Robert is the Director of Emergency Services of Manchester Twp. NJ and a Captain with the Bayonne Fire Department. He is responsible for developing and maintaining Manchester Twp’s training to the New Jersey State Office of Emergency Medicine and National Association of EMT standards. In addition, he is a Paramedic in Summit, NJ, and was previously an EMS Supervisor at Cooper University Health Care and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Kevin Craig is a recognized subject matter expert in law enforcement, management, and school security. A retired New Jersey Police Chief, he has over 30 years of experience in public safety, emergency management, and school security. He is a Licensed Private Detective and is certified as a Public Manager, Police Instructor, School Safety Specialist, and School Resource Officer in New Jersey. Chief Craig holds a Master’s Degree in Administrative Science with a specialization in School Security and Safety Administration. He has represented the NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police on the NJ K-12 Task Force in conjunction with the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and was appointed to the NJ School Security Task Force by the Governor of New Jersey as a subject matter expert.
Keith Germain is in his 29th year of service with the Barnegat Township Police Department where he serves as Chief of police. Regarded as a transformational leader and futuristic thinker with a substantial history of accomplishments and successes, Keith worked with a team of committed partners to transform the Barnegat Police Department into a progressive and well-respected leader in the New Jersey law enforcement community– building significant community support and partnerships to achieve historically low crime rates.
As a public speaker in the areas of risk management, emergency management, and public safety operations, Keith has presented and instructed at local, state, and national level symposiums and conferences on topics ranging from systems-based risk management to media relations. He has been invited to speak at a wide range of locations and events, including the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, the N.J. State Chiefs Contemporary Issues in Police Administration seminar, the International Association of Fire Chiefs Wildland Urban Interface Conference, and the Congressional Fire Services Caucus in Washington, D.C.
Keith is a graduate of the 278th Session of the F.B.I. National Academy, an elite leadership development school. He is honored to serve as Vice President on the Executive Board of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
Pat is on the Advisory Board of the National Association of Campus Safety. He is also the Director of School Safety and Security at Edison Township, NJ School. Prior, he was the Assistant Chief of Police (Ret.) at the Fort Lee Police Department.
Pat is the Founder and Executive Director of the New Jersey Association of School Resource Officers. He leads school safety training programs for school resource officers across District. New Jersey. In addition, he has served as a Governor Appointee to the New Jersey School Security Task Force.
Pat has shared his network of professionals to assemble our team.
Frank is recognized by the United States Department of Justice, United States District Court, and State Superior Court as an expert in Law Enforcement Training, Supervision, Policy, Procedures, and Operations.
After a career in law enforcement, he founded The Rodgers Group, LLC, to assist public safety agencies in implementing professional standards, developing customized policies and training products, and examining business practices to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of public safety services.
Jimmy is the Project Manager for the Jersey City-Newark Urban Area Security Initiative and the Newark/Jersey City UASI – Rutgers Center on Policing. Due to being a densely populated urban area, UASI is funded by the NJ Department of Homeland Security to handle all aspects of disasters. He is the former Assistant Chief of the Paramus, NJ, Police Department.
Mike was the State Training Officer for the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. He trained first responders in Comprehensive Active Shooter Incident Management and Public Gathering Awareness Guidelines. He is currently the Assistant Manager for the Port Authority NY, NJ, at Newark Liberty International Airport, where Mike leads as a certified emergency manager (CEM).
Principal at Merrimack Potomac + Charles
Justin joined our team because of his ability to access research information on school safety from various federal agencies in Washington, DC. In addition, he is a Founder of Bipartisan Cause for a Cure of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research which donates all proceeds raised to high-impact research programs.
He is a principal at Merrimack Potomac + Charles, a full-service strategic advisory firm, and a Board Member of MassVentures, a venture capital firm focused on fueling innovation at the state level.
Stew is an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Program of NYU’s Stern School of Business. He has held executive roles in the technology, consumer packaged goods, and health care sectors. Stew has helped lead teams to identify and solve business issues and to create new growth opportunities. He envisioned and funded the development of the SURVIVAL+™ Program. He remains forever indebted to everyone on the SURVIVAL+™ team who has jumped in to make the SURVIVAL+™ Program a reality.
THANKING OUR AREA PUBLIC SAFETY EXPERTS WHO CONTRIBUTED THEIR PERSONAL TIME TO HELP BUILD THE PROGRAM!
John is a high school science teacher at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, NJ, and an active E.M.T. for Hillsdale Volunteer Ambulance Service. John served as the Chief Officer for the Hillsdale Ambulance from 2013-2016 and from 2019-2021. He is also an active member of the Bergen County E.M.S. Special Operations Group, trained to respond to various emergencies and high casualty-producing events, such as an active shooter.
As a teacher, he has helped create the Emergency Services Club, where students are exposed to basic first aid skills like bleeding control, stroke awareness, trauma care, and more. Students learn introductory skills that help prepare them for any emergency and are pushed to pursue full certification through E.M.T. courses. He also worked to outfit his school facility with bleeding control stations, additional medical bags for emergency usage and helped train staff on bleeding control.
Robert is a second-generation police officer and is Hillsdale’s 9th Police Chief. Robert has been serving Hillsdale since 1993. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Robert attended and graduated from the prestigious N.J. State Police Chief’s – West Point and Command Leadership school and the FBI-LEEDA program.
Chief Francaviglia attended N.J. Community Policing Outreach Schools and has implemented many programs in Hillsdale, such as a 5K Run to benefit their local Food Pantry, Child Abduction Awareness program, Police Ride Along, and Junior Police Academy, to name a few. The Chief also was a DARE instructor, and has taught Youth Bullying program, 911 instruction, and many other school programs.
The Hillsdale Police Department became an accredited agency under the Leadership of Chief Francaviglia.
Awards:
- Bergen County Police Chief’s Apprehension award
- Bergen County Police Chief’s Achievement award
- 3 Life Saving Awards
- Meritorious Awards
- Honorable Service medal
Chief Dean M. Pinto has been with the Rochelle Park Police Department since 1990. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. He went on to graduate from Seton Hall University Law School with his Juris Doctorate, and he is a licensed attorney in the State of New Jersey and a member of the N.J. Bar Association.
Chief Pinto is also a graduate of the Penn State Police Executive Leadership Program and the Fall 2021 Session of the West Point Command and Leadership Program hosted by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. In addition, he was honored with the Chief Harry Wilde Academic Achievement Award during this time.
Chief Pinto also currently serves as the Township’s Business Administrator for Rochelle Park overseeing all municipal departments and employees and remains committed to the service of the community.
Michael R. Pontillo began his career with The Westwood Police Department on January 27, 1998, after completing the Alternate Route Training Program at The Cape May County Police Academy. Before that, Michael had been a member of The Westwood Police Auxiliary and a part-time dispatcher for the Department.
Michael was promoted between October 2002 and March 2018 with additional supervisory responsibilities in the Department. He also served the collateral duty with the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team until his promotion to Chief of Police.
In April 2018, Michael was promoted to Chief of Police. As the executive of the organization, Michael has brought a community-oriented focus to the Department while enhancing and updating critical components and equipment of the Department.
Michael is a graduate of The West Point Command and Leadership Program. He currently possesses an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Bergen Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science and Human Services from Ramapo College of New Jersey, a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Training and Development from Seton Hall University as well as a Master’s level certificate in Leadership and Management from Seton Hall University. Additionally, Michael has completed FBI MALEEDS training and remains the Chief of the Department.
Rich Skinner is the Chief of Police in Washington Township, New Jersey Before law enforcement, Rich served his country in the United States Marine Corps
He holds a Master of Administrative Science Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Rich was a founding member of the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Force, serving as Platoon Commander and Less Lethal Weapons Trainer. He is now the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association RDF Committee Chairman.
Chief Skinner is a former School Resource Officer and served on the D.A.R.E. NJ State Training Team. He is a Police Instructor, certified with N.J. Police Training Commission.
