Tom Morris, Jr. has had a distinguished career in television working for America’s Most Wanted in the early 90s and becoming the show’s Senior Correspondent and most trusted face of the show behind iconic host John Walsh where he worked on many high-profile, headline-grabbing cases. He was contentedly working as a government analyst in the fall of 2016 with his television career in the rear view mirror when producers for A&E’s fledgling reality police show LIVE PD summoned him to New York for an audition six weeks into the show’s run. Tom Morris Jr. joined the show with host Dan Abrams on the 9th episode and is widely credited by network executives and fans (whom he dubbed THE LIVE PD NATION) as contributing greatly to the runaway success LPD would enjoy for 298 episodes becoming the most watched show on all of cable television for four consecutive seasons. In Tom’s second week on the show viewership jumped from 600,000 to one million. By the summer of 2017 viewership topped 2 million for three live hours on both Friday and Saturday nights. The in-studio team of Dan Abrams, Tom Morris Jr. and Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin became must see for millions of devoted fans every weekend. Still passionate about using his broadcasting abilities to affect tangible change, Tom convinced A&E executives to allow him to profile wanted fugitives and missing children during each episode of Live PD. Those segments have resulted in more that 30 fugitives being captured with the help of the Live PD Nation and over a dozen missing children being reunited with their loved ones. In the fall of 2019 A&E made Tom the host of his own show broadening his on-air crime fighting work with LIVE PD WANTED which has gone on to also become a ratings and crime solving success.
Richard Barton is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. (ICISF). He directs the management of this educational foundation that serves the mission of improving the lives of people who face the stress of critical incidents. The ICISF has more than three decades of service to first responders and other professions who cope with critical incidents. Barton served as the Superintendent of the Maryland Park Service for 17 years, directing a workforce that included several hundred first responders, among them 218 law enforcement officers and he attained the rank of colonel before his retirement in 2007. The Maryland State Police provided his initial law enforcement training that began his 30-year public safety career. After completing his State service, Colonel Barton served three years as the County Administrator in Caroline County, Maryland and has since assisted several non-profit organizations and government agencies that sought progressive management change. That expertise brought him to the ICISF in August of 2013 where he has led the organization through multiple strategic adjustments while greatly expanding the work of this global nonprofit. He volunteers extensively with several nonprofits including the YMCA, Trail Conservancy, Friends of Maryland State Parks and Special Olympics Maryland. Barton also has published dozens of nonfiction articles and is an author of fiction short stories. Colonel Barton holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.S. in Natural Resources Management.
Mark DiBona was born and raised in Boston Massachusetts. In 1985, Mark began his Law Enforcement career with the Braintree Police Department and later transferred to the Amtrak Police Department. During 1993, Mark moved to Florida and continued his Law Enforcement with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, where he retired as a Patrol Sergeant in March of 2019. During his career, Mark held several positions and assignments to include Peer Support Team and Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Mark is a Police Academy Instructor at the Seminole State College Police Academy. Mark is dedicated to advocating for the elimination of the stigma concerning mental health issues of Law Enforcement Officers and also prevention of Law Enforcement Officer suicides. Mark is a Member of International Law Enforcement Educators, Trainers Association, (ILEETA) Technical Advisor for In the Line of Duty Videos and Bravo748 Speakers Bureau. In his free time, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife Gailyn of 29 years and their two dogs Romeo and Bella. Mark is a huge fan of the Boston Red Sox and Rock and Roll music.
Dr. Michelle Lilly is an Associate Professor of clinical psychology at Northern Illinois University. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois with expertise in the treatment of trauma-related conditions such as PTSD. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed research articles focusing on post-trauma psychological functioning, and has offered trainings on the topics of PTSD, stress management, and wellness for public safety audiences across the country. She provides treatment through her organization, 9-1-1 Recovers (www.911recovers), and has consulted with public safety agencies to improve agency wellness and functioning (www.lilly-consulting.com). Dr. Lilly and Sgt Shawn Curry are currently funded by the state of Illinois (ICJIA) to provide two-day trainings for law enforcement entitled Saving Blue Lives through Training on PTSD, Suicide, Resilience, and Peer Support (www.savingbluelives.org)
Frank Davis has been a resident of Emmitsburg, Maryland his entire life. He retired from the Federal Government in 2014, after 35 years of service. He started his Federal career at the National Emergency Training Center, where he worked from 1979 to 1994. He then accepted a position as a firefighter at the Fort Detrick Fire Department, and eventually rose to the rank of Assistant Chief. In 2004 he was hired as the Fire Chief of the Mount Weather Fire Department in Berryville, VA. He held that position until he retired. After retirement, he was hired as the first Fire & EMS Director for Clarke County, VA, and held that position for 2 years. Frank has also been a member of the Vigilant Hose Company in Emmitsburg, MD for 43 years. He has held many positions within the department, including 14 years as Fire Chief, and 7 years as President of the organization. He also served as 2nd Vice President of the Frederick County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association. He is very active in his community, and has served on the Gettysburg Hospital Advisory Board, and the Mother Seton School Board of Directors. He is currently serving as a Town Commissioner for the Town of Emmitsburg.
Monica Million has been in the 9-1-1 industry for 18 years. She began her career as a 9-1-1 Telecommunicator, worked her way into the CTO, Supervisor and ultimately the Operations Manager of the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Colorado 9-1-1 Resource Center working at the state level. She holds the Emergency Number Professional Certification and has a BA from California State University, Long Beach. She currently is serving as President of the National Emergency Number Association.
Jim Marshall is a licensed mental health professional whose 911 Training Institute (911TI) specializes in training for responder resilience and management of calls involving suicide and mental illness. 911TI has created a PSAP Peer Support Program model with a 40-hour certification curriculum, and provides extensive guidance to PSAP partners in building and maintaining these programs. Jim is co-editor of The Resilient 9-1-1 Professional: A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving & Thriving Together in the 9-1-1 Center. In addition, Jim is co-chair of the NENA Acute/Traumatic and Chronic Stress Standard Workgroup, a member of the NENA Wellness Committee, and served as co-chair of the NENA Working Group developing the revised Suicide Prevention Interoperability Standard. Jim’s training, publications, research, and conference presentations are dedicated to fostering the performance, well-being, and quality of life of The Very First Responder.
Chris Fields is a former member of the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Chris joined the fire department July 12, 1985 promoting through the ranks and retiring as a Major March 1, 2017 serving the citizens of Oklahoma City for 31yrs and 7 months. Chris was captured in a photo that became an iconic symbol of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 when he was cradling the body of 1yr old Baylee Almon. Chris is now dedicating his life, and travels to speak to other 1st responders, he discusses the brutal realities of a life spent responding to citizens in their darkest hours. Chris tells the story of his life, his 31yrs of public service, and how that day in 1995 all combined to take a toll on his life and his family, he suffered in silence for many years. Now he shares how with God, Faith, and Family he took control and his journey out of the suffering in hopes of helping others avoid the failure, the pitfalls, and to reach out.
“I was shocked when I reached out, how many people were reaching back, I want 1st responders to know its ok, not be ok sometimes. It’s all about changing the narrative of reaching out for help. As heroic a calling as our profession seems to many, to me it’s just as heroic if not more to speak up, reach out. Be a hero to yourself and your family.”
Chris also serves a Vice President of Healthy Hire Health Retire and is a Fire Liaison on the Advisory Board for Survive First. Both are 501©3 organizations whose missions are to assist first responders and their families who need mental health support from the impact of PTSD, and substance abuse
Steve Hirsch is training officer for Sheridan County Fire District # 1, Thomas County Fire District #4, and Grinnell Fire Department, all of which are 100% volunteer fire departments. Steve is the chair and KS director on the National Volunteer Fire Council and is currently first vice chair of the Kansas State Firefighters Association after serving as secretary from 2000-2018. His father started a rural fire district in north central Kansas in 1963, the year after he was born, so he grew up in the fire service. Steve is also the county attorney in Decatur County in northwest Kansas. He has a private law practice and serves as city attorney for 18 cities in Norton, Phillips, Graham, Mitchell, Rawlins, Decatur, Sheridan, Thomas, and Gove counties.
Todd Gyure has worked at the Garland, TX Police Department for over 18 years with the majority of that time spent on the street in Patrol. Todd is currently the Mental Health Liaison for The Garland Police Department. For the past 9 years Todd has also been a member of The Garland Police Departments S.W.A.T. team as a hostage negotiator. Todd is a TCOLE certified mental health officer, a Suicide and Crisis Center of North TX certified telephone crisis counselor, GPD TCOLE 1850 Crisis intervention training instructor, Department of Public Safety certified Officer Resilience Training Leader, FRCPI certified law enforcement suicide prevention trainer, member of Garland Police Departments Critical Incident Stress Management team, founder of The Law Enforcement Mental Health Alliance of North TX, Certified Police Field Training Officer, and vehicle close quarters battle instructor.
Mark Milam knew at an early age he wanted to help people and at fifteen years old, started volunteering with the American Red Cross Disaster Services. He began teaching first aid and CPR in high school while continuing his volunteer work with the Red Cross. Mark became an EMT after high school and began his career with the City of Cleveland Emergency Medical Service in 1981, where he worked in some of Cleveland’s roughest neighborhoods. After being promoted to supervisor in 1993, Mark held various supervisory and command level positions, retiring June 1, 2011, as Commander of Field Operations.
In the mid-eighties, Mark was elected to the Executive Board of the Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees (CARE), the union for Cleveland EMS non-supervisory employees. As Mark represented CARE members in disciplinary and grievance hearings, it became clear post-traumatic stress could be a root cause for some of the issues. Consequently, CARE created a peer support group to support its members. Sadly, due to lack of management support, and society’s view of responder mental health at the time, the peer support group faded away.
In the years following “retirement” Mark worked part-time at a local community hospital as a telemetry technician for a few years, then was contracted to merge four suburban Cleveland PSAP’s into a regional 9-1-1 center. Mark currently works at a northeast Ohio children’s hospital. Mark holds a BS in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a MS in Public Safety Leadership with a minor in Emergency Management from Capella University.
Mark lives in the Greater Cleveland area with his wife Marian and two dogs.
