PAUSE FIRST - Key Persons
Angela L. Caruso-Yahne has over twenty years of experience as a first responder including work in EMS, law enforcement, disaster rescue, and the military. Before retirement from the Air Force Reserves at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, she completed several combat-zone deployments as a member of an aeromedical crew. She currently serves as Training Officer for the Overland Park (KS) Fire Department. Angela is a long-time meditation practitioner who finds the skill essential for first responders who want to maintain their resilience and mental wellness during and beyond their careers. She is a frequent in-service education presenter for emergency medical personnel, military and civilian disaster responders, and peer support team members.
Angela is certified in Critical Incident Stress Management by the University of Maryland at Baltimore County and the International Critical Incident Stress Management Foundation, and is a Certified Trauma Services Specialist through the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists. She is also a member of the Johnson County (KS) Critical Incident Stress Management Team, and is ordained as a chaplain by Upaya Zen Center.
Col. Dietzman provides evidence-based training solutions and inspiring presentations with the goal that everyone will leave with actionable items they can use immediately. She has presented at numerous national, state, and local events as well as for international audiences. Her areas of expertise include resilience, leadership, developing women leaders and leading generations. She is an internationally certified IADLEST instructor. She is also a certified Building Resilience: Surviving Secondary Trauma instructor and brings to the team a wealth of experience with meditation and mindfulness.
Major Darren Ivey was appointed to the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department in September 1992. He served as the Department's Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Commander from 2012 - 2018 and through a partnership with Truman Medical Center's Behavioral Health, Ivey led a team that developed a block of training called "Building Resilience: Surviving Secondary Trauma." This training helps address the occupational risks for secondary trauma and acute stress in first responders (as well as military) and allied civilian support staff.
Major Ivey has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Park University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and a master's Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia. He has an International Critical Incident Stress (ICISF) certification for Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention and was an inaugural member of the first Commander Peer Support Group in the country. Additionally, he is the past Co-Chair of the Mid-America CIT Council and Justice Committee of the Resilient KC Initiative and is part of the Code 9 Project Team. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Campaign for Trauma Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP); CIT International; and Pause First Project.
Prior to becoming a Police Officer, Major Ivey was a proud member of the United States Air Force (1983-1992) where he served in support of Operation Desert Storm and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (#274).
Erik Hulse retired from the Overland Park Police Department in 2016, after 25 years of service. He is a community teacher for the Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness (MAM), and a trained Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher. Erik also teaches Mindfulness and Stress Reduction for Men (MSRM), an 8-week course drawing from the latest research and best practices of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) and Emotional Intelligence to explore the causes of human distress, and offer pathways to relieving suffering through formal and informal mindfulness practices within the context of the contemporary male experience.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Owner
- Meet Founder
Owner Kim Colegrove created Pause First Academy to help support society's warriors, protectors, guardians and healers.
Wendy Hummell is a seasoned law enforcement officer with nearly 25 years of experience. She retired at the rank of Detective from the Wichita, Kansas Police Department, where she spent the majority of her career working Persons Crimes Investigations.
Her areas of expertise are officer wellness, peer support, and resilience. She currently works as the Wellness Coordinator for the Sedgwick County, Kansas Sheriff's Office, where she has helped implement a holistic wellness program.
After realizing that years of exposure to secondary trauma, chronic stress, and disrupted sleep had wreaked havoc on her nervous system, Hummell discovered tools to help her recover. Now, she uses her own experience to offer first responders the resources they need to survive a career on the front lines and thrive well into retirement.
Wendy is a passionate teacher who provides training on topics like mindfulness, yoga, resilience, relationship-building, exercise, sleep, and nutrition-all designed to enhance well-being and job performance.
She holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in Criminal Justice, she's a certified yoga instructor, and a Yoga for First Responders (YFFR) Ambassador.
Wendy has also published several articles in Police1 on the topics of trauma, wellness, and female resilience. She's the host of the Guns and Yoga Podcast, where she discusses first responder wellness, and she is a certified resilience health coach.
Zach Chamberlin has nearly twenty years of EMS, Fire Service and hospital experience. He was previously employed by Johnson County, Kansas MED-ACT, where he served on the Safety and Wellness team, helping develop ways to keep paramedics safe and healthy. Additionally, he authored a monthly article called, Survive and Thrive, which served as a guide to better mental and physical wellness. He left MED-ACT in 2020 to pursue his passion for teaching resiliency and self-compassion to EMS, Police, Fire and others. Zach brings his own experience of trauma and a diagnosis of CPTSD to his work.