Speakers

Melissa is a 33-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 recently transitioned from the City of Roswell 911, where she also served as Director. Prior to that, Melissa worked at Orange County Emergency Services (NY) where she spent most of her time in the Training Division. She is also an Adjunct Instructor with APCO International for the last several years and an independent 9-1-1 consultant. 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). Her focus and priority are to be a mentor, coach, leader and positive role model to members of the 9-1-1 community: encouraging and training the next generation of 9-1-1 leaders.

Melissa also serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), and as Board Advisor to the Women in Leadership Program at Georgia College & State University. In addition, Melissa serves as Chair of the APCO Health & Wellness Committee who meet to create standards and instructional material to increase the mental and physical well-being of 9-1-1 professionals.

Celeste began her career as a dispatcher in 2000 at Roanoke County PD, she moved to Charlottesville in July 2001 and began working at the Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County Emergency Communications Center. In July of 2007 she was promoted to Public Safety Communications Supervisor, then in 2019 to Operations Manager. She now holds the position of Deputy Director-Operations. She is a Registered Public Safety Leader (RPL) and a graduate of the West Point Leadership Program (WPLP), as well as having an associate degree in criminal justice.

Although she has 23 years in public safety communications, she began her public safety career as an EMT/Medic and firefighter in 1993. She has been involved in APCO for a number of years as a member, Vice Chair and Chair of committees at the international and chapter level. In her spare time she volunteers with a rescue group called Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge and enjoys camping with her husband, fur babies and friends.

Leanna Carlson is a Telecommunications Supervisor and oversees the training program with the Cook County Sheriff's Police 911 Center located in Illinois. With over eighteen years of telecommunications experience, Ms. Carlson has most recently begun running the Employee Wellness Committee. 9-1-1 telecommunicators are expected to remain calm and administer aid to people in moments of crisis. It is critically important that these professionals are offered an environment that promotes calmness and relaxation and provides a safe space for them to decompress and reset. Using research backed methods, Ms. Carlson has experience creating a wellness program, building a room from the ground up, and also understands the importance of mental health for all professionals. Ms. Carlson has been featured on regional news outlets alongside the communications center therapy dog Joey, and works hard to create a space for healing.

Ms. Green joined MPD in 2004 after graduating from MTSU, during her stay at MTSU she was a student dispatcher and that is where she found her passion for communications. She started MPD shortly after graduation and worked her way up the ranks to her current position.

Ms. Green has been through 4 Computer Aided Dispatch Program changes during her time and assisted in building/ training and implementing two of those. As an Operations Coordinator, her focus is on making sure that all programs are in working order with current updates, providing supplies needed to the Communication Specialist to ensure they can perform effectively. She also provides training when needed and works on the floor during shortages.

In 2022, her center adopted a peer support program by working with 911 Training Institute. She became the peer support coordinator so she can focus on the mental health and well-being of MECC team. Her dream is to have a regional peer support team that can help other 9-1-1 professionals. She is certified critical incident stress debriefer (CISD) though Tennessee Public Safety Network. In her spare time, she spends time with her family and friends. Her other passion is kickboxing, attending and volunteering at her local Church. And a total cat person!!!!

Raymond Lee, AIA, is an architect and is a Principal at FGM Architects, based out of Oak Brook, Illinois, with over 39 years of experience. He specializes in the programming and planning of public safety (emergency communications, law enforcement, and fire service) and municipal facilities. When working with clients, he is fully committed to understanding their goals and culture and finding ways to support them. He is a life-long learner with a passion for understanding how the built environment can influence the effectiveness of an organization and the health, wellness, and quality of life for the users. Ray also has an outstanding knowledge of resilient design, focusing on best practices for safety and security from man-made threats and natural disasters.

Joshua Mandell, AIA, is a Principal and architect with FGM Architects Inc. Responsible for the programming, planning, design and implementation of public safety answering point / dispatch / emergency communications and emergency management facilities, Joshua has worked for and with public safety clients for more than two decades. In his current role, Joshua is partnered with a variety of 9-1-1 telecommunicator, law enforcement and fire safety / EMS agencies, and is presently engaged with state, county, district and municipal 9-1-1 emergency service providers focused on the delivery of new, renovated and adaptively reuse facilities.

Jim Marshall, M.A. is CEO of the 911 Training Institute. 911TI’s courses and “psych tools” empower 9-1-1 professionals for personal resilience, peer support, and mastery of mental crisis calls. Jim, a licensed mental health professional for over 35 years, was founding chair and CEO of the non-profit 911 Wellness Foundation, and co-chaired the working groups that created the national Standard on Acute/Traumatic and Chronic Stress Management and the 2022 Standard to Protect the Well-being of 911 Professionals. Jim is co-editor of The Resilient 9-1-1 Professional: A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving & Thriving Together in the 9-1-1- Center (Amazon). He is a recipient of the 2020 NENA President's Award and the 2023 Pinnacle Life Time Achievement Award. To learn more, visit www.911training.net.

Originating from Southern California, Cassie Sexton possesses an extensive background in Law Enforcement, with the majority of her career dedicated to serving in the 9-1-1 Center. Presently, she holds the position of an Account Executive at Mindbase, where her primary focus revolves around proactive wellness initiatives and resource provision for first responders through technological means. Cassie's desire for assisting first responders is deeply rooted in her personal journey of healing from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) through wellness practices, meditation, and recovery. Notably, she continues to actively contribute to the Regional Peer Support Team, is a member of the North Carolina NENA Peer Support Team, and holds a position on the APCO International Health and Wellness Committee.