Experienced CBRNE professional with a strong scientific background. I spent five years as a CBRNE officer in the 110th CM BN (TE), and a year working with the Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell (CEXC) in support of OIF. At CEXC I saw first hand how field portable analytical equipment and forensic analysis can be used together to provide real time, actionable intelligence. My goal is to facilitate the transfer of field portable detection systems to the forensic community, and leverage forensic analysis for the CBRNE and C-IED fight.
I have over thirty-two years of experience in law enforcement and currently work as a supervisor over the Special Operations / Emergency Contingency Unit (ECS) in the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (M.N.P.D.) As a Unit Supervisor; I am responsible supervising all MNPD ECS officers during shifts, special events, and trainings. I maintain records and a instructor in many areas for the department. I am also responsible for research & testing of new police equipment and custodian of current equipment. During my time as supervisor, I have been a Motorcycle Unit / Traffic supervisor for many large-scale events such mass traffic plan for Bridgestone Arena Events, Nissan Stadium Events, Protest, First Tennessee Park, Music City Marathon and Presidential / Dignitary Escorts.
I am also the training supervisor for the M.N.P.D.’s Urban Search And Rescue team (USAR). I coordinate training schedules and supervise on active missions. Our USAR team is part of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Tennessee Task Force 2.
I have been assigned to perform many different duties since joining the M.N.P.D.in 2002. Some of my prior assignments included being a Precinct Detective, Motorcycle Officer and D.U.I. Enforcement Officer. While assigned as a Detective, I investigated complex homicides, high profile robbery cases and other cases that involved intense investigations. While with the D.U.I. Unit, I made over 300 D.U.I arrests. I am currently a guest instructor of D.U.I. Detection, and Doppler RADAR / LIDAR at the M.N.P.D.’s Training Academy, as well as selected member on the MNPD hiring evaluation board. I am also P.O.S.T. certified to instruct throughout the State of Tennessee in Police Motorcycle Operation.
Prior to working at M.N.P.D, I was a Sergeant with the Robertson County Sheriff’s Department (R.C.S.D.) where I created and supervised the R.C.S.D’s Narcotics Unit. My career law enforcement began in 1990 where I attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy
Melissa Levine is a police officer with the New York City Police Department where she is one of the lead instructors for the COBRA Unit (Chemical, Ordinance, Biological, and Radiological Awareness).
As a COBRA instructor, she and her team are responsible for training approximately 5,000 uniformed members of the service annually in the proper response and mitigation of CBRNe incidents. This training prepares police officers in specialized units for WMD/Hazmat operations and tactics. The COBRA Unit works collaboratively with the Center for Domestic Preparedness to ensure that the nation’s largest city remains ready to combat emerging CBRNe threats. Ms. Levine holds numerous certifications and is Pro Board accredited in multiple topics in the CBRNe/Hazmat field. She is a certified instructor not only for the NYPD but also for FEMA.
Ms. Levine has 9 years of experience with the NYPD and is focused on the progressive growth of the department’s CBRNe capabilities. She is also an advocate for the expansion of CBRNe programs within police departments across the nation.
Ben is the US Field Application Engineer with Telops, a leading firm providing high-capability quantitative gas imaging solutions based on thermal infrared imaging technology. Ben earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Rhode Island in 2012 and since then, has worked in different roles exploring the development and application of advanced spectroscopic and imaging techniques to a wide variety of measurement challenges. In his current role with Telops, Ben is a technical expert working on the development and deployment of Telops hyperspectral gas imaging technology in ports, refineries, and other heavy industrial field locations.
Jamie Marsay is the Head of Biotechnology at Kromek, with over 2 decades of experience in full product lifecycle, successfully managing the design and development of automated products and equipment, for commercial exploitation.
Specialising in research, development and product delivery of automated platforms for the autonomous detection of airborne and waterborne pathogenic material, he has extensive experience in successfully managing biological detection system development and delivery contracts for both Government and Industrial projects. He is the Principal Investigator for the development of airborne and waterborne detectors for US and UK governmental bio-detection programmes, and has a comprehensive understanding of pathogen detection capabilities using next generation sequencing and bioinformatics
Lieutenant Colonel Ferman assumed command of 28 Engineer Regiment (C-CBRN) in August 2021. Prior to this he served as Regimental Second-in-Command of the Royal Tank Regiment before conducting a 7-month sprint in the Land Operations Command as the SO1 Force Protection and C-CBRN.
He commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment in 2005 having studied Geography at the University of Plymouth. He has been an armoured Troop Leader and commanded on several armoured vehicle platforms including Challenger 2, Warrior and CVR(T). He has also spent time as the Regimental Signals Officer and Squadron Second-in-Command.
Having completed a Battlespace Technology Masters he served in the Defence Equipment & Support as a Requirements Manager on the Protected Mobility Vehicle Platforms team before becoming Officer Commanding FALCON Area Survey & Reconnaissance Squadron. He deployed this specialist CBRN Sqn on Op MORLOP in response to the Salisbury nerve agent attack and to Estonia on Op CABRIT. For the former he received an MBE. Additional operational deployments include Op TELIC 10 and more recently with the US Special Operations Joint Task Force as a J5 planner on Op SHADER (Operation INHERENT RESOLVE).
Bryan Sommers, North American Business Development Manager at Argon Electronics, has forged a distinguished career in CBRNe and HazMat training. He recently retired after twenty-two years of service in the US Army and fourteen years of operating specifically in Civil Support Team (CST) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) environments
Dr. Patricia McDaniel, of the U.S.Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) received her ST designation as the Senior Research Scientist for Chemistry on 24 May 2020. She is the Director of the Army-funded Basic Research and Innovation fundamental exploratory science programs, In-House Laboratory Independent Research (ILIR) and Surface Science Initiative (SSI); at CBC.
In 2020, Dr.McDaniel was also invited to be an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Security Science and Technology (ISST) at Imperial College London. This collaboration with ISST works with corporate and international partners, to drive an innovation ecosystem to develop next generation solutions for security and defense. Prior to joining CBC, Dr. McDaniel served as a Subject Matter Expert and the CBRNE Program Manager in OSD Policy office under ASD SOLIC at the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO). As the CBRNE PM, she annually managed over 50 technical projects along with more than 30 international collaborative efforts. She also spent two years as an Executive Branch American Association for the Advancement of Science, (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow in National Defense and Global Security.
McDaniel received a B.S. in chemistry from Kent State University, then began her technical career at NASA Langley as a Chemist, where she received her M.S.in Analytical Chemistry from Old Dominion University, developing air sampling technology for in-situ characterization of biomass burn smoke plumes; and a Ph.D. in Applied Science -Polymer Chemistry from William & Mary synthesizing high performance polymer sand adhesives for aerospace applications. She also held roles in other government agencies and served as an R&D manager in private industry.
Col. Dr Eng Zdzisław Salamonowicz serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Safety Engineering and Civil Protection at the Main School of Fire Service (MSFS) in Warsaw in Poland. Associated with the Department of Chemical and Ecological Rescue and the Department of Rescue Operations at MSFS.
Zdzisław Salamonowicz is a graduate of the MSFS (master engineer in fire safety engineering), Faculty of Chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology (engineer in chemical technology, specialization - high-energetic materials and chemical processes safety) and the Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering of the Lodz University of Technology (doctor in technical sciences in the field of chemical engineering, specialization – chemical process safety).
Related with hazmat, both the preventive and operational side. Co-author of national courses and training programs in the area of HAZMAT and CBRN. Manager and contractor in over 30 research and development projects, author and co-author of over 150 publications and conference presentations, author and co-author of over 40 studies commissioned by the chemical industry in the area of process safety and the SEVESO directive. A member of national and international expert teams covering the issues of HAZMAT, CBRN and process safety.
Kyle Knappenberger is the Director of Application Development at Timilon Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in microbiology from Kansas State University and earned his degree while researching and testing water purification techniques. For over two decades Kyle has been working on using safe, high-surface area metal oxide technology for pollution control and toxic chemical neutralization applications. Kyle joined Timilon in 2013 when they acquired the technology behind Fast-Act from the university incubator company where he previously held a variety of leadership positions. He has been involved in several key product development programs related to indoor air quality and chemical hazard mitigation and co-holds six patents related to the mitigation of chemical and biological contamination.
David F. Lasseter provides consulting and advising solutions to clients specializing in national security, law enforcement, intelligence, and biotechnology.David F. Lasseter provides consulting and advising solutions to clients specializing in national security, law enforcement, intelligence, and biotechnology.
Prior to founding the consultancy Horizons Global Solutions David served at the United States Department of Defense (DoD) as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy responsible for, among other issues, all strategies and policies concerning preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and WMD-related materials; the United States Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program; and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defense. In this role he also oversaw Oceans and Airspace Policy for DoD, supporting global mobility of U.S., allied, and partner forces.
Before this role he served as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) with responsibility for the national security portfolio as well as oversight of high-level Congressional investigations. He also managed the liaison efforts with all federal law enforcement agencies.
Prior to DOJ David worked for United Technologies Corporation as the lead defense government relations professional.David has previously served as a chief of staff, military legislative assistant, and counsel to multiple members of the United States Congress.He is also a United States Marine Corps intelligence officer in the reserve component as well as a Visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute. David received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and a juris doctor from the University of Alabama. He has attended numerous DoD schools.
In October 2019, Mr. Gary Rasicot was selected to serve as the acting Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD).
The mission of DHS CWMD is to enable operational partners to prevent WMD use against the Homeland and promote readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. In October 2019, Mr. Gary Rasicot was selected to serve as the acting Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD). The mission of DHS CWMD is to enable operational partners to prevent WMD use against the Homeland and promote readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
Mr. Rasicot is an experienced government executive who implements a staff-driven, collaborative leadership style. Prior to this position at DHS CWMD, Mr. Gary Rasicot assumed the duties as the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Deputy Commandant for Mission Support-Deputy for Personnel Readiness (DCMS-DPR) in September 2018. He maintained oversight and functionality of the Coast Guard's human resources, force readiness and Academy activities. Prior to that, Mr. Rasicot served as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Chief of Operations, the TSA acting Deputy Administrator, the USCG Director of Marine Transportation Systems, and the USCG Director of Global Maritime Operational Threat Response (MOTR) Coordination Center at DHS, where he was responsible for facilitating the development of interagency-approved U.S. Government courses of action in response to threats against the United States and its interests in the maritime domain.
Prior to his appointment to the Senior Executive Service, Mr. Rasicot was President and Chief Executive Officer of SureShip, Inc., a national company providing end-to-end e-commerce, inventory management and fulfillment services for major corporations, non-profits and entrepreneurs.
Mr. Rasicot served as an active duty Coast Guard officer for 24 years. His military assignments included Chief, Coast Guard Drug Interdiction Program; Liaison Officer to the Joint Staff Counternarcotic Division; Commanding Officer, USCGC MOHAWK; Director for Maritime Security Policy, Homeland Security Council at the White House; and Chief of the Coast Guard Office of Counterterrorism and Special Missions. Mr. Rasicot’s final active duty assignment was Deputy Commander, U.S. Deployable Operations Group, where he was responsible for the establishment of the Coast Guard’s single point of control for the staffing, training, and logistics support for deployable capabilities. In his role as Deputy Commander, Mr. Rasicot oversaw the consolidation and daily operations of 27 field units comprised of 3,000 persons.
Mr. Rasicot is a 1984 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Maryland.
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