with the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) 9/84 – 5/00. Her assignments included robbery decoy work, and gang and violent-crime suppression. She was both a Lieutenant and Captain of the Tenderloin Task Force, a tough inner-city neighborhood. She proposed and spearheaded the first Business Improvement District and Safety Ambassador program for the City and County of San Francisco. Chief Manheimer also spearheaded the very successful Homeless Outreach Team and Quality of Life Beat Policing which was subsequently replicated throughout the city.
She was a founding member of the SF City and County Juvenile Diversion and Referral Center. Under her tenure, Manheimer was able to forge a coalition of public, private, community-based organizations, and businesses to “Take Back the Tenderloin.” This helped reduce blight and increased neighborhood safety and quality of life, forging lasting coalitions engaging the challenged community. Those early impactful successes informed her approach for the rest of her career, and she was recruited by different cities as her programs gained recognition.
Appointed Chief of Police for the City of San Mateo (SMPD) in May of 2000, Manheimer served in that role until December of 2020. She continued her commitment to innovative policing public/private partnerships focusing on the most challenging problems facing her communities and youth and families. Under her leadership, the men and women of SMPD, through the support of many allied agencies and City and County of San Mateo, enacted award-winning programs that greatly improved outcomes for those they served.
The revitalization of downtown San Mateo was greatly enhanced by several initiatives she led for the City of San Mateo including replicating the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT), as well as the trauma-informed Field Crisis Response Team, and the outreach model for the Workers Resource Service Center. Manheimer served on the Juvenile Justice Commission and a key leader in San Mateo County’s Local Action Plan to End Homelessness.
During her long tenure as Chief of Police in San Mateo, Manheimer was selected / appointed to many key roles which benefitted her city and her profession. Tapped to participate in the Executive Sessions on Policing at the Harvard Kennedy School of Governmen, she also received a Presidential Appointment to the Office of Violence Against Women Act Re-commissioning and served as a long-time appointee for Governor Jerry Brown to the State Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Chief Manheimer has chaired the International Association of Chiefs of Police Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Committee for the past five years and continues in that role, and also continues as a Commissioner on the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council. She has dedicated much of her career to “upstream” intervention and diversion for at-risk youth, implementing many successful programs to interrupt the “School-to-Prison" pipeline.
Upon retirement in December of 2019, she was tapped to serve as the Interim Chief for the Oakland Police Department in March of 2021. What began as a six-month interim appointment by Mayor Schaaf to provide stability and support during their Police Chief Search, quickly stretched out to almost eleven months, all served during the Global Pandemic. Serving OPD From April 2020 – February 2021, Chief Manheimer’s focus quickly pivoted from stability and support to police reform and civil unrest amidst an intense period of significant social and racial upheaval, much of it centering on policing.
Working with the OPD and city, federal oversight, police commission and community leadership, Chief Manheimer’s was able to navigate the issues while producing far-reaching policy and reform initiatives. Chief Manheimer retired upon the selection of a permanent Chief and is glad to have been able to contribute stability and responsive engaged leadership during some of the most tumultuous times in policing in her career.
Upon retirement Chief Manheimer continues to give back to the profession she loves and mentor and develop law enforcement leaders. She continues her longtime membership in the Police Executive Research Forum and serves as an Executive Fellow at the nationally recognized Police Foundation. Manheimer also serves on many local leadership boards and continues her efforts at leveraging resources to serve challenged and marginalized communities.
Chief Manheimer received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, where she has taught a popular class on Public Policy, and her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from San Diego State University. She is a graduate of the POST Command College prestigious executive training program and a part of the training curriculum for law enforcement executives for the California Police Chiefs Association.
Chief Manheimer resides in San Mateo County and has two adult children, Sarah, a public sector attorney, and Jesse, a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps. Together with her grandchildren, they enjoy skiing, hiking, rowing, and service to their community.
Chief (Retired), Pasadena Police Department
Bernard "Barney" Melekian has nearly 50 years oflocal law enforcement experience, most recently the Interim Police Chief in Santa Barbara for 17 months. He also served as the Assistant Executive Officer for Public Safety in Santa Barbara County and the Undersheriff for the Santa Barbara County SherifPs Office from 2015 to 2018. Barney was the Police Chief for the City of Pasadena from 1996 until 2009. During that period, he held assignments as the acting City Manager and the acting Fire Chief In 2009, Chief Melekian was selected as the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) by Attorney General Eric Holder. He served in that capacity until March 2013.
Barney holds a Bachelor's degree in American History and a Master's degree in Public Administration, both from California State University, Northridge. In 2012, he was awarded a Doctorate in Policy, Planning and Development from the University of Southern California for his doctoral project on Values-Based Discipline in Law Enforcement Organizations. His thesis was selected as the recipient of the Sol Price award for the best dissertation in 2012.
Dr. Melekian has provided consulting services to numerous jurisdictions throughout the United States including Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Dr. Melekian has worked with Moreno Valley (CA), Skokie (IL) and Prescott (AZ). Additionally, he has participated in several high-level after-action reviews in California including the Christopher Dorner review, the killing of four Oakland police officers, and the LAPD SW AT incident that resulted in the death of a hostage.
Barney served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1970. He was a member of the Coast Guard Reserve from 1984 until 2009. During that time, he was called to active duty in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm and served in Saudi Arabia. He served a second tour of active duty in 2003 when he served for eight months in the Pacific area. He retired from the Coast Guard Reserve as a Chief Petty Officer in 2009, after 25 years of service.
Everyone's a Second: Dynamic Leadership For Police Management Teams
Chief, Winters Police Department
In his career, Chief John P. Miller has served with the Vacaville PoliceDepartment, Vallejo Police Department, Pacific Grove Police Department,Fairfield Police Department, and has been the Chief of Police at the Winters Police Department since July 2016. He has served as a K9 Handler; Beat HealthOfficer; Field Training Officer; Training Unit Supervisor; SWAT Teammember/Team Leader/Tactical Commander; Force Options Instructor;Department Rangemaster; and instructed at the Napa Valley Police Academyon firearms, use of force, and weapons law.
Chief Miller earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, option inPersonnel Administration and Industrial Relations from California State
University, Hayward and an Executive Master’s in Public Administration (with Honors) from Golden GateUniversity. He has also attended the FBI National Academy (Session #249), POST Command College (Class #64),California Police Chiefs Association Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker (Class #1), as well as earning theFBI LEEDA Trilogy Award.
Chief Miller is a member of the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) Training Committee andrepresents CPCA on the POST Instructor Standards Advisory Committee.
Assistant Chief, San Leandro Police Department
Assistant Chief Luis Torres started with the San Leandro Police Department in 1998. He has worked a variety of assignments including patrol, hostage negotiations, crime scene technician, school resource officer, sexual assault/juvenile crime detective, background investigator, and personnel and training. Additionally, he has served as the commander overseeing the K-9 Program, Hostage Negotiations Team, Color Guard, Professional Standards and Training Unit, and Patrol Division.
Assistant Chief Torres' education consists of an associate degree from Evergreen Valley College, a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University, and a Master's of Science in Law Enforcement and
Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego. He has received leadership training from the POST Supervisory Leadership Institute, the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police, and the California Police Chief's Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker.
Assistant Chief Torres previously served as the Northern California Associate Member Representative on the California Police Chief's Association Board of Directors and is currently the Co-Chair on the training committee.
Media Mastery for Leaders: Executive Strategies in Communications
Communications Strategist, Consultant, Former JournalistWith nearly a decade of experience as a law enforcement strategic communicator and several years as a journalist, Katie brings a high degree of knowledge and expertise to the realm of media relations and executive response management. As a “40 Under 40” award recipient from the International Association of Chiefs and with an Award of Distinction from the California Peace Officers Association, Katie takes pride in connecting law enforcement agencies with their communities. She teaches across the country on best practices when it comes to social media and crisis communication and is a regular instructor with California POST. Prior to her time in law enforcement, Katie was an award-winning crime and public safety reporter in the Bay Area. Her coverage of abandoned care home residents in Castro Valley led to numerous law changes to protect the elderly and vulnerable, and her coverage of gangs in the San Joaquin Valley earned her a California Newspaper Publishers Association award for investigative reporting.
Strategic and Succession Planning
Chief (Retired), Pleasant Hill Police Department
Pete Dunbar started with the Oakland Police Department in 1982. He served in a variety of assignments and positions in Patrol, Investigations and Training. In 1999, he was appointed as a Deputy Chief, where he was assigned to Field Operations and Services. In February of 2006, he was appointed as Chief of Police of the Pleasant Hill Police Department and retired as Chief on September 28, 2012. On October 8, 2012, he was appointed as the Director of the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) where he worked until November of 2014. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Performance for his work while at POST. Dunbar received a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the University of Santa Clara in 1982. He received a Master of Arts Degree in Education from San Diego State University in 2002.
Chief Dunbar has taught Strategic and Succession Planning in the POST Management Course for the San Diego Regional Training Center. He has been an instructor for the Chief’s Association in the topics of Ethics, Strategic and Succession Planning and the Leadership Challenge. He facilitated the Becoming a Police Chief Class (formerly The Role of the Police Chief) for four years and developed and facilitated Succeeding as a Police Chief since its inception. He has consulted with several departments regarding strategic and succession planning, including Huntington Beach and Grass Valley Police Departments. He is a graduate of POST Master Instructor Class 2.
Police Chief & City Manager
City Manager (Retired), City of Novato
Mr. Adam McGill has thirty-two years’ experience in the public sector, twenty-eight of which in policing, and his last four years as a city manager. He has worked in nearly every capacity of policing, serving as a police chief for ten consecutive years in three different California cities. He is known as a visionary and forward-looking executive with experience leading positive reforms and change within organizations.
From January 2017 until his retirement in December of 2023, Mr. McGill served the City of Novato in Marin County, California. For his final four years he served as City Manager where he led a team of three hundred employees while administering a $71 million annual budget. Ahead of his last appointment, Mr. McGill was the Chief of Police for Novato from January 2017 to November 2019.
Prior to joining the City of Novato, Mr. McGill served as Chief of Police to the Town of Truckee, an incorporated town near the north shore of Lake Tahoe with a population of more than 16,000 covering an area of 33.66 square miles. His efforts were formally recognized with the award “Excellence in Government” by the Tahoe Truckee Chamber of Commerce 2013-2016.
Mr. McGill previously served as a Senior Police Advisor and US Diplomat with the United States Department of State where he was assigned to Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs based out of the US Embassy Baghdad, Iraq. He led the police development program of more than 1,000 employees tasked to improve stability in Iraq through the provision of professional policing services and developing the capacity of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) to manage and sustain internal security operations.
Further, in his inaugural Chief of Police role, Mr. McGill served the City of Newman in Stanislaus County. Mr. McGill grew his career with the City of Modesto Police Department where he served as the Commander of the Critical Incident Team and of the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency. Finally, he helped propel the high-profile Laci Peterson (Scott Peterson) murder investigation and prosecution as a key member of the investigative team.
Mr. McGill has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master of Science in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach. Additionally, he is a graduate of the 261st session of the FBI National Academy. He also holds an Executive Certificate from California’s POST and completed the Leadership in Police Organizations course from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
He previously served as an executive Board Member for the California Police Chiefs Association and until his retirement was a member of the executive board for the League of California Cities’ city manager department.
Chief (Retired), Vallejo Police Department
Chief Joseph Kreins is a tenured law enforcement and municipal government executive with more than 40 years of experience, working with cities, counties, and special districts throughout California. Chief Kreins began his career with the City of Concord, where he rose through the ranks of the police department. During his 17 years in Concord, he served as the department’s first-ever Public Information Officer (a position that held for 4 years). He was one of the department’s key architects in working to develop their community engagement and community policing strategies in the 1980’s and 1990’s. After serving as a District Commander, Kreins left Concord in 2001 and was appointed Chief of Police for the Sausalito Police Department. In 2003, Kreins was appointed to the position of assistant city manager. Along with his position as Chief of Police, his responsibilities included leadership and management of the City Fire Department, as well as Information Technology and City Parking Services.
In 2004, Chief Kreins left Sausalito and was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Novato, a community of approximately 55,000 residents. He led that department until 2012, when he was recruited to serve as Chief of Police for the City of Vallejo (2012-2014), a community of 120,000. Chief Kreins provided leadership in Vallejo during a critical period, following that City’s emergence from bankruptcy. During that time, police staffing levels were significantly reduced due to financial challenges, and there were serious concerns about crime in Vallejo. During his tenure in Vallejo, the Department successfully reduced crime across all categories, enhanced community trust and relationships, and significantly restored police staffing and public safety credibility.
From 2014-2022, Chief Kreins served as the interim Chief of Police in the cities of Vallejo, Benicia, Winters, Novato, Clayton and Suisun City. He also served as a Special Advisor and public safety consultant to the CEO of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART). Additionally, Kreins served as consultant to the Central Marin Police Authority, and the Redlands and Vacaville Police Departments, completing leadership development, team building, strategic planning and comprehensive organizational audits of those agencies. He has facilitated several organizational audits/assessments of numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Chief Kreins has worked as an independent municipal government and law enforcement consultant for more than 10 years, and has served as a POST certified facilitator/presenter for California law enforcement agencies in team building and strategic planning workshops. He has additional experience working with city managers and elected officials in providing consulting services to include goal setting and strategic planning, management planning, coaching and mentoring, and budget development. Additional consulting services have included: clients for supervisory/management and executive recruitments, promotional processes, organizational audits/assessments, and numerous team building and strategic planning workshops. Chief Kreins has consulted with more than 35 law enforcement agencies, municipalities, counties and special districts throughout California.
While serving more than 20 years as a police chief and interim police chief, Kreins has become a subject matter expert in managing executive transitions in law enforcement agencies, and working with agencies to develop succession planning, goal-setting and strategic planning.
Chief Kreins holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Relations Management from Golden Gate University (magna cum laude). He holds certificates from the California Peace Officer Standards Training (P.O.S.T.), including a certificate in executive management. He has completed the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Law Enforcement Executive Development (LEEDS) program and the Senior Management Institute for Policing (SMIP) sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Kreins has also attended many legal update seminars, numerous management and leadership symposiums through the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Executive Research Forum, California Peace Officers Association, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and California Police Chiefs Association.
Chief Kreins is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), has served on the board of directors for the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), and was president of the Solano County Law Enforcement Administrators Association and the Marin County Police Chiefs Association. He is a member of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and California Peace Officers Association (CPOA). He served on the board of directors of the Marin Emergency Radio Authority (MERA), and he has also held leadership positions in Rotary International, North Marin Community Services – Novato Youth Center, and the Mt. Diablo YMCA board of directors.
For more than 30 years, Kreins has taught a variety of law enforcement training courses including; police/media relations, crisis communications, community-policing and problem-solving, community-oriented government, leadership development, and developing first-line supervisors. These courses were taught through the Peace Officers Standards Training programs (POST) – Supervisory and Management courses, the California State Training Institute (CSTI) – and the California Office of Emergency Services (OES).
Executive Assistants
Chief, San Rafael Police Department
Dave’s public service started in the late 1980’s with the San Diego Police Department, where he worked as a patrol officer for a short time before joining the Mountain View Police Department in Northern California. With well over a decade of service in various department operations with the Mountain View Police Department, Dave earned a strong reputation as an effective problem solver and collaborator.
Dave later sought out a position with the City of Pleasanton and joined the Pleasanton Police Department as the Administrative Lieutenant. After being appointed to the rank of Captain in 2003, Dave had rotated to manage both major divisions of his department, which includes the Patrol Division as well as the Investigations and Support Services Division. Dave moved on to the position of Police Chief in 2011 to provide overall leadership to the organization and worked to oversee all aspects of Police Department operations as Pleasanton’s sixth Police Chief.
In the wake of serving the Pleasanton community, Dave went on to serve the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Internal Affairs as a member of the organization’s Deadly Force Review Board as well as the City of Menlo Park as the Interim Police Chief.
In early 2021, Dave continued his professional law enforcement career being appointed to the position of Police Chief for the City of San Rafael, where he currently serves to lead the organization.
Dave has an Associate’s Degree in Administration of Justice from De Anza College in Cupertino, a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco as well as a Master’s Degree from Saint Mary’s College in Public Sector Leadership. Dave is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police through the Police Executive Research Forum, a graduate of the California POST Command College and a graduate of FBI LEEDS.
Dave is very involved in his community and in his profession – he serves the Board of Directors for the California Police Chief’s Association as the Co-Chair of the Training Committee and he is an independent, contract trainer and group facilitator serving non-profit organizations and municipal government.
Executive Assistant, Pleasanton Police Department
Kim is an experienced Executive Assistant with a demonstrated history of working in fast paced environments in law enforcement, local government, and the private sector. She began her career with Del Monte Foods, serving in increasing leadership roles prior to joining the City of Pleasanton in 2006. Kim worked in the Community Development Department providing administrative support for the Engineering, Traffic Engineering, Planning and Building Departments. Kim streamlined administrative processes and staffed the City’s Traffic Committee.
In 2010, Kim had the opportunity to join the Pleasanton Police Department as the Executive Assistant to the Chief of Police. Kim adapted well to the nuances of law enforcement and has had the honor and privilege of serving three Police Chiefs, as well as an Interim Police Chief during her tenure. Kim’s dedication to her role, her adaptability to a dynamic work environment, and her unwavering work ethic have earned her the trust and respect of her Chief, the department, the community, and her colleagues.
Kim has also held several ancillary roles including serving as an inaugural member of the department’s Branding Committee. Working alongside representatives from all disciplines of the organization, the team developed a new brand, logo, tagline, and platform for the Pleasanton Police Department. Kim currently serves as the department’s liaison to the Chief’s Advisory Board and is an Advisor to the department’s Volunteer in Policing Services program.
Kim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and is a yoga enthusiast, currently enrolled in an Advanced Yoga Studies Program. She lives in Pleasanton with her husband and daughter.
Owner, Software Solutions TeamFor over 20 years, Derek Crawford has been developing and delivering dynamic software training classes designed to increase employee productivity. Derek is the founder and owner of Software Solutions Team, located in San Luis Obispo, CA. Software Solutions Team is the largest software training company in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, providing end-user training to employees of public and private sector organizations. Derek’s energetic training approach has won acclaim for developing skills on the practical use of programs in fast-paced business environments - with emphasis on time-saving tips and tricks.
Public Safety Consultant & Coach, Kimberly A. Miller & Associates, LLP
Kimberly Miller, Ph.D. is Cherokee, a licensed police and public safety psychologist and sought-after speaker and consultant who has been inspiring and motivating individuals in our profession for over 16 years. Dr. Miller has worked with over 150 public safety organizations and provided training for tens of thousands of students around the country at local, regional, national training events and through her intensive online training programs. Dr. Miller has a curriculum of over 60 courses that she has developed and continues to revise and currently serves as the President of the National Sheriffs’ Association Psychological Services Board. She is a strength-based facilitator of individual and organizational change, and is known for her relationship-based approach to her work and the skill-based, engaging training and consultation services she offers. Her programs and services are designed to improve not only the individual line-level employee skills but also the organization as a whole. Dr. Miller’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Auburn University, a Master’s degree in clinical psychology from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Colorado State University. In addition to her academic credentials, Dr. Miller has significant experience in leadership, coaching and mentoring with over 30 years of serving in supervisory and leadership roles.
Beyond her work in public safety, Dr. Miller regularly works with corporations, non-profits, health care facilities, insurance providers, school districts, Native American organizations and city and county government to help them reach their next level of excellence through training, consultation and coaching services.
Clinically, Dr. Miller has worked with diverse clients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Her areas of expertise include: assessment, substance abuse, eating disorders, meaning in life, stress management, resilience, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. She has received four grants for her research (two from The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)), which focused on the development and cross-cultural validation of a strength-based measure of psychological well-being. Dr. Miller’s research interests include strength-based psychology and resiliency, culturally sensitive measurement development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, job satisfaction and engagement, organizational development, group process, leadership and supervision, psychological well-being, and the epidemiology and treatment of substance use and eating disorders in people of color.