Michelle DeLaune is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 

Since she began her career at NCMEC two decades ago, DeLaune has held numerous positions, most recently serving 8 years as its Chief Operating Officer. During her tenure at NCMEC, she witnessed first-hand the evolving threats that face our children and has expanded NCMEC's programmatic response to both missing and exploited children.

NCMEC continues to see an explosion in cases of children going missing from the child welfare system as well as children being sexually trafficked. In addition, incidents of child sexual exploitation online continue to grow exponentially.  Under her leadership, new programs have been implemented to better serve these vulnerable populations including a child sex trafficking recovery-planning team and NCMEC's Child Victim Identification Program which has contributed to the identification and rescue of thousands of children from sexually abusive situations.

Emphasizing the human element, DeLaune has championed a reignited focus on the importance of survivor informed responses where those with lived experience provide valuable input into NCMEC programs.   She's helped establish multiple survivor expert working groups to amplify the voices of those impacted by these crimes and inspire change in the world.

Embracing new technology has transformed NCMEC and its impact.  DeLaune created the first-ever data science program as a discipline at NCMEC.  Data mining allows NCMEC to provide timely, meaningful information to better protect children.

DeLaune is the first woman to lead the non-profit organization since it opened its doors in 1984.

On numerous occasions, DeLaune has testified before the U.S. Congress about matters pertaining to the sexual exploitation of children and has represented NCMEC at high-level events around the world.  She has written articles regarding the importance of identifying child victims depicted in sexually abusive material. She received a B.A. with a major in psychology from George Mason University and an M.A. in Criminology from the University of Maryland at College Park. She lives with her husband and daughter in Northern Virginia.

In his role, Derrick leads the operational personnel, missions and functions of NCMEC to include services provided to families, child-serving professionals and law enforcement.  He also supervises the Center’s federal grant awards, which provide critical funds to NCMEC’s mission of finding missing children, stopping child sexual exploitation and assisting law enforcement while managing relationships with critical public, private and industry partners.  

Derrick is a highly accomplished member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service with 27 years of law enforcement experience and leadership at the U.S. Department of Justice.  Derrick served as the Deputy Director, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Risk Officer of the United States Marshals Service (USMS), where he was responsible for leading USMS employees and supervising global security, investigative and intelligence functions. During his 23-year career at the USMS, Derrick held numerous executive leadership roles to include being appointed by the Attorney General to serve on both the Law Enforcement Advisory Council and Executive Advisory Board for the National Domestic Communications Assistance Center (NDCAC).  He also developed and led the agency’s Sex Offender Investigations Branch and National Sex Offender Targeting Center while establishing the Agency’s missing child recovery mission. During his time at the USMS, he was the recipient of four Director’s Awards.  

Prior to joining NCMEC, Derrick served as a Principal for Peraton, a national security technology company dedicated to protecting and promoting freedom around the world. As part of the Diplomacy and Justice leadership team, Derrick advised the sector and its clients on security and risk management, planning and performance execution, and assisted law enforcement with data-driven decision making. 

Derrick received a graduate fellowship from the University of New Haven, earning his Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Security Management. 

Paul joined NCMEC in September 2017, bringing his 25 year experience as a CPA leading financial teams to minimize costs, increase revenue, achieve transparency and compliance, and improve performance and efficiencies at nonprofit organizations.

Early in Paul’s career, he was in public accounting and founding Principal of a CPA firm specializing in audits and tax preparation for nonprofit organizations.  Paul then served as the Grants Administrator and Controller at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He then served as the CFO for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and most recently, the International Republican Institute.

Paul has also served as a volunteer on the Board of Directors at the National PTA.

Paul holds a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University at Long Beach and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Paul has lived in the Washington metropolitan area for the past 26 years and lives in Arlington, Virginia with his spouse and two young children. He enjoys skiing, outdoor activities and spending time with his family. Paul was inspired by the mission at NCMEC and excited to be part of team.

Yiota Souras joined NCMEC in 2006 after seven years of experience with corporate litigation and white-collar investigations at international law firms in New York and Washington, D.C.

Ms. Souras is responsible for all legal affairs of NCMEC including oversight of contractual, litigation, compliance, governance and intellectual property matters. She also advises NCMEC's President and CEO and staff members about legal issues pertaining to NCMEC's mission, provides counsel to the Board of Directors and serves as assistant corporate secretary to the Board.

Ms. Souras received a Juris Doctor from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts from The Johns Hopkins University.

Simintha brings over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, distinguished by her exceptional talent in devising and guiding enterprise-wide fundraising strategies. 

Before joining NCMEC, she held executive positions at renowned organizations including the Heart Rhythm Society, the Infectious Disease Society of America, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and the American Diabetes Association. Her leadership has significantly amplified the impact of these organizations on educational and health outcomes.

In addition to her role at NCMEC, Simintha contributes to academia as an adjunct professor at Northeastern University, teaching graduate-level courses on nonprofit management and fundraising. Committed to nurturing future leaders, she serves on Loyola University Chicago’s Alumni Board and the Board of Directors for the Center of Healthcare Innovation. Simintha holds a Master's degree in Social Justice and a Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University.

John Shehan joined the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in February 2000. He is responsible for NCMEC's operations relating to sexual crimes committed against children, including online child pornography, enticement and other instances of child sexual exploitation. In this role, he also conducts interviews with the news media about issues relating to internet-facilitated crimes committed against children; testifies on behalf of NCMEC; and provides training and information sessions for the public, private industry, other nonprofit organizations and law enforcement agencies. 

He served as president of the INHOPE Foundation between 2012 and 2014 where he helped cultivate and develop hotlines in Central and South America and the Asian Pacific. He also served as vice president of the INHOPE Association between 2012 and 2016 and in 2018.

He served as a technical advisory board member to the Internet Safety Technical Taskforce, led by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and was appointed to the Online Safety Technology Working Group.

Mr. Shehan received his Bachelor of Science with a major in criminal justice from Radford University in 1999, received an Executive Leadership Certificate from Cornell University in 2018, and currently serves as an advisory board member to the College of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences at Radford University.

Derek Bezy is the vice president of the Technology Division at NCMEC. In that role, he is responsible for strategy, policy, and operations of the Technology Division. He spearheads the ongoing innovation of NCMEC’s technology products and infrastructure and provides leadership for the continued development of innovative, robust, and secure technologies supporting NCMEC’s mission. Derek advises senior leadership at NCMEC regarding technology, telecommunications, cybersecurity, and information assurance. 

Derek has served in several capacities within the technology division since joining the organization in 2011, including the role of executive director. In that role he led the Technology Operations Team at NCMEC and was responsible for technology infrastructure strategy and finance planning/budgeting for the entire division. Before joining NCMEC, he spent 10 years working in technology for Keller Foundations, LLC 

Derek attended Jefferson Community College, Watertown, NY and the University of Maryland Baltimore County majoring in Emergency Health Services and Public Administration. Derek lives in Maryland with his wife and teenage son. He was a volunteer fighter and emergency medical provider for over 25 years and is still an active disaster response volunteer with Team Rubicon.  Derek also volunteers as a coach with his local Boys and Girls Club and has served on the board of several community organizations.

Dr. John E. Bischoff III is the vice president of the Missing Children Division at NCMEC.  Within this role, he is responsible for the oversight of all missing children’s cases, both in the U.S. and those children taken abroad. He is responsible for all case management and hotline operations (1-800-THE-LOST®), with locations across five regionally based offices.   

Prior to NCMEC, Dr. Bischoff was a Mass Care (ESF#6) program specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he was responsible for coordinating with federal, state and local governments and private sector partners to develop effective family evacuation and reentry plans, strategies and policies. He also coordinated post-disaster child reunification plans, as well as oversaw the development of the National Emergency Mass Evacuation Tracking System. 

Prior to FEMA, Dr. Bischoff was the technical director of Public Safety and Criminal Investigations for AOL located in Dulles, Virginia.  During his 13 years at AOL, Dr. Bischoff was directly involved with hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement investigations involving child sexual exploitation and financial fraud. He was considered an expert by federal, state and local courts regarding AOL networks, email platforms and data transfer technologies. 

Dr. Bischoff holds a Doctorate in Engineering, with a focus on Engineering Management, from the George Washington University. He has received a Master of Business Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Management of Information Systems and a Bachelor’s in Business Management from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. 

Blair Bjellos joins NCMEC as Vice President of Government Affairs, bringing with her more than 15 years of experience navigating the complex landscape of legislative affairs in Washington, D.C. In her most recent role, Blair served as the Senior Policy Advisor and Director of Coalitions for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. There, she advised Ranking Member Lindsey Graham on critical legislative issues, including crime victims' rights, child protection, public safety, and Department of Justice appropriations. Blair was also instrumental in organizing high-profile congressional hearings and building coalitions of stakeholders to support the committee’s work, solidifying her reputation as a strategic legislative leader.

As Director of Coalitions and Outreach for the Senate Budget Committee, she advised then-Ranking Member Graham on justice related portions of the federal budget and brought advocates together to examine budget reconciliation legislation. Blair also continued to lead bipartisan efforts to hold technology platforms accountable for facilitating child exploitation and helped move legislation forward to sustain the Crime Victims Fund. Her earlier roles, including Policy Advisor for Justice Programs for the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, further highlight her commitment to advancing justice and public safety initiatives.

Blair’s legislative expertise was first honed in the House of Representatives, where she directed the Victims' Rights Caucus and contributed to the passage of significant anti-human trafficking legislation. Her tenure at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) further emphasized her dedication to advocating for crime victims at the highest levels of government.

Blair holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Virginia. 

Marsha Butler is the Vice President of Human Resources of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Marsha joined NCMEC in November 2016 and has more than 20 years of experience leading all aspects of the human resources function and implementing strategic human resources programs. 

Early in Marsha’s career she served at the Assistant Director of Human Resources at Unity Health Care, Inc. She then served as Human Resources Generalist with World Resources Institute. Marsha later served as Director of Human Resources at the SEED Public Charter School of Washington, DC. Before joining NCMEC, Marsha worked more than 8 years at the Epilepsy Foundation, where she most recently served as the Senior Director of Human Resources and Operations. 

Marsha earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Towson University in 2000 and a Master of Business Administration from Howard University in 2005. Marsha also has both SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications. 

As vice president of NCMEC’s Content & Community Engagement division, Stacy Garrett is responsible for delivering compelling resources, programs, and materials to cultivate public engagement with NCMEC and awareness of the issues related to missing and exploited children. Her team is responsible for the organization’s design and animation services, website management, data-driven prevention strategy, professional training, and outreach. She works with the entire organization and external stakeholders to develop strategy that supports NCMEC’s larger mission.

Ms. Garrett joined NCMEC in 2006 and in her 15 years with the organization has contributed to work throughout the media, communications and fundraising teams, most recently serving as the executive director of Creative & Engagement. In that role, key projects for her team included the rebrand and redesign of NCMEC’s flagship website, missingkids.org; the release of a new internet safety series for NetSmartz; and the unprecedented growth of NCMEC’s social media presence. Before joining NCMEC, Ms. Garrett worked in public relations, creating media strategy for clients in the field of education.

Ms. Garrett has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a certificate in Social Media Management from Georgetown University. 

Ms. Gilmer-Tullis, Vice President of NCMEC’s Family Advocacy Division, is responsible for the coordination and leadership of NCMEC’s Family Advocacy Division and has decades of experience in the fields of mental health and child welfare, in both the public and private sector, including more than 25 years with NCMEC and nine years with the Virginia Beach Department of Social Services as a Service Delivery Coordinator and Social Work Supervisor. She also served as an adjunct professor at Norfolk State University for two years. She holds a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville and Bachelor of Science with a major in sociology from West Virginia State University.

As vice president of Special Projects and Administration, Stacy LaRosa is responsible for overseeing special projects and facilities for the organization. She is also responsible for maintaining continuity of operations, physical security infrastructure, and the real estate portfolios for NCMEC’s offices located in Florida, New York, Texas, and Virginia. 

LaRosa joined NCMEC in 2014 after more than 18 years of experience running small business ventures with NCMEC’s co-founder, John Walsh.  She oversaw the executive leadership team during her time at America’s Most Wanted, while running day to day operations at Silver Spring Studios and later Walsh Productions.  She also worked with NY public relations firm Dan Klores Communications perfecting her crisis management and communication skills.

LaRosa received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Stockton University. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two very active sons.   

As vice president of NCMEC’s Communications & Brand division, Gavin Portnoy is responsible for creating and maintaining strategies to elevate the organization’s media capabilities, events and brand presence.

Portnoy joined NCMEC in 2014 after more than 15 years helping organizations build brand awareness and effectively tell their story using the latest business, digital, social and media channels. He has created groundbreaking television, marketing and content development projects for a number of organizations and networks including  Discovery, Fox, Lifetime, National Geographic, Ovation, PADI, PBS and Think Food Group.

Portnoy previously oversaw NCMEC’s  digital media team where he exponentially increased the organization’s social media reach and oversaw the formation of high-profile content. He launched a successful suite of new digital and social initiatives, thereby raising national awareness of NCMEC. He was honored in 2015 as one of PR Week’s “40 Under 40” for developing new, immensely-successful strategies to directly assist with the recovery of missing children.

Portnoy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Rowan University in 2003.

Staca Shehan joined the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 1999 and is the vice president of the Analytical Services Division. She is responsible for policy decisions and overall operations within the division, including oversight of the Child Sex Trafficking Team and Sex Offender Tracking Team.  In this role, she helps create and manage the division’s budget; conducts interviews about issues relating to child sex trafficking, noncompliant registered sex offenders, internet crimes against children and attempted abductions of children; and provides training sessions to the public, private industry, other nonprofits and law enforcement agencies.

In 2011, Ms. Shehan spearheaded the creation of the Child Sex Trafficking Team at NCMEC to respond to the increased need for technical assistance and analysis in child sex trafficking cases. This dedicated team provides support to law enforcement agencies who are working to identify and recover children victimized through sex trafficking and successfully prosecute those involved in trafficking children. These unique resources include analysis of potential suspects and child sex trafficking victims/potential victims.

In 2017, Ms. Shehan was selected as one of 21 representative members on the National Advisory Committee on Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States. The Committee advises the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General on policies improving the nation’s response to the sex trafficking of children and youth in the United States.  She has also written several articles on behalf of NCMEC regarding child sex trafficking and children missing from care. Such publications were featured in the ‘United States Attorneys' USA Bulletin, Vol. 65, No. 6’ and by the OJP Diagnostic Center.

During her career at NCMEC, Ms. Shehan also developed and implemented the Sex Offender Tracking Team. The team created procedures and protocols used by analysts to provide technical assistance to law enforcement in their efforts to locate noncompliant sex offenders. During this process, she worked closely with NCMEC programmers to outline the creation of the Sex Offender Case Management system. This system allows analysts to track offenders and compare their geographic locations to open and unsolved child abductions, attempted abductions and incidents of child sexual exploitation.

Ms. Shehan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from La Salle University with a minor in Criminal Justice and Certificates in Executive Leadership and High-Performance Leadership from Cornell University.

Board Value Proposition

• Seasoned professional with 30+ years of retail experience.
• Proven executive with broad leadership experience at a Fortune 200 retailer based in the U.S.
• Key leadership role in company growth from $9B to $20B in sales.
• Led the development of company strategy with leadership team.
• Significant experience leading the convergence of physical and digital platforms.

Professional Summary

• Is a successful retail and strategic executive as well as a professional advisor and omni-channel expert. He held a variety of progressive leadership roles at Kohl's.
• These responsibilities included Director of Stores (1,170), and oversight of the Loss Prevention, Store Sales Growth and Store Operations & Experience divisions.
• Worked closely with the Board, CEO and Executive Team to improve core operating performance and transform the organization's customer experience. He was responsible for setting the strategy of an expansive workforce of more than 100,000 associates through periods of fostering strong employee engagement.
• Prior to Kohl’s, held professional positions at Macy’s, including Vice President of Operations.

Leadership Experience

Starting in 2007, led more than 100,000 associates to drive a best in class customer experience. He led the innovation of leveraging physical stores to drive omni sales. 

• Developed store associates into digitally savvy brand ambassadors removing the physical limitations of driving sales.
• Championed "Store Manager as CEO" strategy empowering every store manager to leverage local market knowledge and actionable insights to make decisions right for their community.
• Led and oversaw a $1.58B payroll and $300M capital expense annual budget focused on best in class organization using analytics to optimize sales in B&M and digital channels.
• Developed Kohl’s omni-channel strategic initiative leveraging current B&M square footage to maximize store productivity and digital penetration. This strategy led to the successful fulfillment of 40% of digital online sales processed in store.
• Created a nationwide "Hospitality Mentality" program by benchmarking best in class companies within the traditional hospitality industry to develop a game changing approach to customer engagement in retail.
• An industry leader in developing and retaining tlaent. Led nine Senior Vice Presidents who directly reported to him with all of their talent succession plans identified.
• Leader in company strategy,The Greatness Agenda, driving an improved customer experience while saving in excess of $100M in poerations expense. 
• Multiple interactions with investment community focused on omni-store innovation and expansion.
• Recognized as a leader in associate engagement proven through industry data.
• Assisted with the negotiation and led the implementation of Amazon returns at all Kohl’s locations.
• Created the nationwide "We're Listening" program to engage, solicit and ensure the more than 100,000 associates had a voice in the company's direction.
• Oversaw the successful closing and reopening of all stores during the COVID pandimic. Visited 49 states in an eight-month time frame to ensure a successful reopening process.
• Led the implementation and successful execution of Sephora in 600+ Kohl's locations.

Other Relevant Experience

In addition to his leadership responsibilities:

• Serves as the Chairman of the Board for National Center of Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
• As a board member of The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business, he works on and advises the business school on operating challenges and Chairs the Honor & Integrity Committee. 
• Guest taught graduate and undergraduate level business courses and participated in "Executive Leadership Insights" both in person and virtually across all 20 Penn State commonwealth campuses.
• A recipient of the 2015 Penn State Smeal College of Business Distinguished Alumni Award.
• In 2019, participated and successfully completed the Harvard Business School Executive Series, “Leading an Agile Workforce Transformation."

Joined Kohl’s Department Stores in 2002 and became an Executive Vice President in 2007.

Board and Professional Affiliations

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Chairman of the Board
• Penn State University, Smeal College of Business, Board of Visitors

Education and Certification

• Penn State University - B.S.  Business Administration and Management, 1989
• Harvard Business School - Executive Series Program, 2019

The Honorable Regina B. Schofield is Director of Corporate Engagement and Education Outreach for Battelle. Ms. Schofield’s portfolio includes furthering innovative efforts to create tomorrow’s workforce by leading STEM education outreach and directing all of Battelle’s regional philanthropy engagements.

Prior to her position with Battelle, she was employed with Casey Family Programs and transformed Casey’s approach by integrating policies and data from state level stakeholders with broader, national public policy objectives in Washington, D.C.  Before joining Casey, Ms. Schofield was nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice.  As AAG, she served as the nation’s AMBER Alert Coordinator and instituted Wireless Amber Alerts and Amber Alerts in Native American communities. She oversaw a range of federal programs, including Project Safe Childhood, the Prisoner Reentry Initiative, and the White House Initiative on Helping America’s Youth among many other programs.  

Before her appointment as Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Schofield was Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and White House Liaison at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  In this dual capacity, she served as the Secretary’s senior advisor on all state, local, and tribal issues regarding HHS policies and programs and was the primary personnel link between HHS and the White House.

Ms. Schofield is a recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and currently serves on the boards of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Children’s Science Center, the Conrad Foundation, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence (aka Solve Violence), the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, 100kin10 Post 21 Cabinet, the Research Advisory Committee of the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research and is a corporate officer of the Battelle Education board. 

She received her M.B.A. from Jackson State University and her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mississippi College. In 2014, she was honored to receive the Alumni of the Year award from Mississippi College’s School of Business. Ms. Schofield’s professional career has included key roles in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Revé Drew Walsh is co-founder of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In 1981, after the tragic abduction and murder of their son, Adam, Mrs. Walsh and her husband, John, began what would become a lifetime of service dedicated to finding missing children, reducing child exploitation, and preventing future victimization. When it became undeniable that there was a lack of attention to the issues of missing and exploited children, what started as Revé responding to letters from other families of missing children in the garage of their Florida home, turned into the establishment of the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center,  which would go on to become the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 

Their advocacy has influenced the course of child protection in the U.S. through legislation and the work of the National Center. The first law that passed in the aftermath of Adam’s murder, the “Missing Children’s Act” in 1982, required the FBI to enter a missing child’s information into their national database which all law enforcement could access. Then, in 1984, President Reagan signed the “Missing Children’s Assistance Act,” which officially created NCMEC and designated it as the country’s clearinghouse for missing children. Twenty-two years later, President George W. Bush signed a new, resolute law to track and apprehend convicted sex offenders who disappear after their release from prison: The “Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.” 

Over the 35+ years since NCMEC’s founding, Revé Walsh has been a tireless advocate for children and has served on NCMEC’s Board of Directors.   

Revé and John are proud of the legacy they have created for their son Adam, and are similarly proud of their three other children; Callahan, Meghan, and Hayden and all that they have and will accomplish.

Tamara Asher is an Associate Director of Member Engagement for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). She is responsible for engaging senior-level executives at manufacturing companies with an annual sales revenue of approximately $100 million to an excess of $1 billion. She utilizes a keen understanding of current political issues and industry intelligence to provide consultative services on advocacy, legal and workforce initiatives.

Prior to her position at the NAM, Tamara served as a senior FBI Intelligence Analyst for approximately 13 years. She worked criminal, cyber, counterintelligence and counterterrorism matters in California, Washington, D.C., Indonesia and South Africa. Tamara delivered timely information to Law Enforcement, Intelligence Community and the private sector furthering joint FBI investigations. Tamara also served as the FBI Director’s Daily Briefer in Washington, D.C. where she provided actionable intelligence to senior executives on emerging domestic and global threats. Tamara earned the Intelligence Community Advanced Analytic Program certification and is also the recipient of the FBI Medal of Excellence and National Meritorious Unit Citation award.

Tamara received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles. During this time, she worked alongside NCMEC and DOJ to advocate for kidnapping victims, their families and survivors. She provided keynote addresses at NCMEC fundraising, corporate and community liaison events and co-authored a survivors’ guide. Tamara also completed a summer internship with NCMEC and was an FBI Honors intern. 

In the summer of 2002 when Tamara was a teenager, she survived being kidnapped. The state of California authorized the use of its first AMBER Alert which resulted in Law Enforcement locating and rescuing her. That experience initiated and continues to fuel Tamara’s passion to prevent the exploitation of children.

Board Value Proposition

Seasoned professional with more than 30 years of retail experience.

• Kate joined Kohl’s Department Stores in 2003 and became a Senior Vice President in 2021. 
• Proven executive with broad leadership experience at a Fortune 200 retailer based in the US.
• Key leadership role in company growth from $9B (2002) to $20B (2022).
• Leads the development of HR company strategy with leadership team.

Leadership Experience

Starting in 2010, Kate has been leading over 140,000 associates to drive a best in class customer experience. Kate has led the innovation of leveraging physical stores to drive omni sales.

• Developed & created training for store associates into digitally savvy brand ambassadors removing the physical limitations of driving sales.
• Co-Championed ‘Store Manager as CEO’ strategy empowering every store manager to leverage local market knowledge and actionable insights to make decisions right for their community. Created on boarding & annual training to support initiative.
• Recognized as a leader in associate engagement proven through industry data. Implemented Best Practices and procedures to support engagement, action plans andannual reviews. Created a nationwide ‘Hospitality Mentality’ program by benchmarking best in class companies within the traditional hospitality industry to develop a game changing approach to customer engagement in retail.
• An industry leader in developing and retaining talent.
• Implementation of Development Days & High Potential Management Board Development programs.
• Multiple interactions with investment community focused on store innovation and expansion, specifically Sephora
• Key role in implementation of Amazon returns at all 1,166 Kohl’s B&M locations.
• Facilitation and led rollout of Sephora shops both Human Resources and stores.
• Korn Ferry International - Recruited Sr Retail Executives across the US and BOD searches
• Macys - held various positions after completion of Executive Development Program, including Womens Buyer.

Professional Summary

• Kate is a successful retail and strategic executive as well as a professional advisor and HR expert. Kate has had a variety of progressive leadership roles at Kohl’s from 2003 to present in both HR and store leadership.
• These responsibilities include VP of HR (1,166 store count), and SVP of the Northeast Territory (209 stores, $2B annual).
• Kate works closely with the EVP, Director of Stores and Executive Team to improve core operating performance and transform the organizations customer and associate experience. She is responsible for setting the strategy of an expansive workforce of over 140k associates through periods of growth and unprecedented business cycles while fostering strong employee engagement.
• Prior to Kohl’s, Kate held progressive positions at Korn Ferry International and Macy’s.

Other Relevant Experience and Professional Affiliations

In addition to her leadership responsibilities:

• Boys & Girls Club of Capital Region. Active Board Member (2021 - 2024); Board development Chair (2023 - 2024); received Community Impact Award (2023)
• Kate works with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) as a Key Advisor - involved in multiple events raising over $2.5 million for NCMEC.
• In 2021 Kate became the leader supporting the JBJ Soul Kitchen foundation for the Kohl’s Volunteer Program and largest corporate donor.
• As a member of The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Women in Business, recruited over 1,200 students as interns and MIT’s. Keynote speaker for three Women in Business events.
• Kate sponsors an annual event for the Holy Redeemer Hospital supporting the NICU, HRH/Beck 6K run/walk which has raised over $120,000 in the past three years.

Education and Certification

• St John’s University - B.S. Business Administration and Management
• Laboratory Institute of Merchandising - AAS

Michael Breslin serves as the Director, Strategic Client Relationships, Federal Law Enforcement for LexisNexis. In this role, he supports the LexisNexis Federal Government team by managing and establishing the executive relationships across the federal government, especially among federal law enforcement agencies.  

Mr. Breslin is a retired federal law enforcement senior executive with 24 years of law enforcement and homeland security experience.  His career was spent with the United States Secret Service focusing on the integrated mission of investigations and protection.  He served as the Deputy Assistant Director in the Office of Investigations with oversight of 162 domestic and foreign field offices. 

Mr. Breslin’s undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Arts from Saint John’s University, Queens, New York.   He also holds a Master of Science Degree in National Security Strategy and a Graduate Certificate in Business Transformation and Decision Making from The Industrial College of the Armed Forces and a Master of Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.   In January 2015, he completed The Key Executive Leader Certificate program at American University’s School of Public Affairs. In August 2018, he was awarded a certificate of completion for the Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology Program, from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education.

Mr. Breslin is a member of several law enforcement and homeland security related associations to include the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), The Association of Former Agents of the United States Secret Service (AFAUSS), Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI), International Public Safety Association (IPSA), the Eisenhower School of National Security Alumni Association, The Preparedness Leadership Council, American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS) and InfraGard.  He has also published numerous articles on homeland security, defense, and threat mitigation methods. 

Robbie Callaway is Senior Vice President for Government Services and Client Relations at FirstPic, Inc. In that role, he carries on his lifelong advocacy for disadvantaged children and continues to play a pivotal role in the development and passage of national legislation critical to child safety, including the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act; the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act; the 2003 passage of the National Amber Alert legislation, and the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. During his 24-year career at Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), Mr. Callaway led a Government Relations team which raised more than $1 billion for the organization. He was also instrumental in expanding the number of Clubs in public housing communities from 25 to over 450 Clubs and was the driving force in BGCA’s expansion into over 220 Native American communities across the nation. 

Mr. Callaway is a founding board member of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, past chairman, and currently serves as a NCMEC Board Member. In addition, he is past chairman and current member of the Board of Directors of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, an organization committed to serving youth nationwide through character building programs. Mr. Callaway received his B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.

Chay Carter is Senior Vice President overseeing Creative Content and Brand Partnerships at Artists Equity, the independent studio that prioritizes creators, founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Fall 2022.

Chay is also an award-winning producer with over 20 years' experience in the entertainment industry, known for the highly-acclaimed, Academy Award^® winning "Argo," which received the award for Best Picture at the 85th Oscars^® Ceremony.

Some of her other producing credits include “Live By Night,” “The Town," and "Gone Baby Gone," which is the film that ignited her long-time relationship with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Chay’s role at Artists Equity reunites her with Affleck and Damon, whose previous banners – Pearl Street Films and LivePlanet – are where she spent much of her career building in entertainment. 

She began by working in public relations strategy for Walt Disney Imagineering in the Corporate Real Estate division and was part of the Grand Opening team for Disney's California Adventure, managing special behind-the-scenes VIP tours and visits for dignitaries and politicians.  

Born and raised in Santa Monica, Chay attended the University of Southern California before segueing to Boston College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Psychology before returning home to Los Angeles.

Chay was a charter member of NCMEC's West Coast Advisory Council, which in Fall 2022 emerged as the re-envisioned Entertainment, Sports, and Creative Collective (ESCC), in which she currently serves as Chair. She's been involved in philanthropy and humanitarian efforts with a focus on children for many years in addition to mentoring students. She has been a member of the Producer's Guild of America (PGA) since 2012.

Jeff Collins is a multi-dimensional leader with experience across the public, private, and social sectors. As Director of Trust & Safety at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Jeff leads a global team working to help mitigate and reduce abuse, and earn the trust of stakeholders.

Jeff became a recognized leader in this field when he led global trust and safety teams at TikTok and the teen-focused app After School. Previously, Jeff served as White House National Security Council Director in the Obama Administration; U.S. Foreign Service Officer focused on human rights issues in Cuba, Iraq, Turkey, Bolivia, and Venezuela; Senior Counsel for Global Policy at Chevron; founder of the civic-tech organization Forum280; an international lawyer; and a federal appellate and district court law clerk.

Jeff is a graduate of Stanford University and Northwestern School of Law, enjoys exploring the San Francisco Bay Area outdoors with his 10- and 12-year-old sons, and thrives on collaborating to create meaningful solutions that make the world a better place.

Barbara Comstock has three decades of leadership and management experience in the state and federal government, the media, business, and philanthropy.  She has worked closely with senior political, media, public relations, and a wide range of business, commerce, technology, and defense leaders, on a bipartisan basis, throughout her career.  She currently is a senior adviser at Baker Donelson.   

Barbara was first elected to Congress in 2014 to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District serving two terms. Barbara served on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, the House Administration Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.   

In her freshman term she was selected as the Chairwoman of The Subcommittee on Research and Technology on the Science Committee because of her depth of experience in this area.  In her leadership role as Chairwoman, she worked on and held hearings on cybersecurity, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, medicine and technology, competitiveness and economic growth issues, privacy issues, and STEM education and workforce issues. She also was a founder of the Diversifying Technology Caucus with Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Tim Scott, Rep. Robin Kelly, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, and Rep. Ruben Gallego. She authored and passed “The INSPIRE Act” to promote STEM careers for young women, the Better Pain Management through Better Data Act, and promoted additional funding for science agencies within her committee.  She also authored and passed landmark anti-sexual harassment legislation in Congress, worked extensively on human trafficking prevention issues, and secured continued Metro funding every year she served in Congress.   

Barbara was named as one of the "Top Ten Most Effective Lawmakers" in the 115th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint effort of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University.  She also was rated one of the most bipartisan legislators in Congress.

In 2019, she was selected as a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics, and in 2020, she served as a Resident Fellow at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. She also served as a Visiting Fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future. 

Prior to serving in Congress, Barbara was elected for three terms in the Virginia House of Delegates (served 2010-2014). She served on the Commerce and Labor Committee that handled all business, health care, commerce, and banking issues, as well as serving as Chairwoman of the Science and Technology Committee.  She authored and passed legislation on Data Centers, human trafficking, flexible work policies, and right to work legislation.

Barbara was appointed to serve on the Governor's Economic Development and Job Creation Commission and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.  In the summer of 2010, Barbara was selected as one of 50 state legislators to participate in the "Emerging Political Leaders" program sponsored by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. 

Prior to her service as an elected official, Barbara was in the private sector where she was a senior partner at Blank Rome, LLP, and Blank Rome Government Relations where she handled government relations and legal business from 2003-2006. She has worked with a wide variety of business coalitions. In 2006, she co-founded the public affairs firm of Corallo Comstock with a former Justice Department colleague.

Barbara’s government service began when she first worked as a senior aide in the 1990s to Virginia Congressman Frank R. Wolf who was her predecessor in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District (1991-1995).  As a senior aide to Congressman Wolf, she was immersed in the business community on the state, local and national levels, as well as defense and technology issues, appropriations, and tax relief.   
 
After working in Congressman Wolf’s office, Barbara was recruited to serve on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, the largest House committee where she became Chief Counsel, managed and hired a staff of 70+ employees, and led hearings and major oversight investigations. (1995-1999)  

After the 2000 election, Barbara served as Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice from 2001 through 2003 where she managed and coordinated all of communications offices at DOJ, DEA, FBI, the INS, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, Barbara's responsibilities included leading communications efforts at the Department of Justice, the FBI and other department agencies, and coordinating those efforts for the Attorney General and other senior officials as well as coordinating with other Departments such as Homeland Security, Defense and State. 

In 2013, Barbara founded “The Young Women’s Leadership Program” for young women in high school and junior high.  The program is designed to inspire the next generation of young women by bringing them together with women leaders in a variety of careers and professions throughout our region.  Barbara brought this mentoring program to Capitol Hill and over 2000 young women have participated in it to date and it is now housed at the George Mason Scher School of Government as the “Barbara Comstock Program for Women in Leadership.”  The leadership program has been specifically focused on advancing young women in technology and STEM careers.  

Barbara Comstock is a 35+ year resident of McLean, Virginia. She and her husband, Chip, a lifetime educator, and administrator, raised their three children in McLean, Virginia.   She serves on the Boards of Vivint Smart Home, Trustar Bank, Veterans Against Alzheimer’s, The Friends of Clemyjontri Park, and Just Ask Prevention Project.  

Manus Cooney previously Chaired the Board of Directors and presently serves on the Public Policy, Governance, and Finance Committees. 

Mr. Cooney is a Principal at the bipartisan public policy firm ACG where he specializes in intellectual property, competition, and administration of justice policy matters.  Prior to joining ACG, Mr. Cooney served as President of the consulting firms TCH Group and Potomac Counsel from 2003-2010. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Cooney served as Senior Vice President and Policy Counsel for the file-sharing company Napster, Inc. 

Mr. Cooney served with distinction on Capitol Hill for several years. From 1996-2000, Mr. Cooney served as Chief Counsel & Staff Director of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, where he was the principal legal and policy advisor to the Committee’s Chairman, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT). Mr. Cooney was primarily responsible for the development and stewardship of the Committee’s legislative, executive, and oversight agendas. 

Mr. Cooney has had many leadership roles. He’s previously held Board seats on The Churchill Centre & Churchill Museum and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. He is a Member of the Federal City Council, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., the Federalist Society and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

Mr. Cooney holds degrees from Villanova University and the University of Baltimore Law School.

Matt Foosaner is the Regional Vice President for Public Sector Sales at RingCentral. He is responsible for sales execution and strategy for state and local government and education, as well as federal operations, and has been with RingCentral for three years. Mr. Foosaner has 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry in various executive level positions across wireless, satellite and broadband providers. He has worked to deliver mission critical communications across the government at the federal, state and local levels as well as in K-12 and higher education institutions throughout the US. Mr. Foosaner started his career as a federal investigator for the US Office of Personnel Management.

Mr. Foosaner is the recipient of multiple government and industry awards including from the director of the FBI for Joint Terrorism Task Force Support, the director of the United States Secret Service for agency-wide program management technology support and from the governor of Tennessee for statewide technology implementation. He is an honorary sheriff in both Lake and Orange Counties in Florida for law enforcement interoperable communications support. Mr. Foosaner has also received the prestigious Fed100 Award from Federal Computer Week (FCW).

Mr. Foosaner is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. He received his master’s degree in management from Webster University. He has graduate certificates from the National Defense University’s College of Information & Cyber Space at Fort McNair in information assurance and the University of Colorado in homeland defense. Mr. Foosaner was selected to participate in a senior leadership program at the US Army War College and he completed the senior leader program at the George Washington University's Center for Excellence in Public Leadership.

Mr. Foosaner has a passion for volunteering and making a difference outside of work. He has actively supported fighting child exploitation by working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) since 2005 and is a member of their board of directors. At NCMEC, he chairs the Technology Committee, which he created in 2017, and is a member of the Law Enforcement Committee and Development Committee. Additionally, he is also a member of the board of directors at the Windy Hill Foundation, which provides equitable housing for families and individuals in need in Fauquier and Loudoun Counties in Virginia. 

Vincent P. Giuliano served as Senior Vice President of Government Relations for ADVO/Valassis Inc. (1971-2011).  With over 40 years of experience at all levels within the company, and in the direct mail industry, he worked in concert with its Chairmen/CEOs.   Appearing/testifying in numerous regulatory proceedings & media interviews, he earned recognition from regulators & policy makers as a subject matter expert & strategist for the company, the direct mail industry and for social awareness programs. 

In 1985, Mr. Giuliano founded & stewarded the America's Looking For Its Missing Children® program, a nationally acclaimed weekly public service campaign that places pictures of missing children on direct mail cards reaching over 100 million households. The program has safely recovered 154 children or approximately 1 of every 6 children featured. The program continues. 

Mr. Giuliano & the program have received numerous awards. These include:

• The Adam Walsh Child Resource Center Award of Excellence; 

• The Charles B. Wang International Children’s Award from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Other NCMEC recognitions include Corporate Partnership and Corporate Leadership awards;

• The Steuben Glass Tetrahedron, a prestigious Presidential Award for Private Sector  Initiatives;

• The President's Child Safety Partnership Award; 

• Distinguished Service Award from the National Ladies Auxiliary of Jewish War Veterans; 

• The Social Awareness Award from the United States Postal Service.

Mr. Giuliano has served as Chairman for POSTCOM and held Committee Chair positions on its Postal Policy and Postal Operations Committees. He also served as a member of the Direct Marketing Association's Government Affairs Committee, the Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Committee, and the Mailer's Council. Additionally, Mr. Giuliano continues to hold a directorship on the Board of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and is a member of its Development and Marketing Committee. He has served on numerous industry task forces, has testified before Congressional Committees on behalf of the direct mail industry and has been a frequent guest speaker to trade groups, management & Postal Union organizations within the postal and academic communities. Mr. Giuliano holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from St. Michael's College in Winooski, Vermont. He is married, the father of twin girls and a son and enjoys babysitting his 3 granddaughters.

When Mr. Giuliano retired in 2011, ADVO/Valassis was the largest full-service targeted direct mail, marketing services company in the United States, with annual revenues of over $ 2.1 billion. The company was spending more than $650 million per year with the USPS. Weekly, its shared mail advertising programs were distributed to more than 100 million U.S. households and contained more than 1 billion advertising inserts.

Launched in 1985, the America's Looking For Its Missing Children® program is a partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the USPS and it continues weekly.  The Program has 4 goals:

• To recover missing children

• To raise public awareness to the national problem of missing children

• To be a deterrent to would-be abductors

• To assist in the search for long-term missing children so that no missing child is ever forgotten

Courtney Gregoire serves as General Manager & Chief Digital Safety Officer for Microsoft Corporation. In this role, Courtney is responsible for Microsoft’s company-wide digital safety strategy to reduce harm from illegal and harmful content online through technology, policy and partnerships. From 2015-2019, Courtney led Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit work to combat cybercrime against vulnerable populations including children and the elderly. Before returning home to Washington state, Courtney served as Director of the National Export Initiative for President Obama and Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Commerce. She previously served as Legislative Director and Chief Counsel for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell.  

Courtney previously served as elected Commissioner for Port of Seattle from 2012-2019, member of the Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees and the International Center for Missing & Exploited Children Board of Directors. Courtney is a graduate of Willamette University and Harvard Law School. 

William Gross served Boston law enforcement for 37 years and more recently was appointed 42nd Police Commissioner of the city. As commissioner, Gross focused on the ideals of community policing and established the first Bureau of Community Engagement.

Gross joined the Boston Police Department as a cadet and rose through the ranks, spending his first 10 years as a patrol officer. Before being chosen as the second highest position in the department, chief superintendent, Gross supervised the night shift. His career includes more than two years in an anti-gang violence unit, as well as fighting crime in a drug control unit. On August 6, 2018, William G. Gross was sworn in by Mayor Martin J. Walsh as the City of Boston's 42nd Police Commissioner.

He has been awarded numerous awards for bravery, meritorious service and several Governor's Citations including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, the United States Attorney's Boston Offices' award For Outstanding Dedicated Service to the Survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing, the Department of Justice Investigative Achievement Award and was named one of Boston's 100 Most Influential People of Color.  In June 2018, marking the 50th anniversary of the passing of Robert F. Kennedy, he was presented the Robert F. Kennedy "Embracing the Legacy" Award.  This award recognizes those who work tirelessly to carry on the legacy of the late Senator by raising awareness and fighting against societal injustice and inequity that affect children and families.

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp served as the first female senator elected from North Dakota from 2013 – 2019. 

Senator Heitkamp grew up in a large family in the small town of Mantador, North Dakota. Alongside her six brothers and sisters, she learned the value of hard work and responsibility, leading her to choose a life of public service.

During her six years in the U.S. Senate, Senator Heitkamp quickly became a proven senator who worked across the aisle to fight for North Dakotans. Senator Heitkamp personally showed that if senators work together, it can lead to real solutions. She also came to work every day fighting for rural America and made sure others in the Senate understood the needs of rural communities. 

Throughout her time in the Senate, Heidi prioritized improving the lives of Indigenous people and working families, stopping human trafficking; guaranteeing affordable health care; addressing childhood trauma; eliminating unnecessary regulation; and securing an energy policy that keeps cost low but achieves climate goals.  Providing equal economic opportunity to Rural America continues to be her lifelong pursuit. 

Former Republican Senator Bob Corker called Senator Heitkamp “stronger than battery acid.” Democratic Senator Jon Tester said “she has been incredibly effective” in the Senate.

Senator Heitkamp courageously voted against Justice Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court after hearing testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanuagh’s response testimony. Following the vote, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said Senator Heitkamp had, “become a bit of a feminist icon.”

Throughout her time in public service, Senator Heitkamp has stood up for tribal communities and worked to improve outcomes for Native American children, women, and families. The first bill she introduced in the Senate, which became law in 2016, created a Commission on Native Children. Her bill with former Senator John McCain became law to create Amber Alerts in Indian Country. She introduced Savanna’s Act to help address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. And she worked to help address the detrimental impact exposure to trauma can have on children and families – particularly those in Native communities.

Senator Heitkamp also worked to combat human trafficking in North Dakota, across the country, and around the world. She helped write legislation, which was signed into law, to crack down on human trafficking online, which led to the closure of Backpage.com.

A strong advocate for working families, Senator Heitkamp has fought to support North Dakotans throughout their lives. She helped introduce legislation to create a federal paid family and medical leave policy. She led the effort to get the Export-Import Bank up and running to boost American manufacturing and support American workers and businesses. She strongly backed legislation to prevent discrimination in the workplace against LGBTQ individuals. And she fought for retirement security for families and seniors by working to solve the pension crisis facing many retirees.

Senator Heitkamp has pushed to make health care more affordable and accessible. She fought back against efforts to repeal the health reform law and tried to make the law work better for families and businesses. She halted attempts to slash Medicaid and Medicare or privatize Social Security. She voted against the Republican tax bill and has called for a fairer tax system that doesn’t drastically increase the nation’s debt and deficit.

As a former director of the one-of-a-kind Dakota Gasification synfuels plant, Senator Heitkamp has a long record with energy development in North Dakota. She continued those efforts in the Senate, working to responsibly harness North Dakota’s energy resources, and successfully pushed to lift the 40-year old ban on exporting U.S. crude oil while expanding support for renewable energies, like wind and solar energy development.

Senator Heitkamp sat on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, where she fought for North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities to make sure they got the resources and support they need to continue to feed North Dakota, the country, and the world. She helped write, negotiate, and pass two long-term, comprehensive Farm Bills which Congress passed.

Through her leadership on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Senator Heitkamp pushed to reform the nation’s housing finance system, make housing more affordable, and provide relief to small financial institutions.

On the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Heitkamp pushed to provide training and resources for first responders to keep North Dakota’s communities strong and safe, improve mail delivery and service in rural communities, help recruit and retain a strong federal workforce, and cut red tape to make the federal government more efficient and effective for North Dakota families and small businesses.

Senator Heitkamp previously served as North Dakota’s Attorney General, battling drug dealers, protecting senior citizens from scams, and working to keep sexual predators off streets and away from kids, even after their prison terms were up.

As North Dakota’s Attorney General, Senator Heitkamp brokered an agreement between 46 states and the tobacco industry, which forced the tobacco industry to tell the truth about smoking and health. The settlement resulted in the award of about $527.5 million to North Dakota taxpayers to date. It was one of the largest civil settlements in U.S. history. When very little of this funding was being spent on anti-tobacco programs as intended, Senator Heitkamp led a successful ballot initiative in 2008 that mandated significant increases.

 Previously, Senator Heitkamp served as North Dakota’s Tax Commissioner. Under her tenure, the State of North Dakota attempted to make catalog retailers collect the sales tax the state and municipalities were already owed on sales. The debate went all the way to the Supreme Court in the case Quill v. North Dakota. Two and a half decades later, in 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the 1992 ruling siding with Senator Heitkamp’s arguments, and finally leveling the playing field for brick-and-mortar businesses.

Senator Heitkamp received a B.A. from the University of North Dakota and a law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School. She lives in Mandan, North Dakota with her husband, Dr. Darwin Lange, a family practitioner. They have two children, Ali and Nathan.

Senator Heitkamp serves on numerous boards including The McCain Institute, The Howard Buffett Foundation, Restore Democracy Initiative and The German Marshall Fund. She is the founder and Chair of the One Country Project, an organization focused on addressing the needs and concerns of rural America. She serves as a contributor to both CNBC and ABC News. 

Twitter: @HeidiHeitkamp 

Sean is a Principal in PwC’s Advisory Practice, where he is the Global & US Cybersecurity, Privacy and Forensics practice leader, the Cloud Engineering and Security Hub leader and a member of the U.S.Advisory Leadership Team.

Sean has worked with many clients in various sectors providing strategic guidance, investigative support, technological changes, incident breach response and cyber security advice. Most notably, Sean has consulted in some of the most prolific cyber breaches, providing guidance and expertise to top executives. Sean has also briefed many boards and senior executives on the challenges posed by the digital revolution, including the threat landscape, best practices in governance and lines of defense, and how to use cybersecurity and resiliency as business enablers.

Additionally, Sean previously led the US and Global Financial Crimes Unit for PwC, focusing on the interplay between cybersecurity, anti-money laundering and sanctions, fraud, and anti-bribery/anti-corruption.

Prior to rejoining PwC, Sean was the Chief Trust Officer at Airbnb where he led Design Specialists, Product Managers, Engineers and Data Scientists to help grow and defend the platform. Also, he had responsibility for Privacy and Community Policy. Sean was a member of the Airbnb Executive Committee.

Previously, Sean served as the Deputy Director with the FBI, and had daily oversight of the 36,000 men and women of the FBI and its $8 billion annual budget. With more than 26 years of service in the FBI, Sean brought a wide range of operational and leadership experience. He was an integral part of transforming the FBI into an intelligence-driven organization. In addition, he spearheaded several strategic initiatives including ‘next generation cyber’, which was a cross-organizational initiative to maintain the FBI’s world leadership in law enforcement and domestic intelligence. Also, he established a framework to operate and evaluate the FBI’s 56 domestic field offices.

Sean served in many positions during his tenure at the FBI including; the Executive Assistant Director at the FBI’s National Security Branch and lead intelligence official of the FBI, Assistant Director of International Operations, Section Chief of the Counterterrorism Division's International Terrorism Operations Section, Joint Terrorism Task Force Supervisor, SWAT Team Leader, and Hostage Rescue Team Operator.

Sean is a 2013 recipient of the Director of National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the CIA Director’s Award, the DIA’s Director’s Award, the FBI Meritorious Medal, and the 2011 Presidential Rank Award.

A Brockton, MA native, he holds degrees from Boston College and Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business.

Mr. Richard Kolodziej has served on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children since 1989.  In that capacity, he has chaired a number of the organization’s committees.  From 2017 to 2019, he served as Chair of the Board and as Vice-Chair from 2012 to 2017.  In 2001, he received NCMEC’s Adam Walsh Rainbow Award for outstanding contribution to children's causes.

Richard Kolodziej is president of Zenergy Advisors, an energy consulting firm.  Mr. Kolodziej has over 40 years of experience on energy and sustainability issues.  Prior to his current position, he served as President of NGVAmerica, the national trade association for natural gas vehicles, and Senior Vice President for the American Gas Association, the national trade association for natural gas utilities.

Mr. Kolodziej holds an MA in Urban Planning from University of California at Los Angeles and a BA from Rutgers University.

Meghan Latcovich is the strategic advisor and the director of the Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University. Prior to this position, Latcovich was director of communications and programming at the Institute for two years. Before joining the Institute team, she was chief of staff for Cindy McCain. She travelled extensively throughout the world managing Mrs. McCain’s humanitarian missions. Latcovich accompanied Mrs. McCain during the 2008 Presidential campaign as her senior advisor. Prior to joining the campaign, Latcovich was a Naval Helicopter Pilot. She worked in the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs in the Senate, as well as flying armed combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Latcovich is a 1999 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where she majored in economics and was captain of the women’s track team. Latcovich resides in Washington with her husband, Simon, and their two children.

As senior vice president of corporate services and compliance, Christine Lentz is responsible for serving as the CEO's primary liaison on critical projects and assisting in driving strategic corporate initiatives, all while ensuring priorities are being communicated effectively. As part of her role, she oversees and manages Verisign's Ethics and Compliance program. Christine also serves as data protection officer, where she is responsible for fostering a data protection culture, including advising on and monitoring compliance with General Data Protection Regulation standards. 

Christine has previously held a variety of senior-level management positions at Verisign, including serving as vice president of information security, where she was responsible for aligning Verisign’s security initiatives and ensuring adequate protection of the company’s information assets and technologies. Additionally, she was responsible for the design, implementation and execution of the global security organization’s strategic goals, mission and vision, which entailed overseeing opportunities to further enhance security controls as the cyber threat landscape evolved.

Prior to joining Verisign in 2008, Christine was president of a management consulting and technology services startup. Early in her career, she was a consultant at specialty information technology solutions and services organizations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Solutions Consulting. 

Christine represents Verisign at an array of industry, policy and governance forums, and she is an active member of Women in Technology. 

Christine holds a Master of Studies in Law in Corporate Compliance from Fordham University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from North Carolina State University’s College of Management.

Chris leads the protection of Gap Inc.’s house of iconic brands includes Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia including HQ assets/facilities, Store and On-line Fulfillment Centers, and 2,500+ stores, supported by 85,000+ employees who deliver ~$15 billion USD in annual sales. As SVP/Head of Asset Protection his leadership responsibility includes Global Security, Business Continuity, Asset Protection, Investigations, Digital, and Safeness strategies and teams.  

Chris is proud to lead Old Navy's efforts to support NCMEC, including Safety Day events that have raised over $8.5 million for the center, the delivery of child safety education, and support of the "Hope bag" initiative to help victims of exploitation. In 2018, Chris and the Old Navy team were honored with the Hope Award from NCMEC. Chris was honored with the National Retail Federations (NRF) LP Volunteers in Action Award in 2015 for his support of NCMEC and Habitat for Humanity.

Chris has a diverse 30-year public and private sector Loss Prevention/Law Enforcement background. He started his career as a commissioned officer in the US Army's Military Police Corp. A combat veteran, Chris led and trained Military Police units in South Korea, several U.S. locations, and Mogadishu, Somalia during the Somalian conflict. 

He transitioned his career to the private sector with Target Corporation's Assets Protection team. Chris developed innovative training and tactics including some of the pioneering Organized Retail Crime (ORC) teams and task forces. At GAP Inc. he led the Banana Republic and Old Navy Asset Protection teams before taking over his current role as Head of AP leading the enterprise safety and security efforts.

Chris has a track record of building strong teams, innovation, and integration with the core business to achieve significant financial improvements and create a safe and secure employee and customer environment. Chris adds a genuine love for people and a passion for storytelling and teaching to create inspired teams and impact leaders across the organizations he touches. 

John Penn II, Senior Architect for Law Enforcement Technologies at Adobe Systems Incorporated in San Jose, California, has spent over four decades writing software. He spent 11 years working at Adobe as a Senior Computer Scientist on Photoshop. But after attending the first Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Conference, John was so profoundly affected by what he heard that he moved into what has become the most challenging, rewarding chapter of his career: helping locate missing and exploited children around the world.

Focusing on the role software can play in the prevention and investigation of internet crimes against children, John has helped develop advanced victim identification tools and techniques and train law enforcement around the world on their implementation. His overarching mission now is to foster better communication between law enforcement and the software industry and promote a better understanding of the challenges faced by both.

Though he works with law enforcement agencies around the world, John is dedicated to supporting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children both in his role as a board member, and by assisting with some of the technical challenges they face.

Leonard Pfeiffer has completed 200 CEO searches for prominent corporations, associations and charities across the country. He served as a senior partner and managing director for the two largest search firms in the world before establishing his own company. 

Prior to building a national CEO practice, he managed the San Francisco and Honolulu offices of an international marketing firm and was on the executive staff at American Express.  

He provides expert opinions, independent perspectives and thought leadership on topics relating to CEO hiring, CEO compensation and board interface, and has authored news articles on ethics and executive recruiting.

Pfeiffer also devotes time to causes his family values. He is/has been on the boards of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (Chair, Finance & Administration Committees); National Blood Foundation; National Building Museum; Greater Washington Community Foundation; Harvard Business School Club of Washington, D.C.; and National Head Injury Foundation. Pfeiffer also served on the Admissions Committee of the New York City Harvard Club.

In an earlier career, he was a choker-setter in an Oregon logging camp and baled hay on a horse ranch in Montana.

Passionate advocate for women, inequality, and social good. Inspired and experienced transformative technology and marketing leader. Loves Penn State, entertaining, health and fitness, and faith based causes.

Karen Quintos was Dell’s (first ever) Chief Customer Officer (CCO), leading a global organization devoted to customer strategy, advocacy and experiences. Under Karen’s leadership, the CCO organization was responsible for Dell Technologies customer strategy and priorities, customer data platform and analytics, and high touch CX engagement programs.

Karen was also responsible for Dell’s social impact strategy and programs focused on sustainability, diversity & inclusion, and applying Dell’s technology and innovations for good, all critical elements to both employee and customer experiences and loyalty. In addition, she is a passionate advocate for women, including the advancement of women in the technology industry. Karen was founder of Dell’s Women in Action and the Interfaith Employee Resource Groups, and Dell’s Women Entrepreneur Network.

Previously at Dell, Karen served as senior vice president and Chief Marketing Officer; vice president of Public Sector Marketing and North America Commercial; and she also held executive roles in services, support and supply chain management. Karen joined Dell in 2000 from Citigroup, where she was vice president of Global Operations and Technology. She spent 12 years with Merck in marketing, operations and supply chain leadership positions.

Karen earned a master’s degree in marketing and international business from New York University, and a Bachelor of Science in supply chain management from The Pennsylvania State University. She serves on the boards of Cummins Inc. and Lennox International. She is also Vice Chairman of Penn State's Smeal College of Business Advisory board, and is a recipient of its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award. Karen is also on The Refuge advisory board, focused on nationally expanding this community and services to young women recovering from sex trafficking. She has also previously served on the board of the Susan G. Komen Greater Central Texas Chapter.

Karen was listed among the most influential CMOs in the world by Forbes, and named 'Mother of the Year' by Working Mother magazine. She resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.

Kristi Remington is a partner at West Front Strategies LLC.  She provides strategic consulting services and engages in government advocacy in connection with a broad range of issues, including technology, cybersecurity, intellectual property, privacy and security, telecommunications, and antitrust and competition.  She brings extensive policymaking experience from her work in Congress and the executive branch.  

Ms. Remington served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice.  In this position, she was responsible for planning, developing, and managing legal policy and strategic initiatives. She led policy development and implementation, coordinating with the White House, executive branch agencies, Congress, and third-party groups.  Ms. Remington shepherded numerous policy initiatives through the interagency process for the George W. Bush administration.

She was also responsible for the coordination of the judicial selection process for federal judges, working with the White House Counsel’s Office in the selection and vetting of judicial nominees.  She prepared judicial nominees and Department of Justice witnesses for appearances before congressional committees.  

Prior to her service at the Department of Justice, Ms. Remington was a senior counsel on the House Government Reform Committee.  She earned her JD, cum laude, from the Washington College of Law, American University and her BA, cum laude, from Denison University.

Karen Robb served Senator Chris Van Hollen as his Chief of Staff for more than 14 years in both the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.   She also served as Policy Director of his office as Assistant to the Speaker, and Counsel on the House Budget Committee. Prior to that, she was Deputy Assistant to President Clinton in the Office of Legislative Affairs, Chief of Staff to Senator John Edwards, Democratic Staff Director for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator Joe Biden, and Chief Counsel to Senator Dennis DeConcini.  

Other accomplishments include the following: 

• Associate Royston, Robb, Leonard, Edgecomb & Miller, 1977-1978 
• Law clerk to Honorary Herbert Sorg United States District Court (western district) Pennsylvania, 1978-1979.  
• Attorney advisory justice management division United States Department Justice, 1979-1986. 
• Special assistant to comptroller Office Congressional Affairs United States Customs Service, 1986-1989.  
• Majority chief counsel, staff director, subcommittee on patents, copyrights & trademarks, United States Senate Judiciary Committee.  
• Board of Directors, Nyumbani Orphanage in Kenya. 

Robb graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and received a J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law.

Royleen J. Ross, PhD, is from the Pueblo of Laguna, Village of Paguate, in New Mexico.  She began her professional career in law enforcement with the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) in 1992 and graduated as the first female/Native American valedictorian since the department’s inception in 1935.  In ten years of service, she had assignments in the uniform bureau, criminal investigation section, public information office, and served as a polygraph examiner and as the commander of the governor security bureau. 

During her NMSP employment, she attended the University of New Mexico and completed her bachelor degree majoring in psychology and minoring in communications.  Post obtaining her degree, she applied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and attended the FBI Academy Class 04-04.  She was assigned to the Corpus Christi Resident Agency, Houston Division, and her specialty area was cyber, with an emphasis on Innocent Images, wherein NCMEC was instrumental in successful investigatory and prosecutory arenas.  She then transferred to the Pendleton Resident Agency, Portland Division, where her specialty was Indian Country matters.

Dr. Ross left the FBI and pursued a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Dakota, as a member of the Indians into Psychology Doctoral Education program.  She conducted her practicum at Red Lake, Minnesota working with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, providing mental health services to clients across the lifespan.  Dr. Ross then served in Nome, Alaska during her internship and continued her service for 2.5 years as a clinician at the Norton Sound Health Corporation.  As a part of her occupational responsibilities, she travelled to remote Alaska Native villages, via air transportation, to provide equitable clinical services to inhabitants of the Bering Strait region, as there are no road systems to these villages.  Dr. Ross currently serves as the deputy director and cultural psychologist at the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos, Inc. in northern New Mexico.  Part of her work is dedicated to the partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratories Foundation where there is an emphasis on various aspects of early childhood advocacy, development, and education.

With regard to public/community service advocacy and positions, Dr. Ross serves on the FBI Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Task Force and the American Psychological Association (APA) Health Equity Committee.  In the role of secretary, she is a member of the executive committee of the Society of Indian Psychologists and APA Division 18, Section 4 (Psychologists in Indian Country).  She is an active member of APA Division 35, Section 6 (Indigenous Women), and Division 45.  Recently, for her advocacy and awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association, she received a Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society) presidential citation.

Dr. Ross and two co-authors are currently in the publication production process with Rutgers University Press regarding a book on child maltreatment written from an Indigenous perspective, which is projected to be completed in 2022.  She has also coauthored chapters on health equity and depression.  Her professional interests include policy development, social justice equity, child/youth advocacy at the tribal and federal levels, and the advancement of mental health for Indigenous Peoples.

Steve Salem joined the Baltimore-based Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation as its President and CEO in March of 2006.  In this capacity, Steve has helped take the organization from a $1M annual operating budget to this year more than $30M. He has overseen the development of a National Board of Directors; the growth of the organization’s staff infrastructure; broad national program and fundraising plan; as well as its nationally recognized Youth Development Park initiative. 

Steve has helped over $500 Million for youth-serving organizations across the country, serving our most at-risk youth and communities.  In addition, he has worked closely with leading youth advocates to help pass critical child safety legislation including the Adam Walsh Child Safety Act and the National Amber Alert program.

In his volunteer capacity, Steve serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in Alexandria, VA and the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Research in Mystic, CT.

Steve and his wife Gregg currently reside in Gaithersburg, MD. Their twin boys, Alex and Jake, are grown and out of the nest.

Mr. Trono is Vice President and Chief Security Officer for Lockheed Martin Corporation.  He leads total asset protection for the Corporation including people, classified information, networks and materials, intellectual and physical property, and facilities in the United States and around the world.  He has executive leadership responsibility for: the security of international employees, travelers and facilities; crisis management; internal investigations; counterintelligence and counterespionage; classified cyber security; Corporate flight operations; along with workplace violence prevention and response programs.  Mr. Trono oversees the work of 2000 security professionals and budgets of more than $290 million.  He previously served on the Board of Directors of Sandia Corporation, which operates the Sandia National Laboratories and on Lockheed Martin’s CEO’s Executive Inclusion Council.  Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs 115,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.  Lockheed Martin operates in more than 350 facilities in 200 cities and 40 states throughout the United States, and has business locations in 50 nations and territories.  The corporation reported 2020 sales of $65.4 billion.  

From 2005 through 2007, Mr. Trono served as the Deputy Director of the United States Marshals Service.  As Deputy Director, Mr. Trono oversaw a budget of $825 million, and 10,000 full time and contract employees.  The United States Marshals Service is responsible for the security of federal judges, prosecutors, and courthouses throughout the nation.  The Marshals Service manages the Witness Security Program which protects, relocates and provides new identities to witnesses in cases involving organized crime and terrorism.  The Service is also the primary fugitive apprehension agency for the Department of Justice.  In that role, the Marshals Service apprehends foreign fugitives in the United States and, utilizing its foreign field offices, tracks and extradites American fugitives who are in foreign countries. The Marshals Service also manages and disposes of more than $1 billion of seized and forfeited property acquired by criminals through illegal activity.  

 From 2004 through 2005, Mr. Trono served in the Department of Justice as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.  Mr. Trono advised the Deputy Attorney General on a wide variety of matters, including violent crime enforcement and death penalty case evaluation.  He also was responsible for oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the United States Marshals Service, and the Office of the Federal Detention Trustee.  In addition, he spearheaded the development and implementation of the Department’s violent crime initiative, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  In recognition of his efforts, Mr. Trono received the Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Community Partnerships for Public Safety.

From 1998 through 2004, Mr. Trono was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.  He was responsible for the investigation and prosecution through appeal of a variety of complex cases including RICO, OCDETF and white-collar fraud.  He handled several high-profile public corruption matters, including the successful prosecutions of four city council members.  He also successfully prosecuted many violent drug enterprises, including thirty members of a gang responsible for more than twenty murders.

From 1988 through 1998, Mr. Trono served as a state prosecutor in multiple positions in Richmond, including Chief of Counternarcotics and Special Counsel to a multi-jurisdiction grand jury and task force that investigated significant cross-jurisdiction white-collar and narcotics offenses.  During his time as a state prosecutor, Mr. Trono prosecuted a wide variety of major felony cases and served as the lead prosecutor in more than 130 jury trials.  During this time, he was called on by six different elected Commonwealth’s Attorneys to act as special prosecutor in several sensitive cases.  From 1995 through 1998, Mr. Trono also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney.           

Ken Valentine retired from the United States Secret Service in 2020 as the Special Agent in Charge of the Dignitary Protective Division in the Office of Protective Operations. His career on the Presidential Protective Detail spanned ten years and three presidencies, during which he was in charge of White House access controls and travelled to more than 70 countries. He and Sandra have been married thirty-plus years and have five amazing children. 

Since his retirement from the Secret Service, Ken has served as a corporate senior vice president, focused on security and operational risk. Ken also serves on the board of directors at The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children where he chairs the Operations & Law Enforcement Committee. He is a certified leadership trainer through Pointman Leadership Institute, teaches a group class at The Church at Brook Hills, and serves on the board of directors at The WellHouse, a home for human trafficking victims. He is on the board of advisors for Base Molecular Resonance Technologies looking for early detection of unwanted substances like weapons, cancer and illegal drugs.

Ken is the author of “Cheating Death”, widely available from Post Hill Press. He has been a frequent guest on numerous news programs and podcasts including Fox News, Fox Business, News Nation, Newsmax and Business Insider and he has been quoted and featured in articles by ABC, NBC, MSN, USA Today, Reuters and CNN.

Ken holds an undergraduate degree from Purdue University, a law degree from Mississippi College and leadership training certifications from Harvard, Johns Hopkins and American Universities.

John Walsh is known internationally as a crime fighter, victims’ advocate and host of the nation's longest-running primetime program and number-one crime-fighting show, America's Most Wanted. Today, Walsh hosts the Investigation Discovery series, In Pursuit with John Walsh, continuing the fight to bring fugitives to justice. Walsh’s extensive television career has helped law enforcement capture more than 1,500 fugitives and recover more than 50 missing children.

A career in fighting crime is one Walsh never expected, but justice has been his life’s mission since July 27, 1981 – the day his son, Adam, was abducted from a mall near his home in Hollywood, Florida. Adam was found murdered two weeks later. 

Walsh and his wife Revé turned their grief into action and without a badge or a gun, Walsh quickly became a nationally recognized leader in the fight for victims' rights.

In 1984, the Walshes and other child advocates incorporated the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation to help find missing children and prevent child victimization. 

A hero to law enforcement, Walsh has been honored numerous times by many local, state and federal agencies. In addition to being named “Man of the Year” by both the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI, Walsh was also made an honorary U.S. Marshal. 

The entertainment industry has also recognized Walsh’s contributions to television. In 2011, he received the prestigious Governor’s Award at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, a distinction voted upon by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors which “salutes an individual, company or organization that has made a substantial impact and demonstrated the extraordinary use of television.” That same year, he was recognized by AFTRA with the Foundation’s AMEE Award in Entertainment. 

Walsh was also named by CBS Portraits as one of the "100 Americans Who Changed History." He’s been honored by Esquire Magazine, People Magazine, the National District Attorneys Association and the National Sheriff’s Association. Despite his many honors, Walsh is most proud of his 1985 distinction as “Father of the Year,” for embodying the ideals of family, citizenship, charity, civility and responsibility.

Walsh has authored three best-selling books: Tears of Rage, No Mercy and Public Enemies, which chronicle his family’s fight for justice and recount some of toughest cases he’s faced over the years.