Forensic Scholars Today Peer Review Panel

is an Assistant Professor and Program Director for the Master of Arts degree in Human Services with an emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health for Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota. Jerrod has also been employed with Pathways Counseling Center in St. Paul, Minnesota for the past fifteen years. Pathways provides programs and services benefiting individuals impacted by mental illness and addictions. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST) and the Journal of Special Populations (JSP). Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI).

Blake R. Harris, PhD, is a Licensed Clinical Forensic Psychologist practicing in Austin, Texas. He currently works as a supervising psychologist with the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department and oversees the residential treatment programs for sexual offenses, substance abuse, and the female population. Prior professional experiences have been gained with adults and adolescents in diverse forensic arenas including prison, state hospital, and detention settings. Dr. Harris has also been involved in the treatment and evaluation of violent offenders, individuals adjudicated Incompetent to Stand Trial, and those found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. In particular, he appreciates conducting risk assessments and other forensic evaluations focused on future violence, sexual offending, competency, domestic violence, child abuse, trauma, parental fitness, and fitness for duty. Dr. Harris has been the coauthor on multiple publications related to forensic psychology and has instructed a graduate course on Forensic Mental Health Risk Assessment. Dr. Harris thoroughly enjoys ventures that afford the opportunity to research and discuss the topics of psychopathy and the etiology/nature of aberrant behavior and destructive personalities.

Mario L. Hesse, PhD, is a professor of Criminal Justice at St. Cloud State University. Dr. Hesse’s areas of research and teaching focus on corrections, delinquency, gangs, and media and crime. Mario has been a review editor for A Critical Journal of Crime, Law and Society, the Journal of Gang Research, and other journal and periodical publications.

Judge Anthony P. (Tony) Wartnik served as a trial judge for 34 years, nine of which were on the Bellevue District Court, a limited jurisdiction court, and almost 25 years on the King County, Washington Superior Court, a general jurisdiction court. In the latter capacity, he presided over involuntary mental illness treatment commitment cases, juvenile offender and dependency cases, adult criminal cases, and family law cases in addition to other assigned responsibilities. He chaired a task force in the mid-1990s to establish protocols in Juvenile Court for determining the competency of youth with organic brain damage and chaired the Governor’s Advisory Panel of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). Since retirement from the court in 2005, Tony has served as a consultant to the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit, University of Washington, School of Medicine and as the Legal Director/Liaison for FASD Experts, a multidisciplinary Forensic Assessment and Diagnostic Team, and has presented at workshops and conferences throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. In addition, he has authored and co-authored numerous articles on issues involving Fetal Alcohol related issues, mental health, and other subjects as they relate to the law and the court.

Erv Weinkauf is a 39-year law enforcement veteran who served as an Army airborne military police sergeant, deputy sheriff, and police officer. Erv retired as a police chief in 2009 and began his duties as Concordia University’s criminal justice program coordinator in 2010 and currently serves in that position. He has been a police trainer and educator for more than 20 years, has served as an advisory board member of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, board member and past president of The Association of Training Officers of Minnesota (ATOM), and guest instructor for the Minnesota Chiefs’ Association Leadership and CLEO and Command academies.

Tricia Aiken, Psy.D, ABPP, LP, received her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2003. Dr. Aiken completed a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Rochester, Minnesota, in 2004, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology with State Operated Forensic Services in St. Peter, Minnesota, in 2006. Dr. Aiken has worked full time for the State of Minnesota as a Forensic Psychologist since 2006. Currently, she is employed as a Senior Clinical Forensic Psychologist with the Fourth Judicial District, Hennepin County Court Psychological Services, Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she conducts court-ordered evaluations of defendants including competency to stand trial, not guilty by reason of insanity and civil commitments. Her work is with both adults and adolescents. In addition, Dr. Aiken has her own private practice, Minneapolis Forensic Psychological Services, where she conducts a variety of evaluations and has a contract with Blue Earth County Human Services in Mankato, Minnesota. Dr. Aiken was board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in the field of forensics in 2009. Dr. Aiken has also been an adjunct faculty member, teaching courses in the field of forensic psychology, at both William Mitchell Law School in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology in Eagan, Minnesota.

Kate Bailey, MPP, manages the Trauma-Informed Care Technical Assistance Center (TICTAC) at Minnesota Communities Caring for Children (MCCC), a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect through family and community empowerment. In this role, she coordinates and provides technical assistance to more than 100 trained presenters on neuroscience, epigenetics, adverse childhood experiences, and resilience. Kate has particular interest in community development around public health issues and has worked in public, private, and nonprofit sectors towards the goal of creating equitable local food systems. Kate received a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minneapolis.

Leslie Barfknecht is a licensed clinical social worker in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She has a background in criminal justice and has spent her career working with offender and high risk populations. Leslie has several years of experience in an administrative and direct practice role. She is currently serving as a treatment supervisor at Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston, Wisconsin, where she oversees the development and delivery of a sexual offender treatment program for civilly committed adult males. Leslie has been a trainer for clinical work throughout her career, most recently focusing on training Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) targeted at working with forensic patients that are often times labeled as resistant or difficult. She is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and a Certified Trainer with the International Center for Clinical Excellence (ICCE), and has developed a passion for teaching treatment interventions and strategies that promote and operationalize the common factors of psychotherapy as well as striving for excellence.

Diana Lynn Barnes, Psy.D, is a past president of Postpartum Support International and currently sits on its President’s Advisory Council. She is a member of the training faculty of the Los Angeles County Perinatal Mental Health Task Force as well as the California statewide Maternal Mental Health Collaborative. She is widely published in the academic literature on all facets of perinatal mental health and wrote the guidelines on Assessment and Treatment of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders for the Perinatal Advisory Council of Los Angeles. In addition to private practice specializing in women’s reproductive mental health, Dr. Barnes presents nationally and internationally and is often retained by legal counsel on cases of infanticide, pregnancy denial, and neonaticide where perinatal illness has been at issue. In 2009, Dr. Barnes received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the field of child-bearing related mood disorders. She is a member of the Marce´ Society, North American Society of Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as a clinical fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association, the California Association, and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Dr. Barnes is the co-author of The Journey to Parenthood: Myths, Reality and What Really Matters (Radcliffe Publishing, 2007) and the editor and a contributing author of a recently published reference text on Women’s Reproductive Mental Health Across the Lifespan (Springer, 2014).

Erin Rafferty Bugher, ATR-BC, LPCC, began her career in mental health 1998 while working as an art therapist for children and adolescents who struggle with mild-to-severe emotional difficulties, including RAD, FASD, and PTSD, in hospital inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment settings. She also has three years of experience working with children who have life-threatening medical conditions. In addition to working as a clinician, Erin is a core faculty member at the Adler Graduate School (AGS) MN. She has been teaching art therapy since 2006 in the art therapy and clinical programs. Erin holds the role of field experience coordinator for AGS. The Creative Arts Therapy Collaborative (CATC) was developed by Erin and partners in 2008. CATC provides individual sessions, family sessions, groups, supervision services, and caregiver art experiential workshops for those seeking mental health services.

Phyl Burger, MA, Ed.S,, is chair of the Department of Graduate Teacher Education (DGTE) at Concordia University, St. Paul. She directs and supervises research and capstone projects across the M.A. in Education programs. Additionally she has developed curriculum studies on the topic of Teaching Students with Mental Health Needs. She serves on the Board of Directors for a non-profit organization serving adults with mental health needs and co-occurring disorders.

Samantha Carter, MBA, EJD, is the current Drug Court Coordinator for Winona County in Minnesota. In this role, she has developed processes and programs to increase efficacy and positive outcomes. Ms. Carter has spent the last five years of her career working with the high-risk and high-needs population. Ms. Carter has presented national webinars on developing program management for government programs to reach project goals. Ms. Carter has served on the Board of Directors for Western Technical College. Ms. Carter has self-published a motivational book and she is a former small business owner. Ms. Carter has consulted with faith-based organizations to develop organizational structure. Ms. Carter received her bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in criminology and law studies. Ms. Carter received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and her Executive Juris Doctor from Concord Law School. Ms. Carter is a member of Delta Mu Delta International Business Honor Society.

Cody Charette holds a Ph.D. from the Psychology, Policy, and Law program of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University located in Fresno, CA. He specializes in threat assessment, deception detection, intelligence analysis, and the use of technology for indirect assessment of offenders. Cody’s most recent publication is The Laws (Or Lack Thereof) Pertaining to Necrophilia within the U.S. chapter 3 in Necrophilia: A Global Anthology. Cody has made acknowledged contributions regarding school shooting incidents to Dr. Eric Hickey’s Serial Murderers and Their Victims, 6th edition. He also assisted with pre-release editing of cryptographer, computer security, and privacy specialist Bruce Schneier’s recent publications Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive and Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World regarding the psychological theory behind human behavior as it relates to trust systems in society. In addition to his degrees in Psychology, Cody holds a bachelor’s degree in business information systems with a mathematics minor and an MBA in marketing, both from California State University, Fresno.

Ryan Chukuske, MA, CCTP, is employed as Learning and Development Supervisor specializing with forensic populations. He is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional through the International Association of Trauma Professionals. Prior to his current position, Ryan served as a Clinical Program Therapist at a treatment facility where he provided group and individual treatment to civilly committed sexual abusers in a residential setting. Ryan has a Master of Arts degree in Sociology and is a candidate for a Ph.D. in Human Services with a specialization in Criminal Justice (anticipated completion: Fall 2015). Ryan is an adjunct professor in the online graduate degree program in Forensic Mental Health at Concordia University, St. Paul, and in the Justice Studies program at Rasmussen College. His current research focuses on unreported workplace violence, specifically within residential forensic facilities. Ryan is an avid marathon and ultramarathon runner, and his books, 100 Miles of Thought: Finding Success through Failure and Into the Darkness: A Runner’s Revenge, have been used by many readers as a source of inspiration and motivation to discover their own potential.

Dr. James Densley is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University, Minnesota. His teaching and research interests include street gangs, criminal networks, violence, and theoretical criminology. Densley has consulted on violence reduction projects for London’s Metropolitan Police Service, the St. Paul Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, and others. He is also President of the FBI Minneapolis Citizens Academy Alumni Association.

Dallas S. Drake is principal researcher at the Center for Homicide Research in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he conducts original research on homicide prevention and case solvability, as well as supervises a large academy of undergraduate and graduate student interns. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology, law crime, and deviance from the University of Minnesota, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2005. Currently Drake is secretary of the International Homicide Research Working Group and was the recipient of the 2013 Carolyn Rebecca Block Award for outstanding homicide research by a practitioner. He is a member of the American Society of Criminology and the International Homicide Investigators Association. In addition to research, Drake conducts reviews of active and cold-case homicides nationwide.

Michael Eberlein is a peace officer for the city of West St. Paul. He has been a law enforcement officer for 10 years and an investigator for the last five. He is also a Board Member for the Minnesota Sex Crimes Investigators Association. Michael obtained a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2000 and an Associate Degree in Law Enforcement from Alexandria Technical College in 2005.

Josh Esmay is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the Council on Crime and Justice. In this role, he facilitates fair hiring trainings with employers, employment specialists, and criminal justice personnel; assists individuals to overcome legal barriers created by criminal records; and develops the Council’s policy agenda and outreach. Mr. Esmay graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School and began his career practicing in the Ramsey County Public Defender’s office. He also serves as co-chair of the Second Chance Coalition and president of the Minnesota Community Corrections Association.

Gennae Falconer, MA, is the Director of Community Engagement for the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches. In this role, she facilitates mentoring programs for children ages 5-18 and adults leaving prison and re-entering the community. She also coordinates the mission of Urban Immersion Service Retreats (UISR), a program that facilitates trainings to address the complexities of poverty. In her work as Director of Community Engagement, Gennae has created interactive and innovative trainings to teach participants how poverty, mental health, and the criminal justice system can intersect. This has carried over into her work with the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), as a forensic researcher and contract facilitator. Gennae received two bachelor’s degrees from Bethel University in Biblical and Theological Studies and in Youth Ministry, and received her master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Areas of particular interest to Gennae, on which she has researched and/or facilitated trainings, include psychogenic polydipsia, schizophrenia, psychopathy, serial killers, filicide, and poverty. Gennae is also involved in the Minneapolis community through serving on the Board of Directors for Urban HomeWorks; volunteering with the Minneapolis Market, a local food shelf; and serving as coordinator for the eye care clinic for Project Homeless Connect.

Alison Feigh serves as the Program Manager of Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, a program of Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center. Alison came to the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center initially in 2001 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. She remained with JWRC until 2009, working with students, parents, law enforcement, and the media with the ultimate goal of reducing abductions and abuse of children. She returned to JWRC in 2011, following the completion of her M.S. in Criminal Justice at St. Cloud State University. As a part of her academic program, Alison studied Sex Offender Treatment, Criminal Justice and the Media, Child Internet Exploitation, and Sex Crimes and Sex Offenders. Alison’s graduate research led to her current project, co-authoring a textbook with Dr. Mary Clifford on sexual violence prevention for Oxford Publishing.

Karina A. Forrest‐Perkins is a national speaker and consultant related to early childhood and adolescent neuro-development, the adaptive impact of overwhelming stress, and the intersection of this condition with substance use and abuse. Ms. Forrest-Perkins currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for The Wayside House, a women’s treatment center in Minneapolis and St. Louis Park MN. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota and Minnesota Communities Caring for Children. Ms. Forrest-Perkins is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and works primarily with youth and families experiencing the co-occurring conditions of trauma and chemical dependency. She received her Master’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations and currently serves as an instructor and training faculty member for the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), Concordia University, St. Paul, and for the Heartland National Tuberculosis Center through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ms. Forrest-Perkins has served as a staff member or task force appointee in three Oklahoma Governors’ administrations and was recently appointed to the Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Medical Cannabis Research.

Chinmoy Gulrajani, MBBS, FAPA, is an adjunct assistant professor at the department of psychiatry and medical specialist in forensic psychiatry with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Dr. Gulrajani is the training director for Forensic Psychiatry. As part of this role, he is responsible for administration of the fellowship program in Forensic Psychiatry. In the psychiatry residency program, Dr. Gulrajani teaches the forensic psychiatry lecture series to PGY 2 and 3 and in the public psychiatry lecture series at the PGY 4 level. In addition, he is also involved in teaching medical students at the University of Minnesota and forensic psychology fellows at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center. Dr. Gulrajani joined the department of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota in 2014. Prior to this, he was medical director for inpatient behavioral health at the Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, and was a consulting forensic psychiatrist in the trial courts in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, New York. Dr. Gulrajani completed fellowship training in forensic psychiatry at Yale University and residency training at Yale University and the University of Missouri Columbia.

Dr. Gerth Haanen has worked in the field of psychology with a variety of populations, including children, adolescents, and adults. This has involved work with at risk and adjudicated adolescents, children with emotional and behavioral disorders, adults with serious and persistent mental illness, and both adults and children with developmental disabilities. Services provided have included individual and group therapy and testing and assessments. Dr. Gerth Haanen has worked for the Minnesota Department of Corrections as a psychologist since 2005. This began in a maximum security prison completing forensic and neuropsychological assessments for the mental health unit. This included providing expert testimony on a regular basis for civil commitments as mentally ill and also mentally ill and dangerous. Dr. Gerth Haanen worked at the state’s only female prison facility providing mental health and chemical dependency assessments along with group and individual counseling and crisis intervention. Dr.Gerth Haanen recently worked under a federal grant at a close custody facility conduct neuropsychological evaluations as well as staff training regarding traumatic brain injury as part of a federal grant. Dr. Gerth Haanen currently works at a medium custody facility to complete initial assessments and make treatment recommendations for a sex offender treatment program.

Cynthia Hassan graduated from St. Catherine University and has been a practicing Social Worker since 1979. Cynthia has worked in both public and non-profit organizations providing services to children and adults in the areas of Corrections, Developmental Disabilities, Child Protection, Minor Parents and in-home services. For the past 25 years, Cynthia has worked in Child Protection Services. Cynthia is the lead Mandatory Reporter Trainer and Child Protection Screener. Cynthia has served on a number of boards and committees relating to Child Welfare services. Cynthia has participated in public and local television programming to speak on behalf of vulnerable minors in Ramsey County. Cynthia is a consultant with MRCAC and the NCA, providing training in the areas of Team Development and Cultural Diversity and Competence. Cynthia has worked with all four of the Regional Advocacy Centers. Cynthia has provided after-hours Emergency Social Services for over 20 years.

Jeff Haun, Psy.D., ABPP, completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Pacific University and a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic-clinical psychology through the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is a licensed psychologist (Minnesota) and is board-certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has been employed as a forensic psychologist at Minnesota State Operated Forensic Services since 2008, where he conducts a variety of forensic evaluations with juveniles and adults, offers consultation and training, and provides clinical supervision and training within the State Operated Forensic Services Forensic Psychology Fellowship Program. In addition, he provides consultation and peer review services at PsyBar LLC, and has taught undergraduate courses on an adjunct basis at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Dr. Eric Hickey is the Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University. As Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fresno, Dr. Hickey has taught many courses involving the psychology of crime, serial and mass murder, profiling sexual predators, crime scene investigations, victimology, criminal personalities, threat assessment, school and workplace violence prevention. He has also taught seminars at several universities and colleges, as well as for jail and prison staff trainings and supervises theses and dissertations involving forensic psychology. An international survey (2014) identified Dr. Hickey as one of the top 30 active forensic experts in the world.

Dr. Debra Huntley is a licensed psychologist in Minnesota and has been in academics for the past 25 years, both as a professor of psychology and as the head of a psychology department. In addition to teaching psychology, she has published and presented at regional and national conferences as well as in professional journals. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston, with a concentration in Child and Family Psychology. She has taught a wide range of courses but has particular interest in child development, psychopathology, family systems, and research (especially in the area of family issues and child psychopathology). Huntley has worked in children’s shelters, residential facilities for adolescents and chronically mentally ill adults, private practice, juvenile detention programs, and outpatient child and adolescent clinics. She has consulted with a state adoption agency. She is currently a member of the editorial review board for The Family Journal.

Olivia Johnson, DM, holds a master’s in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri, St. Louis and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership Management from the University of Phoenix, School of Advanced Studies. Dr. Johnson is the Illinois State Representative and active Board Member for the National POLICE Suicide Foundation where she trains, conducts research, publishes articles, and communicates with agencies in need. Dr. Johnson is a veteran of the United States Air Force, a former police officer, and published author. She is an Associate Member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Associate Member of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP), member of the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers (ILEETA), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance member and Suicidology Researcher, Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA), a public safety expert writer for SilverHart, Missouri Law Enforcement Funeral Assistance Team member, Serve & Protect Advisory Board member, St. Clair County (IL) Suicide Alliance, and Suicide Prevention/Juvenile Justice Curriculum (SPJJC) Ad Hoc Committee member. Dr. Johnson is an Adjunct Professor for Lindenwood University in Belleville/Collinsville, Illinois. She writes for several law enforcement and mental health publications and is the Peer Support columnist for Police One.

Patrick J. Kennealy is currently a Criminal Justice Researcher with the Travis County Community Supervision and Corrections Department. Prior to his current position, he completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida (2014). He received his B.A. in psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (2004) and his M.A. (2008) and Ph.D. (2012) from the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. Kennealy’s research program is designed to improve risk assessment and management of violence and other antisocial behavior in justice settings. He strives to merge theories from psychology and criminology, use rigorous methodology, and address real-world problems. To this point, his work has focused on three inter-related lines of inquiry: (1) better understanding the role of psychopathy in violence, (2) clarifying the constructs underlying psychopathy instruments, and (3) evaluating and improving risk management instruments.

Matthew D. Krasowski, MD, PhD, is a pathologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He currently serves as the Director of Clinical Laboratories in the Department of Pathology at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Prior to moving to Iowa in July 2009, he spent four years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Medical Director of Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. He has particular interest in drug abuse, toxicology, and clinical chemistry laboratory testing, and has published articles on a range of topics. Dr. Krasowski received the 2011 Young Investigator Award in the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Division of Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

Samantha Lee, MS, obtained her master’s in Clinical Psychology from Abilene Christian University and is currently working on her doctorate at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, with a focus in trauma. Her previous research examined the role of childhood trauma in childhood and adult attachment as well as subsequent development of spirituality. Her current research interests include trauma, interpersonal violence, attachment, human trafficking, and addiction. Her professional experience centers around addiction and rehabilitation in inpatient-residential treatment settings.

Barbara Luskin, PhD, LP, is a licensed psychologist at the Autism Society of Minnesota. Dr. Luskin has worked closely with children and adults with ASD for more than 30 years in professional and home settings. She specializes in providing both assessments and counseling to individuals with ASD and those who support them. Dr. Luskin’s services include diagnostic and functional assessments, individual therapy for adults and adolescents, training and consultation for caregivers. Dr. Luskin helps her clients understand ASD, teaches them creative and effective interventions, helps them evaluate progress, and provides guidance when adjustments are needed. To learn more about the Autism Society of Minnesota’s Mental Health Services programs, visit www.ausm.org.

Deena McMahon, MSW, is a licensed independent clinical social worker in private practice. She has been working with families and children for over 30 years and has developed a national reputation for excellence in areas ranging from attachment therapy and adoption dynamics to childhood sexual abuse and trauma. In addition to her therapy caseload, Ms. McMahon provides forensic assessments and frequently serves as an expert witness in court proceedings regarding permanency placements, child custody, and other issues. She is a faculty consultant for the Minnesota Guardian ad Litem Program, as well as an adviser to numerous child protection agencies, adoption organizations, and parent support groups. Ms. McMahon presents national and regional trainings on a variety of mental health topics to a wide range of parents and professionals including state judges, social services, educators, foster care providers, and mental health workers. Several of Ms. McMahon’s trainings have been adopted by the Minnesota Department of Human Services as best practice protocol; she also developed a children’s mental health curriculum, which is required across Minnesota for foster care licensing CEU. Additionally, Ms. McMahon authored the Child Development section for Minnesota’s District Court Bench Book, the document judges rely on for best practice.

Dr. Christoper (Chris) Mertz is a neuropsychologist at HealthEast – St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, MN. He earned his doctorate at James Madison University and completed postdoc fellowship training at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ. Areas of professional interest include geriatric populations, delirium prevention, and decision-making capacity. He is a member of the psychology doctoral internship program, ethics committee, and delirium prevention team at St. Joseph’s.

Diane Neal, M.S., LPCC, is the Executive Director of Project Pathfinder, Inc. She has been working in the mental health field for over 25 years. The span of her career has been focused on the challenges of families, youth and adults. Working with adoptions and attachment issues, her career path extended to challenging youth within the correctional and mental health arena. She has developed and implemented programming for at-risk youth, gangs, and families particularly focused on the associated impact of abuse, trauma and violence, sexual and behavioral, psychopathy and Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI). She has a passion for working with how to address special needs and autism in adults and children, FASD and FAE and parenting. Diane has provided training for agencies, schools, and organizations in the areas of sexual offending, juvenile offending, addictions, abuse, how to address special needs and autism in adults and children, and trauma-informed care. Diane owned an adoption agency and collaborated with social service agencies to place at-risk children including those with reactive attachment, FASD, and autism. She provided training for adoptive families and workers from the perspective of a professional as well as an adoptive and previous foster parent. Diane has focused on enhancing community safety by working with offenders and developing curricula and programming that targets abusive and assaultive areas of concern. In 2014, Diane came to Project Pathfinder, where she assumed the role of Clinical Director and now Executive Director. In that role, she has been building the bridge to work with those offenders with developmental disabilities and varying exceptionalities that may correlate to the risk of offending patterns of behaviors including autism, FASD and Traumatic Brain Injury. Diane is a member of the American Counseling Association, ATSA and currently serves on the Board of Directors as treasurer of MNATSA (Minnesota Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers).

Paul Novotny, PsyD, LP, LPCC, is a licensed psychologist working in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Novotny earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of St. Thomas. He currently works as Clinical Supervisor for Pathways Counseling Center, Inc., which provides several services including forensic mental health. He also works as a Senior Clinician at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. In addition, Dr. Novotny is the President and CEO of Novo Psychological Services, which provides various psychological services throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul including individual therapy and cognitive testing.

Janae Olson currently works in Minnesota as an outpatient therapist at an adult sex offender treatment program and as a juvenile outpatient therapist treating juveniles who have committed sexual offenses. She is an adjunct professor at Concordia University and teaches a course in sexual offending. Janae treats a wide variety of sexual offenses, deviant sexual behavior, and co-occurring mental health disorders. She conducts psychosexual evaluations for the court and has done so both locally, and across the nation. Additionally, Janae works with clients from diverse backgrounds and takes an interdisciplinary approach to treatment. She works closely with offender’s families, probation officers, attorneys, and other treatment providers. Janae incorporates the unique worldviews of her clients to inform evidence-based practice and believes that future sexual violence can be prevented through treating offenders. She earned her Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology with a concentration in sex offenders from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Resmiye Oral, MD is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She completed a fellowship in child abuse pediatrics at Ohio State University and is the director of the Child Protection Program at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa. She has published numerous articles in medical journals. She has been involved with responding to child abuse and neglect since 1993 and established the first multidisciplinary child abuse and neglect follow-up team in Turkey, her country of origin. She wrote a book and three book chapters on child abuse for Turkish physicians. She also co-authored two training kits published by Ohio State University on physical and sexual abuse. Her interests are: international systems building to address child abuse and neglect; drug endangered children; shaken baby syndrome; adverse childhood experiences and trauma informed care; and early intervention with child abuse to prevent severe and usually irreversible consequences of abuse including fatality. In order to prevent child abuse, she believes that recognition of subtle findings of abuse and trauma screening of all clients are of utmost importance, which calls for training of all professionals involved with child abuse. She gives 50-60 lectures a year on child abuse and neglect to medical and non-medical professionals regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Kathi Osmonson is deputy state fire marshal and runs the Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention (YFPI) program for the State of Minnesota. She partners with law enforcement, mental health, justice and social agencies to sustain a network of professionals who collaborate to provide prevention and intervention for young firesetters. Osmonson’s career includes volunteer and career firefighting with specialties in fire prevention education and youth firesetting intervention. She is a member of the NFPA 1035 Committee and the Minnesota Juvenile Justice Coalition (JJC), an adjunct instructor for the FEMA National Fire Academy and the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System, a stakeholder in the Youth Fire Intervention Repository and Evaluation System, and a presenter at national and international conferences. Osmonson is the creator of the Minnesota Youth Firesetting Prevention & Intervention Certification through the Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board.

Dr. Lane Pederson is the author of three DBT books including Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Contemporary Guide for Practitioners and is the founder of Dialectical Behavior Therapy National Certification and Accreditation Association (www.dbtncaa.com). Dr. Pederson owns MHS, one of the largest DBT-specialized clinical practices in the United States (www.mhs-dbt.com). He has trained more than 7,000 professionals in DBT in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and has conducted DBT trainings in mental health, hospitalization, and chemical dependency treatment settings as well as for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His professional website is found at www.DrLanePederson.com.

Dr. Jillian Peterson is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Hamline University in St. Paul, where she teaches classes in forensic psychology and research methods. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine, with an emphasis on Psychology and Law. Dr. Peterson previously worked as a special investigator on death row cases in New York City, as a research coordinator at the University of Minnesota, and as a jury and trial consultant. She has published multiple articles related to risk assessment, psychopathy, mental illness and crime, and school shootings. Dr. Peterson is currently completing a research study on the relationship between social media and violent crime, and is working with a team to examine files of priests involved in the Archdioceses sex crimes cases.

Adam L. Piccolino, PsyD, ABN, received his B.A. in psychology from the University of Minnesota and his Psy.D. in clinical psychology from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Piccolino is a board-certified neuropsychologist who has spent more than 18 years providing direct clinical services in corrections. Dr. Piccolino has extensive experience teaching at the graduate level and has lectured and published on a variety of topics including the identification and management of traumatic brain injury, dementia, and other neurocognitive disorders within an offender population.

Hal Pickett, Psy.D., LP, ABPP, is a Clinical Psychologist with Diplomat Status in Child and Adolescent Psychology. Over the last 20 years, he has worked with Children, Adults and Families in a variety of settings including a large University Hospital Setting, Private Practice and not–for-profit community mental health. Presently, he is the Director, Client Services at Headway Emotional Health Resources, a large not-for-profit mental health center in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota. Dr. Pickett has taught for more than 20 years as an adjunct professor in multiple graduate programs around the Twin Cities and has a busy schedule presenting on a variety of professional topics around the state. Dr. Pickett also holds graduate certificates in Forensic Psychology, Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, and Animal Assisted Therapies. Dr. Pickett’s clinical practice is focused on adolescent forensic work with juvenile diversion, adolescent sex offenders, psychosexual assessments and certification assessments. He presently teaches mostly in the fields of assessment, evidence-based practice and practice outcomes. During his time as a psychologist, he has chaired more than a dozen dissertations or master’s research projects.

Don Porth, holds a B.S. degree in Fire Command Administration. He began his career in the fire service in 1980 as a volunteer firefighter in a rural Oregon community. He became a full-time firefighter/EMT in 1983 and served 28 years in the uniformed fire service, with 27 years at Portland (Oregon) Fire & Rescue. The majority of the time was spent as a public education officer, providing public outreach and education on fire and life safety prevention issues. Within this, he specialized in youth firesetting behaviors and interventions. Don spent many hours conducting education and intervention services with program clients, and many additional hours providing awareness and recognition training to other professional disciplines with ties to firesetting behaviors (e.g. child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, burn treatment, schools, law enforcement, etc.). Don served on various committees and organizations related to youth firesetting behaviors, including 21 years as President of SOS FIRES: Youth Intervention Programs, a nonprofit specializing in support for firesetting intervention programs. Don has spoken at dozens of professional conferences on topics related to youth firesetting. He has also published many articles in professional journals and for the SOS FIRES website. Don now works as a consultant on fire and life safety issues and has participated on the executive team of an effort known as YFIRES (Youth Firesetting Information Repository and Evaluation System), which has created and will manage a national data system for youth firesetting behaviors.

Jolene Rebertus, MA, LPCC, LICSW, NCC, holds a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Ms. Rebertus is currently working for the Minnesota Department of Corrections as a State Program Administrative Manager, managing Behavioral Health Release Planning services statewide. Over the last 10 years she has provided mental health care to children, adults, and families within community and correctional settings. Ms. Rebertus’ practice is focused on offender reentry and access to treatment post release, serving on numerous committees throughout the state of Minnesota, and providing various trainings on servicing individuals with behavioral health needs exiting a correctional facility.

Michael H. Rosenbloom, MD, is a board-certified neurologist and director of the HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging. He first became interested in the brain as a neuroscience student after learning about the neurochemical processes underlying memory. His subsequent training as a medical student and later as a neurology resident led to an interest in complex mental processes such as memory, emotions, and language. Eventually, he completed a fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Memory and Aging Center, focusing on Alzheimer’s disease as well as atypical dementias such as frontotemporal dementia and rapidly progressive dementia. He deeply enjoys practicing the art of neurology as well as educating students of medicine. His clinical and research focus includes FDG-PET and PIB imaging in focal presentations of Alzheimer’s disease, rapidly progressive dementia, initial clinical symptoms in patients with frontotemporal dementia spectrum disorders, and therapeutic interventions for dementia. As an attending physician within the HealthPartners Neuroscience Department, he participates in patient management as well as ongoing clinical research at the Alzheimer’s Research Center. He is committed to working with his talented colleagues to establish HealthPartners as the leading institution for dementia care and research within the Twin Cities area. He is a member of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

Amy Russell, MSEd, JD, NCC, is the executive director of the Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center, where she provides administrative and programmatic oversight as well as training and technical assistance for child protection professionals. Ms. Russell also serves as an expert witness on child sexual abuse in multiple state and federal courts, as a pro bono attorney for children in dependency court, and previously as an adjunct faculty member in the Child Advocacy Studies Program at Winona State University. She obtained her B.A. from Hope College in sociology, her M.S.Ed. in counseling from Western Illinois University and graduated magna cum laude from SUNY Buffalo Law School with her J.D. Ms. Russell has worked with victims of violence and trauma in several capacities, including extensive counseling and support work with child victims of abuse; director of victim services and counselor for survivors of homicide victims; and executive director of and consultant for multiple children’s advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams for child abuse investigations and prosecution. In addition, she has interviewed more than a thousand children, has authored several articles on forensic interviewing, child maltreatment, and vicarious trauma, and is a frequent national and international trainer on issues related to child maltreatment and crime-related trauma

Anne Russell is an expert on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and founded the Russell Family Fetal Alcohol Disorders Association, a nonprofit in Queensland, Australia. Anne is the mother of two adult children with FASD. For the past 15 years, she has worked to raise awareness about the condition and to help families living with FASD. She published her first book, Alcohol and Pregnancy: A Mother’s Responsible Disturbance, in 2005 when there was little knowledge about FASD in Australia. Because there is much more interest in the condition now, Anne will release a second edition of her first and second books in 2015. She has presented at conferences and workshops in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. She currently works for My Pathway, which delivers employment services to remote Indigenous communities across the top of Australia. At My Pathway, she developed an FASD training module for staff, job seekers, and service providers. This became the first publicly available FASD training module in Australia. She is a member of the Parent Advisory Group and the Collaboration for Alcohol Related Developmental Disorders at the University of Queensland. Anne was also a senior consultant with the FASD Consortium, a group of health professionals, researchers, and community members that developed Australian diagnostic guidelines for FASD.

Mary Ann Schmitz-Mowatt, MS, has approximately 30 years of experience in the criminal justice system. In the capacity of a Program Director, she managed a 24-bed housing facility for male offenders transitioning from prison. In Minnesota’s Becker and Mahnomen counties, she was the Lead Agent responsible for the administration of a rural juvenile and adult probation department that included the White Earth Band of Ojibwe Reservation. As a probation and parole officer, she supervised and managed a specialized sex offender caseload for 13 years in Hennepin County. Most recently, as a Research Associate for the American Probation and Parole Association, she provided technical assistance and training in sex offender management and supervision strategies and served as a member of the Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehension, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Grant National Project Advisory Board for the National Judicial College. She has also developed ELearning training in the topic area of sexual abusers and community supervision. She has also served as the Probation Fellow for the National Highway and Safety Administration (NHTSA). Currently, Mary Ann is a consultant/trainer and provides litigation, consultant, and expert witness services in the area of sex offender supervision and management.

Les Schultz holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama and has undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Corrections from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Les has been working in Corrections since 1985, first as a probation officer in Marshall, Minnesota, and then as Director of Brown County Probation in 1993. Les has been an adjunct professor for Minnesota State University Mankato since 1994 and at Concordia University, St. Paul, since 2012. Les has served as President of the Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers as well as Minnesota Pretrial Services Association. Les is active in the American Probation and Parole Association and serves on the Technology and Juvenile Justice committees. He was Program Chair for the Indianapolis Training Institute in 2012 and currently serves as Regional Representative for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Les is a city councilman for New Ulm, Minnesota, and has held that elected position for six years.

Dr. Raj Sethuraju is an Assistant Professor in the School of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. He teaches courses in Victimology, Restorative Justice, and Diversity Matters for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice undergraduates as well as a Community Building and Civic Leadership class for graduate students. He has more than 20 years of experience implementing various Diversity initiatives in universities and colleges and in the communities that surround them. Raj also works and volunteers with various Restorative Justice nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. He has presented to Restorative Justice groups in prisons, is a trainer for the MNCOSA program run by the MN Department of Corrections, and is involved in training volunteers for other non-profit community Restorative Justice organizations. His passion for restorative justice using the circle process is infectious, and his engaging presentations and workshops are inclusive and humanizing.

Eric Skog, MA has been a police officer with the St. Paul Police Department for over 17 years. He has served as a sex crimes/child abuse investigator for over three years and is currently assigned as an investigator in the robbery/homicide unit. He is also a board member of the Minnesota Sex Crimes Investigators Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Administration and a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul.

Dr. Israel Sokeye is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who has experience working in different treatment settings such as the inpatient unit, partial hospitalization programs, outpatient clinics, and school clinics. His primary interests are mood disorder, autism spectrum disorders and working with the underprivileged. He is a consultant to Fraser child and family center, Hennepin and Scott County and also an Adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota. He is the Founder and CEO of Plymouth Psych Group, a mental health clinic located in Plymouth, MN.

Rachel Tiede, MA, MA, is employed at Pathways Counseling Center, Inc. as a mental health practitioner and clinical therapist trainee. Rachel has a master’s degree in Education and a second master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Adler Graduate School. Rachel is a Forensic Mental Health Research Assistant and professional trainer with the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS) and has conducted trainings for other organizations throughout Minnesota. She has been trained in Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Thinking for Change (T4C), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Rachel is an adjunct instructor for Concordia University, St. Paul and Hamline University. She is an active board member for the Midwest Alliance on Shaken Baby Syndrome (MASBS).

Stefanie Varga, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and owner/director of Treehouse Psychology, PLLC. in Shoreview, Minnesota. She has been assessing and treating children across a range of inpatient and outpatient settings for more than 15 years. Dr. Varga has expertise in the neuropsychological and psychological assessment of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental, medical, and genetic conditions, as well as neurological injury. She specializes in the assessment and diagnosis of individuals with traumatic brain injury, prenatal drug and alcohol exposure, and trauma. In addition to her work at Treehouse, Dr. Varga contracts with county juvenile corrections, providing court-ordered psychological and neuropsychological evaluations.

Jason Weaver, PhD, is a social and personality psychologist who teaches at Colorado College. He earned his B.A. in psychology from Carleton College (2007) and his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota (2013). He enjoys teaching introductory courses, methodology and statistics, social psychology, personality psychology, and advising senior thesis projects. As a scholar, he is particularly interested in the complex interplay between people and situations. Most of his current research examines political, sexual, and gender identity, but he has also studied self-fulfilling prophecies, voting behavior, sport performance, inter-cultural interactions, and romantic relationships. A guiding theme in his research is to employ creative, high-impact paradigms to investigate longstanding issues in social and personality psychology. He is also committed to exploring the practical implications of basic science research and examining the manner in which practitioners can apply psychological findings and principles to better the world.

Ann Marie Winskowski PsyD, is a licensed psychologist working in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Winskowski received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of St. Thomas. She completed her internship at Canvas Health in Oakdale, Minnesota, and began her career studying Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in veterans at the Brain Sciences Center at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Dr. Winskowski completed postdoctoral training focused in forensic evaluation through Acumen Psychology. Dr. Winskowski continues to work with Acumen Psychology to provide psychological evaluations for the courts throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

Janina Wresh has 19 years of experience in the Criminal Justice System to include, but not limited to; Forensic Crime Laboratory; 4th Judicial Courts and Adult Detention Center affiliation; Deputy Sheriff and Police Officer; Crime Scene Technician; Domestic Abuse Response and Crisis Intervention Specialist; AIAFS COO; Adjunct CJ & FMH Professor and lecturer; Co-author of forensic mental health articles; Board Member of the Midwest Alliance on Shaken Baby Syndrome (MASBS).

Patricia A. Zapf obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Forensic psychology from Simon Fraser University in Canada and currently holds the position of Professor in the Department of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York. She is the Editor of the American Psychology-Law Society book series; Associate Editor of Law and Human Behavior; and is on the Editorial Boards of five journals in psychology and law. Dr. Zapf is on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services and is the current President for the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS; Division 41, APA). She has published eight books and manuals and more than 85 articles and chapters, mainly on the assessment and conceptualization of criminal competencies. Dr. Zapf was appointed Fellow of the American Psychological Association and Distinguished Member of the American Psychology-Law Society in 2006 for outstanding contributions to the field of law and psychology for her work in competency evaluation. In addition to her research, she serves as consultant to various criminal justice and policy organizations and has a private practice in forensic assessment. She has conducted more than 2,500 forensic evaluations in both the United States and Canada and has served as an expert witness in a number of cases, including the competency hearing of Jose Padilla. Dr. Zapf is the author of Best Practices in Forensic Mental Health Assessment: Evaluation of Competency to Stand Trial; editor of Forensic Assessments in Criminal and Civil Law: A Handbook for Lawyers; and Editor-in-Chief of the recently published APA Handbook of Forensic Psychology. She served on National Judicial College’s Mental Competency—Best Practices Model panel of experts and travels throughout the United States and internationally to train legal and mental health professionals on best practices in forensic evaluation.