NATIONAL DE-ESCALATION TRAINING CENTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Strategic Information Engineer
Chip Ottley is the NDTC Strategic Information Engineer. Mr. Ottley is a certified software, network, and computer systems engineer. He has extensive experience working as an IT administrator at the National Forensic Science Technology Center and has engineered creative solutions for government, military, and multi-national corporations. Mr. Ottley also is certified by FEMA in Active Shooter Prevention, Workplace Security Awareness, and National Incident Management.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Chief of Public Safety for Miami - Dade College
- Director: Mid - Atlantic Regional Training Center
Mr. Grossi has been an instructor & curriculum developer for the North Carolina Justice Academy since 2019. He trains in the Use of Force and Officer Safety Center in Edneyville, NC. Dan is an NDTC Senior Trainer and the Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic NDTC Regional Training Center. He is also the Senior Advisor to the the NDTC Board of Directors.
Mr. Grossi is a retired Chief of Public Safety for Miami-Dade College in Miami, Florida, where he managed the Public Safety and Emergency Management departments for the campus. He also served as the lead in the Crisis Intervention and Threat Assessment Teams.
Mr. Grossi has been involved in the criminal justice field in sworn and non-sworn positions for more than 20 years. He has served as a Corrections Deputy, Road Patrol Deputy, Field Training Officer, Detective, K-9 Handler, and Patrol Sergeant for the Lee County Sheriff's Office (FL). Dan also served on the Hostage Negotiations Team, Crisis Intervention Team, and Mobile Field Force Team.
Mr. Grossi was the Program Chair for the Criminal Justice (CJ) Program and the Associate Director of Educations at Southwest Florida College. He developed and taught classes in the Associates and Bachelor's Degree programs, managed the department budget, recruited, hired, and trained instructors- and lead meetings with the CJ advisory board consisting of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs from surrounding agencies.
Mr. Grossi also served as a Field Operations Manager for Collier County (Florida), where he supervised a team of 12 Animal Control Officers, 2 Senior Officers, and a dispatcher. In this role, Dan wrote the department's policy and procedure manual, wrote and monitored a multi- million-dollar budget, developed training programs for the use of O/C spray and expandable baton, and implemented the use of bullet-resistant vests and vehicle dash cameras for all officers.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Executive Director
Mr. Dyer is the Executive Director and a senior NDTC instructor. He is a former paramedic who participated in the response to the Pentagon attack on 9/11. He is a DISC Esoterica™ certified trainer, international executive coach, and national award-winning speaker. He has trained numerous clients within the private and public sectors- to include law enforcement officers. Mr. Dyer in certified in both the (FEMA) Incident Command Systems and National Incident Command System. He also received Technician Level certification from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs in the following Technical Rescue Operations: Vehicle Extrication, Trench, Swift Water, Confined Space, Rope/Vertical, and Structural Collapse.
Job Titles:
- Director of Behavioral Applications
Dr. Bradley Smith is the NDTC Director of Behavioral Applications and a member of the NDTC Metrics and Accountability Committee. He is recognized as an expert in the development of human behavioral and skills assessments and technologies for delivery with 24×7 access. His PeopleKeys platform operates in 39 different languages and can assess over 1,440 points of behavioral traits and tendencies in the workplace. He recently received the patent "Method of Matching Employers with Job Seekers," which is revolutionizing the hiring and recruiting and matches hard and soft skills scores to benchmarks that accurately measure and predict job and career success. he has been the Director of Development for The Institute for Motivational Living since 1997 and as President and Co-Founder of sister company, PeopleKeys, Inc., since 2004. Previously, Dr. Smith was the Executive Director for the International Center for Real Life Education that specializes in developing and delivering learning and behavioral materials for education and business. Dr. Smith has been an expert witness in numerous court cases involving copyright, patent, and IP rights for online assessments. His work on validation and reliability studies of various behavioral instruments has been widely published. He holds four (4) patents in engineering, technology, and behavioral health. His education includes a Bachelor's Degree in electrical engineering, and a Master's Degree and Ph.D. in organizational development.
Job Titles:
- President of the Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians
Dr. Martone, President of the Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians, has taught ophthalmology in more than 80 countries. He served on the Harvard University medical teaching faculty, the University of Southern California, the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, and (currently) at Yale University where he teaches the Yale ophthalmology residents and medical students at the Yale Eye Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. He has served on numerous national and international committees.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- National Research Coordinator
Dr. Steele is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Fort Hays State University, where he has taught for two years. He has a Ph.D. and M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, with a focus on policing and community criminology, a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Law in Society from Purdue University. Prior to joining FHSU, Dr. Steele was a research assistant with the International Association of Chiefs of Police - University of Cincinnati Research Center, and adjunct instructor at Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati. He is also a former U.S. Navy FMF Corpsman. As a member of the Executive Council, Dr. Steele coordinates police science research activities within the NDTC network of regional centers.
Dr. Guarnieri was the Director of Training at the University of South Florida's National Intelligence Program, which was funded by the Officer of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and administered by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). In this program, he trained and educated individuals for placement within the intelligence community and developed Limbic Suppression, the fastest known method to eliminate the fear of public speaking. In 2015, while an instructor at the ODNI funded program, he developed and published the first major revision to the world-recognized DISC personality model in 90 years, DISC Esoterica®. His personality model has been taught to law enforcement, the intelligence community, private enterprises, and active duty military personnel.
Dr. Guarnieri has served on the executive boards of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and Association for Intelligence Officers. He is also a combat veteran.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Chairman
- President, Executive Council
Dr. Lynn is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Fort Hays State University, where she has taught in the department more than 12 years. Prior to teaching at FHSU, Dr. Lynn served as program director at Westside Alternative School, a collaborative program between the local school district and community mental health center. In this role, she worked closely with school and mental health administration and personnel, as well as professionals in law enforcement, juvenile probation, the courts, and social services to coordinate education and community-based services for at-risk youth in grades K-12.
Dr. Eckstein is the NDTC Medical Director. He is also been the Medical Director at Covenant Occupational Health, Saginaw/Bay City/Midland, Michigan from 2007 to present. He is a graduate of University of Toledo, BS; Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, DO. His other educational accomplishments include Parkview Hospital, Toledo, OH. Rotating Internship; Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Teaching Fellowship, Medical Ethics; Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Clinician Educator Fellowship, Occupational Medicine; Medical College of Wisconsin, MPH in Occupational Medicine. Dr. Eckstein's certifications include: Board Certified in Family Practice (ACFP); Board Certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Occupational and Preventive Medicine in Occupational Medicine; Certified Medical Review Officer (AAMRO); Certified Examiner in Disability and Impairment Rating (AADEP). FAA Medical Examiner. Fundamentals of Disaster Management (Instructor). National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (DOT). Dr. Eckstein is a retired Navy Captain, an honorary member of the Army Special Forces, and a combat veteran.
Chief Ed L. Howell is the Director of Police and Security over the University Police Department at Fort Hays State University. Chief Howell is a fifth-generation police officer and has been in law enforcement since 1982 and the Chief of Police at FHSU since 2004. His service record includes several prestigious positions such as 2015 President of Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP); a member of Kansas Attorney General Human Trafficking Advisory Board; North-West Kansas Regional Homeland Security Council; BCCC Criminal Justice Advisory Board; KACP Legislative and Award Committees; KACP Training Committee, Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center's Region 2 Advisory Board, and a founding and current member of the Ellis County High Technology Crime Unit. Chief Howell is co-director of the Central Regional Training Center of NDTC and a certified NDTC trainer.
Job Titles:
- Director of Standards and Compliance
- Training Center ( NDTC ) Director
Keith Foote is the National De-escalation Training Center (NDTC) Director of Standards and Compliance, a member of the NDTC Executive Council, and an NDTC Senior Trainer. Mr. Foote served as a sworn law enforcement officer in the state of Wyoming. He now enjoys more than 31 years of teaching, training, and coaching at educational institutions, police agencies, and private corporations, including security personnel within the Fortune 500. Mr. Foote has been an Assistant Superintendent of Special School Programs and School Principal in multiple school districts. His experience in school administration and the NDTC has made him highly qualified in de-escalation techniques as used by School Resource Officers (SRO). In addition to the delivery of NDTC de-escalation training, Mr. Foote is the NDTC Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer for course development and curricula, including re-certification. He holds a Master's Degree in Administration from the University of Wyoming and certifications in DISC Esoterica, the most advanced personality model that is now used in Level Three de-escalation training. He holds FEMA Certifications in Basic Workplace Security Awareness, Active Shooter, and Introduction to the National Incident Management System.
Job Titles:
- Director of the National De - Escalation Training Center
- Director, Northeast Regional Training Center
Lisa M. Dadio, is the Director of the National De-escalation Training Center, Region Seven in partnership with the city of New Haven Police Department and the Yale University Police Department. She is an Assistant Dean in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, the Director for the Center of Advanced Policing, Graduate Program Coordinator for the M.S. Investigations program and Senior Lecturer at the University of New Haven. Mrs. Dadio has a M.S.W. (clinical, children and families) from Southern Connecticut State University, M.S. in Forensic Science (advanced investigations) from the University of New Haven, B.S. and A.S in Law Enforcement Administration (minor in Political Science) from the University of New Haven. She and her colleagues have provided training to recruits through senior level law enforcement officials, in areas such as Traits, Values and Behaviors and its Role in Policing, Leadership Training and Regional Detective training.
Mrs. Dadio is a retired Lieutenant from the New Haven Police Department where she spent approximately 16 years in the detective division, as a detective, Sergeant and then Lieutenant, commanding the Major Crimes Unit. Mrs. Dadio is a certified Law Enforcement Instructor for the State of Connecticut and a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) through the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Mrs. Dadio is a member of PERF, the Connecticut Police Chief's Association (CPCA) and the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS). Mrs. Dadio received numerous awards, citations, and letters acknowledging her passion, leadership, and work ethic both in law enforcement and higher education. Mrs. Dadio is frequently sought after by news agencies to be interviewed and provide comment on policing matters and investigations.
Michael David started as a Criminal Justice Instructor for Central Community College in Nebraska on August 1, 2018. He had recently retired after 31 years in the field of Corrections covering all aspects of to include Prisons, Community Security, Parole, Work Release and Administration. Over those years he worked in four different States (OK, KS, CO, WY) with five different agencies both public and private. His last duty assignment was with the Wyoming Department of Corrections where he worked for ten years as an Associate Warden. He serves as an Auditor for the American Corrections Association and is a certified De-escalation Trainer. Michael received his bachelor's degree in sociology from Oklahoma State University and his master's in criminal justice at Fort Hays State University. He has worked as an Adjunct Instructor in Criminal Justice for Eastern Wyoming College and currently an Adjunct Instructor for Fort Hays State University along with his full-time Instructor duties with Central Community College. He is married with two adult children.