Melissa Alterio is a 34-year veteran currently serving as Executive Director for Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications (DEC E911) in Metro Atlanta, GA – the 160-person ECC is the 2nd largest center in the state. She is also an Adjunct Instructor with APCO International for the last several years and an independent 911 consultant and leadership coach. Her passion is transforming organizational culture, leadership mentoring, and empowering dispatchers to invest in their professional development.
Melissa is a recognized 9-1-1 Subject Matter Expert who has presented at various national dispatch conferences around the country, speaking on a variety of leadership principles, and consulting on several industry-related topics. Melissa is a graduate of Marist College (NY) with a BS in Psychology and has completed her MS in Criminal Justice/Public Safety Leadership from Mercer University. She has received the professional designations of both Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) and Certified Public Safety Executive (CPE).
Melissa has also been appointed to the IACP National Consortium for Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide and serves as Board Advisor to the Women in Leadership Program at Georgia College & State University. She has also served as the past Chair for the APCO Health & Wellness Committee.
In 2021, Melissa was named as the Georgia APCO / NENA 911 Director of the Year, 2023’s NICE Public Safety Director of the Year, and in March 2024 was named as one of 15 Women of Achievement TRIBUTE honorees with LiveSafe Resources. Melissa is currently serving as Chair of the Cobb County Chamber Public Safety Appreciation Program for 2024.
Tamara Bell is the managing director of the Southwest Regional Communications Center (SWRCC), which provides emergency 9-1-1 services to DeSoto and the neighboring cities of Duncanville and Cedar Hill. Managing Director Bell began her emergency communications career in 1999 as a 9-1-1 call taker/dispatcher. She received her Bachelor of Art’s Degree in Communications from Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia. Tamara served in multiple roles in 911 including public information officer, dispatch review committee-chair and training. Managing Director Bell expanded her skill set by earning Communications Manager Certification from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). And in 2019 Bell bolstered her communications expertise by adding Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) credentials from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO). She also earned the Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) certification through APCO in 2022. Ms. Bell is currently serving as the Texas APCO President.
John Brady is the Director of the APCO Institute, bringing over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and higher education sectors. His expertise spans organizational development, institutional effectiveness, and strategic planning. He holds a Master of Nonprofit Management (MNM) and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Central Florida.
Tipi Brookins, a native of Gloucester County, New Jersey, is a seasoned public safety communications professional with over twenty-two years of experience. She began her career as a 9-1-1 call taker, dispatcher, CTO and 9-1-1 Supervisor, having had the opportunity to fill the shoes of a first responder.
She has worked in many roles to include Training and Quality Assurance Manager, Chief of the Office of Professional Standards and Development, and is currently the Chief of Staff for the DC Office of Unified Communications for the Nation’s Capital leading the agency’s strategic plan. She has demonstrated skills, expertise, and mastery knowledge in design, development, implementation, and coordination of organizational development and training programs, and a desire for organizational change. Chief Brookins was named Chair of the Training Subcommittee for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in 2022, received her Center Manager Certification Program from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and currently chairs the agency’s Culture task force. Her goal is to inspire and encourage others to learn and develop, lead those by example with purpose and integrity, and develop the future leaders of tomorrow while pursuing the mission of the Office of Unified Communications.
Tina Buneta, ENP, CPE, RPL currently serves as the Director of Aurora911 in Colorado. She joined the Aurora team in December of 2019 and has served beside her team through the entirety of the COVID pandemic, as well a turbulent summer of civil unrest in 2020. Tina began her public safety career in 1999 as a front line telecommunicator for the Colorado State Patrol, and ultimately served the CSP for twenty years and in four communication centers as a Communications Training Officer, Communications Supervisor, and Regional Center Manager. Additionally, Tina has nearly two decades’ experience in strategic planning, goal setting and cultural development. Her ECC experiences are diversified between urban and rural, large and small, primary and secondary. She is currently the Co-Chair of the APCO Staffing Task Force and has served an Executive Board member of Colorado NENA-APCO, and as a leadership-focused presenter at national and state-level venues. Tina’s passion is the cultivation, preparation, and empowerment of new leaders, which is achieved through the practice of people-first, strengths-based, values-driven leadership. Her personal leadership philosophy is, “Be the Leader You Needed”: utilizing collective life experiences with positive and toxic leadership to serve as her compass as she works to clear a pathway for others to lead with authenticity and emotional intelligence.
The Aurora911 team receives nearly 600,000 calls annually, and serves the third largest city in Colorado, with a population of 400,000 and growing. Through Tina’s nurturing leadership, Aurora911 is actively transforming from chronically understaffed and disempowered into a full-strength, inclusive, award-winning team.
Bob Cozzie is the Director of the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) in Portland, Oregon. He started his career as a 9-1-1 call taker for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1995, and his career path includes trainer, lead worker, assistant supervisor, Training Coordinator, and Public Information Officer. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Management from Colorado Christian University, and Bob and his family moved to the Portland area in 2003 where he was the Training Manager for BOEC, and later Director of Clackamas County 9-1-1. He returned to BOEC in 2018 to assume the director role.
Bob serves on numerous committees that have a direct impact on the 9-1-1 industry and public safety, including:
- Past Chair of the State Interoperability Executive Council
- Oregon Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (Past President, Finance Committee, and Legislative Committee)
- Portland Dispatch Center Consortium
Bob has a military background having served Active Duty and as a Reservist in the United States Air Force. He is married, has four grown children and nine grandchildren. He is a board member of Responder Life, a non-profit organization, which helps to equip first responders to lead healthy and productive lives.
Lynette S. Dawkins is a dedicated Human Resources professional with a rich background in emergency communications, having served at the Nashville Department of Emergency Communications since 2009. Her career with Metro Nashville Government began in 2000, marking a significant tenure dedicated to public service. Originally from Gary, Indiana, Lynette has called Nashville home since 1996.
She pursued her education at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Communications. She earned her APCO Registered Public Safety Leader (RPL) certification in 2021.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Lynette has a passion for travel, both domestically and internationally. She cherishes time spent with her granddaughter and has a deep love for old-school rap, R&B, and jazz music, citing Samara Joy and New Edition as her most memorable concert experiences to date.
Sarah Franz, MBA, ENP, CMCP currently serves as the Deputy Director of Operations for Aurora911 in Aurora, Colorado. She joined the Aurora911 team October of 2021, and is an involved leader of culture change initiatives. In 2013, Sarah started her career as a dispatcher with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s in Colorado. She became a supervisor after three years and served as a key contributor of the Jeffcom911 consolidation, which brought together 30 police, fire, and EMS agencies.
Sarah’s leadership approach to change management through this process was focused on people, policy, and technology. Sarah models the benefits of lifelong learning for her team through her ongoing pursuit of education and professional certifications. She also serves her industry as a member of NENA’s 911/988 working group and the APCO Young Professionals Committee. Sarah’s previous experience with a variety of leadership styles is the driving force for her to be the leader people want to follow. She strives to be someone she would’ve wanted to learn from early in her career and consistently leads with compassion and empathy. She recognizes that it is easy to let the business need supersede the human need however, she is passionate about balancing the two and creating a place where people want to be and are proud to be. She is proud of the ongoing culture evolution of the Aurora911 team and is eager to share her experience and lessons learned with others. She feels that attributing a toxic culture to the norm of the industry is a scapegoat and it is time to move past it and be the change we want to see in our ever-evolving industry!
JaCorey Glaude, ENP, RPL, CMCP, is an accomplished professional in emergency communications with a diverse background in both public safety operations and the private sector. Currently a Training and Technology Consultant at Omni Public Safety Group, where he lends his expertise to enhance the 911 ecosystem across the country.
JaCorey’s expertise is reinforced by certifications like APCO RPL, NENA ENP, CMCP, ECS, EID, and as a certified APCO, TCOLE Instructor, and Customer Success Manager. He is an advocate for change, actively participating in NENA’s Education Advisory Board, DEI Special Committee, and as a NENA Instructor.
In addition to his roles, JaCorey serves as the Texas NENA Chapter Commercial Advisor and sits on APCO’s Commercial Advisory Council. Mentorship has played a key role in his career, and he’s dedicated to empowering others. “Enablement and engagement is what I do. Advocate and ambassador is who I am.”
Stephen Martini is the president of APCO International and serves as director of the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications. Martini’s 20-year career in public safety communications has touched every operational role in small, medium and large ECCs across Tennessee. He served two terms as the governor’s appointee to the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board and received his B.A. from the University of Mississippi.
Paul McAllister is currently serving as Assistant Director at Metro Nashville Emergency Communications, since May 2020, overseeing the recruitment of new hires, Training, QA, and CALEA accreditation. Paul served 22 years in the Army and retired as a Master Sergeant with 12 years of recruiting. He has a bachelor’s Degree in criminal justice administration and served as a TN Law Enforcement Officer for 8 years as a Patrolman and as a Police Chief. He served for 6 years as the ECD Director in Dickson County and earned ENP, CMCP and RPL designators within the first two years. He committed himself to the improvement of the agency by helping the team to see more than 50% of the staff earn the Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) designation, 5 of the 20 personnel earned the Emergency Numbers Professional (ENP) designation and guided numerous team members to serve as Chapter Officers with the Tennessee APCO Chapter. He has been employed as Assistant Director with Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications since May 2020.
He earned his Certified Public Safety Executive (CPE) Certification in January 2023. He has also mentored over 30 staffed members in the completion of the RPL program at Metro Nashville since being hired as an Assistant Director. He has served for several years as President and Vice President on the TN APCO board and helped to initiate a TN APCO RPL state scholarship program to allow more 911 professionals obtain the RPL designation but more importantly create better leaders across the state in the 911 career field. The first year we had 10 scholarships awarded and to date this program continues to give out up to 10 RPL Scholarships every year. Paul currently serves at the Gulf Coast Region Representative for the APCO International.
Kristin Mullen is the Training and Quality Assurance Manager for the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications Center, where she has proudly served for over 21 years. In her role, she is deeply passionate about the emergency communications profession and the dedicated people within it. She believes that training, leadership development and cultivating a strong organizational culture are key to driving success. Kristin holds certifications in Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL), Certified Manager of Communications Center (CMCP), and she is a recent graduate of the Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) program. Kristin’s ultimate goal is to leave a lasting legacy and positively impact everyone she encounters, striving to make them better than before.
Becky Neugent, an Alabama native, began her career in public safety in 1997 and is currently serving as the Director for Autauga 911.
She was initially hired by the Clarke County Commission to tackle the addressing project to move this Alabama county from basic 911 service to enhanced 911 service. In 1999, she began researching, reviewing and then installing all technology needed for the new 911 center including CAD, radio, recorder and CPE equipment. Since the start of her career, she has installed and built 3 CAD Systems, 4 911 phone systems, 3 different recording systems and several different versions of radio. Even though she was hired as the 911 Director at the beginning of her career she felt incumbent to learn all aspects of call-handling and radio dispatching processes and procedures. In 2000 she attended her first APCO Basic Public Safety Telecommunicator Course and then became an instructor and a full APCO member in 2001.
Since that time Becky has been actively involved in APCO at the local and international level. As a member of the Alabama Board of Directors she served as the Second VP, First VP and then President in 2006. In 2009, she was appointed as the Alabama Executive Council Representative where she would continue to serve in the capacity until 2016 when she was elected as the Gulf Coast Region Board of Directors Representative where she would serve two terms. During her time as the Executive Council Rep and the Gulf Coast Rep she would serve on many committees as both Vice-Chair and Chair.
Becky is proud to have earned her Basic Level Emergency Manager in 2011, her Certificate of Emergency Communication Administration designation through the State of Alabama in 2006 and she completed the Center Manager Certification Program in 2017.
In 2021, Becky was awarded life member status and was humbled to be elected to the APCO International Executive Committee.
Becky is the proud mother of two grown children, Will and Jordan, but her favorite role is being a “BB” to her three greatest loves of her life, her grandchildren, Madelyn, Trevor and Ella.
Dr. Kimberly Miller is a police psychologist and a sought-after speaker, consultant and trainer who has been inspiring and motivating individuals in our profession for over 20 years. 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. She uses workshops, coaching and organizational interventions to improve not only the individual line-level employee skills but also work to improve supervision, management, and the entire organization.
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 and is currently the president of both the National Sheriffs’ Association and Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association Psychological Services Boards.
Jennifer Schwartz is the Vice President of Partner Success at Versaterm Public Safety. After retiring from a 25-year career in public safety in Arizona and Colorado, focusing on 9-1-1 and support services, Jennifer continues the mission of her work by serving as a keynote speaker, presenter, and instructor on risk mitigation and best practices for public sector organizations. Jennifer is an emotion researcher driven by a desire to understand the unique challenges 9-1-1 professionals face—examining how emotions affect behavior and decision-making—specializing in the impact of emotional labor on professionals managing behavioral health crisis calls. In addition, she is a neuroscience coach, applying brain science to understanding wellness, performance, and emotional resilience. Jennifer earned her degree in public administration from Central Michigan University, a Master of Laws from the University of Arizona, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology. She also completed her neuroscience specialty through Harvard University’s Extension School.
Betty Wafer is a Dallas ISD Employee. She is the Lead Career and Technical Education Instructor at Roosevelt High School of Innovation, where she has taught 9-1-1 call-taking, dispatch, and Disaster Response for four years. Ms. Wafer is a TCIC/TLETS Associate Trainer, a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Instructor, and an International Academies of Emergency Dispatch Instructor. She has trained and assisted approximately thirty high school juniors and seniors at her school and three other DISD campuses this year to receive their Emergency Telecommunicators Certificate from IAED/Priority Dispatch.
As the CTE teacher, Ms. Wafer has a working relationship with industry-based companies and with the Dallas Sheriff’s Department, Dallas Fire Rescue and Southwest Regional Communications Center to get her scholars internships.
In 2020 after working thirty-seven years for the Dallas Police Department Ms. Wafer retired. During her tenure with the DPD, she worked as a call taker, dispatcher trainer, instructor, and supervisor and ended her career as the communications and police academy civilian training manager. Once retired Ms. Wafer thought she would be a lady of leisure but was asked by one of DISD executive directors to teach public safety at Roosevelt.