2025 Presenters

Ericha Anderson

Ericha Anderson is an Engagement Specialist at Vancouver Innovation Technology & Arts (VITA) elementary school in Vancouver Public Schools (Vancouver, WA). The focus of her work is to engage students in learning that is deep and long-lasting, inspires joy and personal connection, and amplifies communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Ericha has a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Montana, Masters of Educational Technology from City University, Library Endorsement from Portland State University, and Administration Certification from Gonzaga University. She has worked in the educational field for 25 years as an elementary classroom teacher, teacher librarian, and K-12 instructional coach. Ericha has served on several school and district-based committees focused on improving school safety and social-emotional learning. She has experience as a professional development leader in her district guiding nearly sixteen hundred teachers in best practices for developing a broader set of knowledge and skills to prepare students for college, careers, and beyond. She has presented at several state and national EdTech Conferences addressing impactful technology integration and digital safety including International Society for Technology in Education, Northwest Council For Computer Education, IntegratED, and CUE California.

Jeremy Barnes

Jeremy Barnes is currently assigned as the school safety liaison with the Utah Department of Public Safety. Jeremy has been in law enforcement since 2005, and he has worked for multiple agencies in various capacities. Jeremy has a passion for school-based policing and community outreach. Throughout his career, Jeremy has been a DARE officer, a DARE mentor, a school resource officer, and a POST investigator. In January of 2020, Jeremy was promoted to his current position, where he serves as a member of the Utah School Safety Center and coordinates training for school districts, police departments, and other educational stakeholders and determines best practices for many elements of school safety. Jeremy is also a member of the Montana Air National Guard, for which he serves as a staff sergeant with the fire department.

Jeremy graduated from Utah Valley University in 2019, with a bachelor’s degree in emergency services management. Jeremy is also a 2021 graduate of the Northwestern University School of Public Safety Police Staff and Command program. Jeremy is pursuing his Masters Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Idaho State University.

Jeremy is a recipient of the Utah Department of Public Safety Medal of Valor (2017), the Utah Peace Officers’ Association Medal of Honor (2018), the Derek Johnson Community Policing Award (2013), and the Utah DARE Officer of the Year Award (2013). Jeremy has been married to his wife, Brittany, for ten years and they have two children, ages 8 and 5. Brittany is a Catholic School educator in Utah.

Nancy Berg, MSW

Nancy Berg serves as the Assistant Director at the Montana Safe Schools Center housed at the University of Montana. In this role Ms. Berg is involved in overseeing all fiscal management of grant and non-grant accounts as well as training and implementation of school safety goals and objectives. The Montana Safe School Center’s (MSSC) mission is to provide outreach regarding school safety; all-hazards management; suicide; bullying; emergency and crisis prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery in early childhood programs, P/K-12, and institutes of higher education. Ms. Berg holds her Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) and is currently working towards her clinical social work licensure. Ms. Berg is a certified master trainer in the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Suicide Alertness for Everyone (safeTALK) suicide prevention protocols. She has been trained in the I Love U Guys Standard Response Protocol, Standard Reunification Method and the ALERRT Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) course. Ms. Berg provides training and consultation on emergency operations planning, school physical site safety,
educator wellbeing and happiness, trauma informed practice, Trauma Stewardship and Montana’s Crises Action School Toolkit on Suicide.

Jason Davis, AIA, NCARB

Principal | Partner
SMA Architecture + Design

As a Principal and Partner of SMA Architecture + Design, P.C., Jason’s twenty-one-year career has included K-12, higher education, commercial and historic projects. Jason is involved in every step of project development from pre-bond planning, educational specifications and conceptual design to the resulting elementary, middle school, high school and athletic facility construction. Jason’s experience and passion for educational design, 21st century learning environments, and school safety and security are an integral part of the successful delivery of school projects that achieve a school district’s programmatic needs, budget and schedule objectives. Jason has worked with the Butte School District, East Helena School District, and Clancy School on their recent school planning and construction projects.

Cody Donohue

Agent Cody Donahue is an Internet Crimes Against Children Agent (ICAC) with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, bringing 14 years of law enforcement experience across multiple agencies. He is currently employed by the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation while maintaining a part-time position as Task Force Officer with the Montana Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking FBI Task Force. Agent Donahue’s career path includes service as a Deputy and later Sergeant with the Toole County Sheriff’s Office (2010-2018) and progression from Deputy to Detective with the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office (2018-2025).

Agent Donahue has an extensive background investigating crimes against children, including physical and sexual abuse, and child exploitation. His expertise includes conducting undercover operations as an online chatter portraying himself as a child, and he possesses comprehensive knowledge of applications and electronic platforms that predators use to find, groom, and prey on children.

His extensive specialized training encompasses Interview and Interrogation techniques, Sexual Assault investigation, Crime Scene Management, Cellebrite digital forensics certification, Child Forensic Interview techniques, FBI-certified online covert operations, and Fire Investigations. Agent Donahue’s educational background includes two associate’s degrees in criminal justice, a certificate in Crime Scene Investigation from Sheridan College, and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Chadron State College.

Joe Frohlich

Joe Frohlich serves as a Cyber State Coordinator (CSC) for Montana, Region 8 (UT, CO, MT, WY, ND, SD) of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the Department of Homeland Security. He is based out of Helena. CISA works with public and private partners to defend against today’s threats and build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. The CISA Cybersecurity Advisor program includes promoting cyber resilience through various engagements and performing risk and resilience-based assessments.

Prior to joining CISA, Joe was the IT Director at Ravalli County, Montana for nine years. During his time at Ravalli he co-founded Montana’s Local Government IT group and served on the executive board for the Multi State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, better known as MS-ISAC. In 2015 he moved to Helena to work for the State of Montana as the Enterprise Security Manager for the Department of Administration. In this role, he assisted in the creation and management of the Governor’s appointed Montana Information Security Advisory Council (MT-ISAC) whose primary focus was cybersecurity in State and Local Government. Joe directed the State Government enterprise security policy, managed the security and awareness campaign, and supervised a team of IT risk management professionals. Early in 2021 Mr. Frohlich transitioned to DHS/CISA in his current role as a CSA for Region 8.

Joe Halligan

Joe Halligan is a retired middle school administrator from Billings, MT, who spent 12 years in the classroom and 13 years as a building level administrator, retiring in June of 2023. In the fall of 2017, he opened Ben Steele Middle School, and spent his last 6 years building the educational and cultural foundation for the newest middle school in Billings. Prior to (and during) his teaching career, Joe spent 6 years in the Marine Corps, ending his enlistment with the local reserve unit – Bravo Company, 4th Reconnaissance Bn. He was honorably discharged in December of 2004. Currently, he is serving the Billings Public School District as the School Safety and Emergency Management Coordinator for all of BPS, and has been in that role since October 2023. In that role, he works closely with a team of 8 SRO’s, and an SRO supervisor. Additionally, Joe serves his community as a Yellowstone County Sheriff Reserve Deputy. Joe has been married to his wife, Tonya, for 30 years this August, and together they have raised two successful young men, Jake (25) and Connor (23), both of whom are graduates of MSU and are currently serving as officers in the United States Air Force and United States Army, respectively. Joe has a passion for school safety and public service, and has adopted the training philosophy of “training for reality, not for comfort.”

Tina Hayes

Tina Hayes is the University of Montana Safe School Center’s Training and Technical Assistance Specialist. She earned a BA in Human Biological Sciences, BS in Business Administration and Master’s in Health Administration. She brings to the center a wealth of experience including almost a decade of Emergency Management, ten years of Behavioral Health and five years of experience working directly with schools.

Nicole Hockley

Nicole Hockley chose to transform unspeakable grief and anguish into action after her youngest son, Dylan, was murdered in his first-grade classroom during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. As the co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation (SHPF), Nicole works every day to protect children from violence. SHPF is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and empowering youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Under Nicole’s leadership, the research-driven Know the Signs violence prevention programs were created and are available to schools at no cost. More than 23 million have participated in these life-saving programs in 24,000+ schools and youth organizations nationwide. As a result, countless acts of violence have been averted — including at least 16 planned school attacks — saving precious lives and helping youth get much-needed mental health support.

Nicole is a leading voice on school safety and gun violence prevention. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and commenter. Her opinion editorials have been published by Newsweek, CNN, USA Today, and InStyle, and her commentary has been featured in CNN, MSNBC, Newsy, ABC, CBS, and NBC news coverage, among countless other media outlets. Driven by Nicole’s extensive background in strategic marketing, Sandy Hook Promise is rapidly becoming a household name. The award-winning and provocative PSA campaigns she helped co-create with BBDO New York have amassed hundreds of millions of views worldwide, including “Evan” which generated two billion impressions and 10 coveted Cannes Lions Awards, “Back-to-School Essentials,” and “Teenage Dream” which both earned prestigious Emmy Awards for Best Commercial in 2019, and 2021, respectively.

In 2024, Nicole was appointed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board as a Representative Member. Nicole received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Trinity College in 2023, for her humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society and Doctor of Laws degree from Fairfield University in 2022. In December of 2022, Nicole joined as a member of John Hopkins University’s Implementation Working Group for the National ERPO Resource Center. In late 2023, Nicole became a member of the Violence Project Advisory Board. In 2016, she was recognized by People magazine as one of 25 Women Changing the World. But her favorite recognition is for being the best Mom she can to her surviving son, Jake.

Nicole’s solemn “promise” to honor her son and the other 25 lives taken on December 14, 2012 with action has never wavered. She continues to spread awareness that violence is preventable when you “know the signs.”

David Humphries

David Humphries is a Digital Forensics Examiner and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Agent with the Montana Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. A veteran of both law enforcement and the United States Marine Corps, David brings more than a decade of experience in public service, including seven years in law enforcement and four years specializing in digital forensics and investigations involving internet crimes against children.
In his current role, David investigates technology-facilitated crimes against children, using advanced forensic tools to recover digital evidence and support the prosecution of offenders. He holds a Master’s degree in Management Information Systems and a Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Psychology, as well as certifications from SANS/GIAC (iOS and macOS Examiner) and the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS – Certified Forensic Computer Examiner). He also serves as a peer review coach with IACIS, where he helps train and mentor professionals in the field across the globe.
As a husband and father of three girls, David is passionate about protecting kids and educating communities to recognize and respond to online threats. He regularly delivers presentations to schools, educators, law enforcement, and community leaders across Montana, focusing on prevention strategies, responsible technology use, and strengthening the relationships between children, families, and their support systems.

Matthew Johnson

Matthew Johnson, M.A., School Administrative Leadership Endorsement (Amskapi Pikuni), was born and raised in Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana. For over the past 25 years, He has worked for the Browning School District in a range of capacities, including school counselor, director of alternative education, and school administrator. Mathew’s work is informed by a fusion of Indigenous-focused restorative practices, historical trauma-informed education, storytelling, humor and joy, healing, and tribal educational self-determination. Rooted in the land and community, my “work” extends well beyond my job, and I am as active in the community to engage healing historical trauma through coaching and officiating youth sports, involvement in the Tribal court system, and most recently, participating in the COVID response team.

Tammy Tolleson Knee, LCSW, EdS

Tammy Tolleson Knee serves as the School Support Liaison at the Montana Safe Schools Center (MSSC) within the University of Montana’s College of Education and is the director of VAST (Virtually Assisted School Teams) and the School Attendance Research Project. With over 30 years of experience as a Licensed School Counselor and Clinical Social Worker, Tammy has worked across three states in diverse educational and community-based settings, focusing on youth wellness and safety. Tammy is a Board Certified Tele-Mental Health therapist and a certified trainer with the I Love U Guys Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol and Reunification. She is also a QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor, holds certification from NABITA in the Structured Interview for Violence Risk Assessment (SIVRA-35), and is a trainer in Opioid Overdose Prevention. Her expertise spans behavioral threat assessment and management, crisis response, de-escalation, and standard safety protocols. In addition to her professional roles, Tammy has supervised numerous graduate-level interns and taught both undergraduate and graduate courses. Outside of her professional life – and her playful pranks with colleagues – Tammy enjoys hiking, spending time with family, watching movies, and roping her husband into her next big idea.

Steven MacDonald

Steven MacDonald is the Director of Training and Development at Safer Schools Together, where he plays a crucial role in developing and delivering training programs to professionals across North America—including law enforcement, school districts, and federal agencies.

With a background in political science, language analytics, and artificial intelligence, Steven brings a unique expertise in social media threat assessment, online safety, and risk assessment, enabling him to support countless safety teams in navigating high-profile school security cases.

Ali Martin, AIA, NCARB

Associate Principal | Education Lead | Architect
SMA Architecture + Design

As part of the leadership team at SMA, Ali has been involved in many K-12 and higher education projects while at SMA. She is passionate about creating inviting and safe communities in the school environment that promote learning and student well-being. Recent educational projects include Belgrade Elementary School, East Middle School, Butte Elementary School Safety and Security Upgrades, East Helena High School, Central Elementary School, Monforton School Master Plan, and the Helena School District Facilities Master Plan.

Albert Mendoza

Albert Mendoza is a Protective Security Advisor (PSA) based in Billings, serving eastern Montana. Joining the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in January 2023, Albert brings invaluable expertise to their role.

With 13 years of experience as the Montana Area Commander for the Federal Protective Service (FPS)/DHS, Albert conducted Facility Security Assessments, provided safety training to federal employees, enforced federal law, and responded to civil unrest in the United States. Albert also served as an FPS inspector in Utah for two years and worked as a patrolman, defensive tactics instructor, and Drug Recognition Expert Instructor with the Loveland Colorado Police Department from 1991 to 2004.

During his time in Guatemala from 2004 to 2009, he served as a contractor advisor, training police in Central America on ethics and police tactics. As an Army Veteran and Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, he brings a strong sense of dedication and discipline to his work.

When not focused on his professional responsibilities, Albert enjoys spending time with his family and indulging in fly fishing on Montana’s rivers. Originally from northern Colorado, he has called Billings home for the past 13 years, actively contributing to the local community’s security.

Kelly Oriard

Kelly Oriard is a family therapist, former school counselor, and co-founder of Slumberkins—an emotional wellness brand dedicated to helping children and families connect through story, play, and heart-centered tools. As co-executive producer of the Emmy-nominated Slumberkins preschool series in partnership with The Jim Henson Company, Kelly brings therapeutic principles to life through beloved characters and accessible lessons.

With a background in counseling within school systems, Kelly is deeply passionate about supporting educators and creating emotionally safe learning environments. She is the co-author of All Feelings Welcome and a leading voice in emotional literacy, advocating for approaches that go beyond discipline to foster connection, empathy, and resilience in children.

Through her work, Kelly aims to equip schools and families with tools that nurture emotional growth—because when we lead with empathy, we create communities where every child feels seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.

Tracy Rassley

Tracy Rassley is the Programs Manager for the Montana and Wyoming Chapters of the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSP). After twenty-four years as a paralegal and volunteering with the American Foundation for Suicide for Prevention for almost seven years she has now been in her current position over two years. She has presented countless trainings for AFSP that include Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention, Finding Hope, It’s Real: Teens and Mental Health, and It’s Real: College Students and Mental Health. In addition, she is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainer.

While Tracy strives to provide education and awareness to as many individuals as possible in whatever setting is available, her passion for education is particularly strong for teens and college students as she believes that the change in attitude we need regarding mental health will come from our youth.

Christa Rowland

Christa Rowland believes in the power of uniting communities to create a brighter future for all children. Before joining the IEL team, Christa was the Director of Community Impact at the United Way of Treasure Valley in Boise, Idaho. She helped grow the system of Community Schools in Idaho, founded the Idaho Community School Learning Network, and co-founded the Idaho Coalition for Community Schools.

Christa began her career as a Music Educator, teaching hundreds of students the joy of creating music. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration, and bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Violin Performance.

John Sommers-Flanagan

John Sommers-Flanagan is the director of the PJW Center for the Advancement of Positive Education (CAPE) and a professor of counseling at the University of Montana and author or coauthor of over 100 publications, including nine books and many professional training videos. His books, co-written with his wife Rita, include Clinical Interviewing (7th ed., Wiley, 2024), Tough Kids, Cool Counseling (2nd ed., ACA, 2007), and Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Strengths-Based Approach (ACA, 2021). He has published articles or commentaries in the New England Journal of Medicine, American Psychologist, Professional Psychology, and the Journal of Counseling and Development. In 2018, he produced a three-part, 7.5-hour suicide assessment and treatment training video for mental health professionals with Psychotherapy.net. John’s current work primarily involves promoting an evidence-informed strengths-based learning model designed to grow student and teacher strengths, skills, resources, and virtues, rather than growing more mental disorders (which we have enough of). In his wild and precious spare time, John loves to run (slowly), dance (poorly), laugh (loudly) and produce home-made family music videos. You can learn more about John and Rita’s latest venture, the Montana Happiness Project.

Dale Stripling

Dale Stripling holds a Doctorate Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Alabama, a bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Language Arts from UAB, a master’s in Educational Administration from UAB, and an Educational Specialist Degree from The University of Montevallo. Dale has served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal in schools that range from urban to rural. He has worked as a Student Services Supervisor for the Jefferson County Board of Education in Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently a School Safety Specialist for The Alabama State Department of Education.

Dr. Stripling is a member of the Alabama Department of Education’s Central Office Task Force on School Safety and regularly assists in regional safety trainings throughout the state. He has served as a judge on the Alabama Attorney

General’s Blue-Ribbon Council for safe schools. He is a certified trainer in the Colorado Threat Assessment and the Alabama Behavioral Threat Assessment protocol. He is trained as an Adolescent Mental Health First Aid Trainer. Dale has been affiliated with The Alabama Association of School Resource Officers since 2003. He has served as a district education representative and currently serves as the Executive Education Advisor.

Burke Wallace

Dr. Burke Wallace has been an educator for 20 years. He has served as a teacher, a site administrator, and a district administrator. He’s also worked as an adjunct professor at multiple universities. He holds a Masters in Education, a Masters in Business Administration, and his dissertation research for his PhD focused on administrative leadership in non-traditional school models. Dr. Wallace is a frequent conference presenter and received an award in 2024 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for his work in character education. He currently serves as the School Safety Specialist for the Office of Public Instruction.

Sergeant Nate West

Nate West is an 18 year veteran with the Billings Police Department, currently serving as the department’s SRO Sgt. Nate has worn many hats, having many different assignments and responsibilities in his career. Nate was an FTO, training approximately 15 new officers as an FTO. Nate is currently an FTO supervisor, supervising new hires and their FTO’s through the entirety of their training process. Nate is a current firearms instructor, being one of the department’s 3 master instructors. Nate is an active driving instructor for the department, coordinating the department’s drive training program. Nate spent 11 years serving on the department’s SWAT team, receiving 2 medals of honor during that career. Nate is a current response to active shooter instructor. Nate is a certified professional CPTED practitioner through the National Institute of Crime Prevention, completing security assessments for the last 8 years. Nate is a proud family man, being married to his wife Nadja. Nate and Nadja share 3 beautiful kids – Kaiden (18), Jaice (14), Aunyssa (8), and Quinn (8). Nate is truly passionate about the safety of our schools and our wonderful community.

Dylan Wright

Dylan Wright is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Licensed School Counselor in the state of Montana. He serves as the Wellness Education Coordinator for Families First, a nonprofit in Missoula, MT providing group facilitation, parenting consultations, and public presentations on parenting education and wellbeing. He also commits a great deal of time and energy to developing programs, providing supervision, and conducting research for the Montana Happiness Project, a suicide prevent and wellness organization. When taking a break from all the “irons in the fire,” Dylan relaxes with long bike rides, and by spending time with his very supportive wife and daughters.