James Brawner
Chairman of the Board
James Brawner is the President of the National Constables and Marshals Association and the elected Brazoria County Precinct 4 Constable. Constable Brawner has been in law enforcement for over 21 years, spending the majority of his career at the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office, after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy. Throughout his tenure at the Sheriffs Office, he served in the jail division, patrol division, crime scene investigations and special investigations units. Constable Brawner served as a team leader on the Sheriffs Department Swat Team, and as a highly trained law enforcement sniper. While serving in the special investigations unit, he was assigned to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, as a Drug Interdiction Task Force Agent, and then returned to the Sheriff’s Office as a Drug Task Force Supervisor. Constable Brawner holds a Master Peace Officer License and is an adjunct law enforcement instructor at the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, at Sam Houston State University.
Dr. Council Nedd
Executive Board Treasurer and Senior Policy Fellow
Council Nedd’s 25 years of experience and extensive background include federal investigations and state law enforcement, fugitive retrieval and apprehension, defensive tactics instruction and protective transports. Council is an expert and certified instructor in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and is a certified Pennsylvania School Resource Officer instructor. His areas of expertise also include risk assessment and critical infrastructure protection. Having served in large and diverse settings and cultures (Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe) as well as under intense real world and critical situations, Dr. Nedd has a unique understanding of how to handle dynamic encounters and bring them to a safe and successful conclusion. Dr. Nedd’s relationships with law enforcement are national in scope and invaluable in nature. Dr. Nedd is currently the Vice President of the National Constable and Marshals Association, Co-Chair of Project 21, Policy Fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research, and Chaplain and Regional Director for the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Constables. An ordained Anglican priest and bishop, Council also serves as the rector of St. Alban’s Anglican Church in State College, PA. Dr. Nedd is a frequent commentator on Fox news, his op-eds and commentary are featured in many national publications.
Chris Mezzino
Executive Board Secretary and Policy Fellow
Christopher Mezzino is a career law enforcement officer with more than 28 years of service. Beginning his career in 1992, Chris has served in numerous law enforcement capacities in municipal, county, and school-based law enforcement agencies. His experiences have carried him to achieve command-level positions in uniformed patrol, criminal investigations, and training. In 2008, Chris accepted a full-time position on the faculty of Brazosport College in Southeast Texas, where he remains as an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, and serves as the Program Director for all Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Education, including the Law Enforcement Academy. Chris holds a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration in addition to a Master Peace Officer Proficiency Certificate, and the Academic Recognition Award issued by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Chris has been a featured speaker on law enforcement ethics at the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement State Conference and is frequently solicited to consult on numerous law enforcement and community-based issues throughout his local regions of the country. Chris’s wife of 24 years, Nancy, and their twin sons are also active, sworn law enforcement officers in the State of Texas.
Thomas Maffei
Executive Board Member and Chief Development Officer
Thomas Maffei holds a Master Peace Officer Certification and is currently assigned to the Administration Bureau as the Training Division Supervisor for the City of Galveston, Texas Police Department. Previously, Sgt. Maffei was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Bureau as the Vice & Narcotics Division Commander where his duties included supervising detectives assigned to the Vice & Narcotics Division, Task Force Officer’s assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and Task Force Officers assigned to the Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In February of 2018, Sgt. Maffei was sworn in as a part-time Task Force Officer for the Federal Bureau Investigations (FBI). The majority of his career, Sgt. Maffei was assigned to the Operations Bureau holding the rank of Sergeant and Field Training Program Coordinator. While assigned to the Operations Bureau, Sgt. Maffei supervised officers assigned to the patrol division, mounted patrol, probationary peace officers, field training officers, and field training supervisors. Prior to promoting to the rank of Sergeant, Maffei was assigned to the Operations Bureau as a patrol officer and field training officer. In 2007, Sgt. Maffei was selected as a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) where he currently serves as a SWAT Team Commander. Sgt. Maffei has conducted & commanded hundreds of high-risk tactical operations at both the state & federal level, and has provided operational planning, including sight assessments and security, for large scale major events. Sgt. Maffei served as a SWAT team leader during the Santa Fe High School Active Shooter incident, a horrific event that took 10 innocent lives and left 13 injured. Sgt. Maffei is certified by the State of Texas as a Peace Officer Instructor and Peace Officer Firearms Instructor. Sgt. Maffei is a graduate of the DEA Drug Unit Commanders Academy # 77 located in Quantico, Virginia, and a graduate of the FBI Command College – Houston. Sgt. Maffei is an adjunct instructor at multiple College-based Law Enforcement Training Academies within the State of Texas. Sgt. Maffei has taught over a thousand law enforcement cadets, officers, supervisors, command staff, federal law enforcement officers, military, and civilians. Sgt. Maffei has investigated officer involved shootings, as well as, assisted with investigating and analyzing officer’s actions regarding allegations of excessive use of force and other complaints of wrongdoing, to include criminal misconduct. On numerous occasions, Sgt. Maffei has been asked to review and analyze police use of force incidents, and to provide an objective opinion in order to determine the reasonableness of the force used by law enforcement officers. Sgt. Maffei is a graduate of the Force Science Institute Certification Course, which qualifies him as a Force Science Analyst. This certification is best described as the study of behavioral science which explores the complex mix of human dynamics involved in the often complicated, confusing, and controversial use of force incidents by police. This certification allows Sgt. Maffei to recognize, apply, articulate, and testify to the principles of force science, while effectively analyzing use of force incidents.
RJ Boatman
Executive Board Member
RJ Boatman’s career and leadership span nearly four decades at the municipal, county, state and national level. He has worked as a Chief of Police, Organized Crime Board Governor, Federal Task Force Director, Emergency Management Coordinator, State Education Director, Adjunct University Professor, and Municipal Judge. He is a graduate of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, the Department of State Diplomatic Security Services Academy, the DEA Drug Unit Commander’s Academy, and the Regional FBI Command College. Chief Boatman has been a certified instructor for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education since 1992, and has taught over three thousand cadets, officers and command staff through area colleges and agency based police academies. He has taught multiple courses at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Drug Enforcement Administration, regional training facilities. During his tenure as Judge, he led the court based security training program, lecturing to hundreds of Judges and other court personnel as a faculty member of the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Chief Boatman received the 1995 United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s Regional Award for Outstanding Service in the Field of Drug Law Enforcement. He developed and directed an 18-month project in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General that tracked and arrested 52 federal fugitives, weapons and narcotics traffickers hiding and illegally residing in section 8 housing projects in the Texas Gulf Coast region. Chief Boatman is a certified expert for courtroom testimony; specializing in law enforcement policy, procedures, ethics, and use of force law and application. He is the Co-developer and former Operations Director of the nation’s first Center for Safe and Secure Schools at the Harris County Department of Education, the former Director of the Texas Education Agency’s Persistently Dangerous Schools Project, and the former Executive Director of the Texas Safe Schools Alliance. Chief Boatman is a recipient of the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force Award for Meritorious Service in the Work to Prevent Stalked and Abducted Children. Chief Boatman is a nationally recognized keynote speaker on developing and maintaining safe and orderly environments, and is currently working with national law enforcement leaders to develop qualified and reliable solutions that will allow law enforcement officers to have effective options for less-lethal force, and attainable opportunities to rebuild strong and sustainable relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.
Charles Adams
General Counsel
Charles DeWitt Adams, IV earned his Master of Laws from Harvard University Law School with emphases on criminal procedure and constitutional law, his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from South Texas College of Law, and his Bachelor of Arts from University of Houston. Mr. Adams spent more than a decade in public service including over six years as a peace officer, a year as briefing attorney to Justice J. Harvey Hudson at Texas’s Fourteenth Court of Appeals, and another six years as a Presiding Municipal Judge. Mr. Adams is the Co-founder and a former Board Member of the Houston Police Foundation. Additionally, Mr. Adams has served as an expert on law enforcement procedures in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Bob Mitchell
Advisory Board Member and Legislative Committee Chairman
Bob Mitchell has extensive experience in economic development and manufacturing management. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to develop, manage and implement a strategic plan for international companies as a highly successful executive in both for profit and not for profit enterprises in the Houston region. As the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President, Mitchell’s leadership role in stimulating the Bay Area Houston region’s five industry clusters has contributed to a strong economy in southeast Texas. His work supports the recruitment, expansion, and retention of jobs and wealth creation across these main industries: a) aerospace and aviation, b) healthcare, c) maritime and logistics, d) specialty chemical, and e) tourism and recreation. Mitchell frequently engages with local, state, and federal officials and industry leaders to establish mutual understanding, and to coordinate approaches to generating regional solutions to important issues enabling the industry clusters to thrive. Additionally, he collaborates with government, academia, business leaders, not-for-profits, and community leaders to define issues of regional importance and enable necessary actions. Prior to joining BAHEP, key elements of Mitchell’s work experience were gained during 15 years at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Corporation. As an executive, he directed all production, engineering and material operations for the Houston facility of this Fortune 500 company. Mitchell’s background also includes serving as Vice President and General Manager for two international subsea companies, Unitech and ASEP. Mitchell believes in giving back to the community and has actively donated his time in many capacities. In recognition of his work and partnerships on behalf of NASA Johnson Space Center, its many contractor companies and the Houston Airport System, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Mitchell to the Texas Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee where he is currently serving his third term. Mitchell also serves on numerous boards including HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, UTMB Health System Advisory Board, HCA Gulf Coast Regional Advisory Board, the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Board of Advisors, and Gulf Coast Limestone, Inc.
Dr. Beth Sanborn
Advisory Board Member and Policy Fellow
Beth J. Sanborn joined the Lower Gwynedd Police force in 1997. Since then, she has served as a Field Training Officer, Officer in Charge (OIC), and currently serves as a School Resource Officer assigned to the Wissahickon School District. Since 2015, she assumed responsibility for all juvenile cases, earning her the title of Juvenile Detective. Beth earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Widener University in 1996. She later earned her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from St. Joseph’s University in 2014. Most recently, Beth earned her Doctoral Degree in Public Administration from West Chester University in 2019. Her Doctoral dissertation is entitled “School Resource Officers as Mentor/Counselors, Including Levels of Intervention”. She actively volunteers with the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth and Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center. Beth sits on the executive board for PASRO, the Pennsylvania Association of School Resource Officers, and is an instructor for NASRO, the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Dr. Gregory Dillon
Advisory Board Member
Dr. Gregory Dillon is the Director of the Brazoria County Community Supervision and Corrections Department. He earned a Doctorate of Counseling from Texas Southern University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor. Dr. Dillon has worked in the field of community supervision for 23 years, and is the current American Probation & Parole Association Region 12 (Texas) Representative, and Vice Chair of the Texas Probation Advisory Committee. Dr. Dillon serves on the Texas Probation Association Board and Texas Probation Legislative Committee. He is an advocate of evidenced-based practices on the local, state, and national levels, and is passionate about the need for transformational change in the field of community supervision and corrections.
Larry Cosme
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Lazaro “Larry” Cosme is a retired Special Agent (SA) with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of Immigration & Customs Enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Cosme is the current National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA). Mr. Cosme started his federal law enforcement career with the legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in 1992. His most recent assignment was to HSI D.C. based out of the HSI-Harrisonburg, Virginia field office. During his distinguished career, Mr. Cosme led a multi-agency financial crimes task force in the central Virginia region and was involved in criminal investigations, which included national security, human trafficking, and financial fraud. While working for INS, Mr. Cosme was assigned to work on the 9/11 task force. In April 2007, he was a lead HSI special agent in the Virginia Tech Massacre Investigation. In 2008, the HSI Director and HSI Special Agent in Charge for HSI D.C. recognized Mr. Cosme with the Investigative Excellence Award for HSI D.C. field office. In November 2010, Mr. Cosme was promoted to Operation Manager/SA at Homeland Security Investigations, Headquarters in Washington, D.C. at which time, he coordinated and made assessments of large-scale complex criminal investigations. During this time, Mr. Cosme had direct oversight of several domestic field offices in addition to being a liaison for senior level agency directors and managers. Aside from his career accomplishments, Mr. Cosme has been heavily involved in law enforcement organizations throughout the years. In 2005, he was elected to serve as FLEOA’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency President. While serving his second term as ICE Agency President, he was elected to FLEOA’s National VP of Operations. In September 2019, Mr. Cosme was elected to FLEOA’s National President and is currently serving a four-year term. In addition to his work with FLEOA, Mr. Cosme has also served law enforcement officers in different capacities, as President and Executive VP of Local 2149 with the American Federation of Government Employees, National INS Council. Mr. Cosme is a Board member on the Congressional Badge of Bravery. Mr. Cosme possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University. In addition, he attended training in Management and Labor relations at Rutgers University and received training from the Federal Mediation and ConciliationService, in dispute resolution.
Don Bridges
Advisory Board Member
For over twenty-eight years, Officer Don Bridges has served as a police officer specializing in community relations and youth services in Baltimore County. During his tenure, he was hand-picked to be part of the pilot effort for initiating a School Resource Officer Program in Baltimore County, which is now one of the largest SRO Programs in the country. In 1999, Officer Bridges founded the Maryland Association of School Resource Officers (MASRO), serving as its first President, and later on the Executive Board. MASRO now has over 500 members, which include police officers, probation officers, school administrators, school counselors, and teachers. Officer Bridges served on the Board of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), from 2005 until 2020 making him one of the longest tenured board members in the organization. He served as Treasurer from 2007 until 2012, overseeing all financial matters and receiving multiple accolades for successful records practice during his term. In 2012, he was successfully voted into the position of 2nd Vice President for the organization. He further served as 1st Vice President from 2014 until he took over as President of the organization in 2016. He currently serves as President of the National Safe Schools Coalition (NSSC), an advocacy group for safe schools. For more than a decade, Officer Bridges has represented NASRO in Washington DC, often meeting with organizations such as the Federal Trade Commission, ATF, DOJ, and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He is often interviewed by both regional and national news media concerning his expertise in the fields of school safety and school resource officer programs. Additionally, with the assistance of the United States Congress, Bridges went on to expand his work internationally. In fall of 2012, Officer Bridges signed with the Republic of Georgia to help implement an SRO training program and during the summer of 2015, he helped to implement an SRO program in Cape Town, South Africa.
Lauren Millo
Advisory Board Member
Lauren Millo is the Marketing Director at Moody National Bank where she manages the bank’s advertising, marketing, public relations, social media, philanthropic giving, and community engagement. Lauren joined Moody Bank in 2010 as a credit analyst and spent four years as a commercial lender before being named Marketing Director in 2015. Lauren graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University in 2005 and earned her MBA from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2009. Lauren chairs the Community Liaison Committee at the University of Texas Medical Branch National Lab, and is on the Board of Directors for the Child Advocacy Center and Rotary Club of Galveston. She is a trustee on the school board at Odyssey Academy, and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Galveston County, where she previously served as the League’s Finance Vice President and Fund Development Vice President.
Jerry McClain
Advisory Board Member
Senior Police Officer Jerry L. McClain began his career in law enforcement while attending the Sam Houston State University where he was a dispatcher at the Sam Houston State University Police Department. Jerry was a member of the Sam Houston State University Pistol Team where he earned honors in several disciplines. Jerry graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1994, with a Bachelor Degree in Law Enforcement Policing, and joined the Houston Police Department in 1995 as a member of cadet class number 163. Officer McClain has worked at the Houston Police Department for twenty-five (25) years. During that time he has been assigned to the South Central Patrol Division, the South Central Gang Task Force, the South Central Divisional Gang Unit, and the last fifteen (15) years in the Special Investigations Command Narcotics Division. After transferring to the Narcotics Division, Jerry worked street level narcotic investigations until transferring to the Mid-Level Narcotics H.I.D.T.A. / T.A.R.P Pharmaceutical Squad 19. He is a member of the Narcotics Division High Hazard Clandestine Lab Team. Officer McClain currently holds a master license with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) and has attended thousands of hours of training related to gang investigations, drug enforcement, and firearms. Officer McClain has received numerous commendations from citizens, supervisors, Chiefs of Police, and a former mayor of the City of Houston. In 2004 Jerry was recognized as “Top Cop” by the National Association of Police Organizations and “Officer of the Month” by the American Society for Industrial Security. In 2012 the Executive Office of the President, Office of Drug Control Policy recognized the members of the Houston Police Department Pharmaceutical Squad 19 for “Outstanding Prescription Drug Effort”. In 2017 Jerry received a commendation from the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the DEA’s Houston Field Division. Jerry is a member of the Texas Narcotic Officers’ Association and has served as the State Training Director and currently as the East Region Vice President. He is also a member of the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) where he is classified in several disciplines. In 2010 Jerry won “High Law Enforcement” in the Limited Division at the 2010 USPSA Area 4 Championship. Jerry has competed in the shooting events at the Texas Police Games winning multiple gold, silver and bronze medals and was inducted into the Texas Police Athletic Federation Hall of Fame in 2018. He has also earned honors in 3-gun competitions including the NRA Law Enforcement Division and is a member of the Houston Police Department Marksmanship Team.
Josh Baquie
Advisory Board Member
Josh Baquie recntly completed a twenty year career with the Calgary Police Service. Josh worked as a patrol officer and sergeant in the Calgary Criminal Intelligence Unit, and as a detective in the Robbery, Anti Corruption, Guns and Gangs, and Homicide Units. A major highlight of Josh’s career was working on a Provincial Organized Crime Task Force, Special Operations Team with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Josh has extensive experience in special operations policing, focusing on transnational organized crime, anti-corruption, drug and homicide investigations. Since retiring, Josh served as the Interim Chief Operations Officer for NIHT Inc, in Papua New Guinea, and is the current Chief of Operations for Alpha 6 International, where he provides international training and private security services. Josh also serves as CEO of Alpha 6 Canada, which focuses on providing training and equipment to first responders, and Canada’s security industry. Josh lives in Alberta, where he enjoys backpacking, and the outdoors with his wife of 27 years and three children.