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ITAC Speakers

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(Ret.) SA Jonny Grusing, F.B.I.

Jonny Grusing was a Special Agent (SA) with the FBI’s Denver Division from 1996 to 2021. For 23 years of his career, he worked violent crime matters to include missing persons, serial killers, federal jurisdiction homicides and mass attacks.  From 2008 until his retirement, he served as the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) Coordinator for the division.  SA Grusing received extensive training from the profiling unit during these years and employed that training in addressing the serious violent crime cases in Colorado. From 2013 through the present, he has taught hundreds of seminars on profiling serial killers and preventing mass attacks using the sound BAU principles. He is now Director of Security for the Douglas County School District in Colorado.
 
Former SA Grusing now addresses the daily challenge of keeping 63,000 students and 8,500 staff members safe in the 90 schools he supervises.  He works closely with four different law enforcement departments, building leaders and mental health support to prevent students from continuing down Pathways of Violence through a variety of measures.  

KOSTAS A. KATSAVDKIS, PhD, ABPP

Kostas A. Katsavdakis, Ph.D., ABPP is a Licensed Psychologist and Diplomat in Forensic Psychology with the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has extensive experience in Threat Assessment and Management, Forensic Evaluations, the Clinical Assessment and Treatment of juveniles and adults.  Dr. Katsavdakis is retained by Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys and the State/Federal Court to evaluate defendants charged with violent offenses. 

Dr. Katsavdakis conducts threat assessments/management across contexts, including at the request of the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York for CT matters, workplace targeted violence, K-12 settings, stalking related and campus situations.  Dr. Katsavdakis has presented nationally on topics such as Threat Assessment and Management and is currently an Associate Professor-Adjunct at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in psychology of criminal behavior, forensic psychological testing, assessment of psychopathy and psychology/law.

Dr. Katsavdakis earned his B.A. from Bernard M. Baruch College in 1991, and his Ph.D. from the California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego in 1996. He completed 2 post-doctoral fellowships, one at the Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry and Mental Health Sciences in Topeka, Kansas. He earned his Diplomate in Forensic Psychology under the American Board of Professional Psychology in 2013.

ROBYN POWELL, FBI BAU

Robyn Powell is an FBI profiler and Supervisory Special Agent in Behavioral Analysis Unit-1 (BAU-1). She supports BAU-1’s mission of preventing terrorism and targeted violence through the application of behaviorally-based operational support, training, and research. Prior to BAU-1, Robyn was a member of the national security squad in the FBI’s Boise office from 2015-2021.

In her 22 years of FBI service, Robyn has gained extensive experience investigating terrorism matters both domestically and abroad. She completed an immersive Arabic language and culture program and spent five years supporting counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Robyn responded to terrorist attacks in Boston and Chattanooga and led two High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group deployments.

Her first FBI assignment was the Amerithrax Task Force, investigating the 2001 anthrax mailings. Robyn holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a M.A. in forensic psychology from the University of California-Irvine, and a B.S. in chemistry from Boise State University.

MATT NIECE, PhD

Dr. Niece is the Director of Counseling Services and Interim Executive Director of Health Services at Boise State University. He has over 10 years of experience as a Clinical Counselor and has served the communities of Boise, Meridian, and Nampa through work at various counseling agencies. He maintains a private practice in Boise.

Dr. Niece is a Certified Advanced Specialist in Grief and Loss Counseling and co-owns a consulting practice where he assesses the grief, loss, and trauma in wrongful death cases and provides expert witness testimony in these trials. He is a Counselor Educator who continues to adjunct at Idaho State University, and he presents frequently at the local, state, and national level on topics of grief and loss, trauma, and resilience.

Dr. Niece is also a member of the campus threat assessment and management team at Boise State University and has a deep appreciation for all first responders, law enforcement, and all other professionals on the front lines of crisis scenarios.

Scott Byrd, SWAT Commander

Scott has been a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department since 2000 and served in a variety of roles as an officer within the department to include Patrol Operations in South Precinct, Violent Crimes Reduction, and Intelligence – Gang Unit. In 2006, Scott participated in and was selected to become a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team as a collateral duty team member.

In late 2020, Scott was promoted to the rank of Commander and made the Director of Training for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and asked to lead the Training Division which has the responsibility of training all new police recruits, the continued training of all existing personnel, and the development and implementation of training techniques for the department.

In 2022, Scott was asked to take on the challenge of creating the new School Safety Division which established and took on the mission of “promoting safe learning environments for education campuses across Nashville and Davidson County through the construction of empowering partnerships, meaningful deterrence, collaborative education, and effective response.” The work of the School Safety Division helped to improve school safety and services across the county and put into place systems to assist response to critical incidents to include the active shooter incident at Covenant School on March 27, 2023.

In mid-March 2023, Scott was asked to assume command of the Special Operations Division which is where he is currently assigned today. The Special Operations Division houses the department’s SWAT Team, Aviation Section, Animal Operations which includes both Canine and Mounted, as well as the Emergency Contingency Section which houses the Hazardous Devices Unit, Emergency Contingency Unit, and Urban Search and Rescue.

Scott has a heart for service to his community and department that he proudly serves and works to be proactive in helping others achieve the same success that he has experienced during his time with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

Don Aaron, Public Affairs Director

Don Aaron is the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s Associate Administrator/Public Affairs Director and has been the agency’s primary spokesperson for three decades.

The Public Affairs/Media Relations Office is the point of contact for reporters who have questions about a case or program involving the Metropolitan Police Department. As Public Affairs Director, Aaron is responsible for overseeing, authoring and issuing media releases, arranging news conferences, coordinating the release of information in sensitive cases and assisting in crisis situations. He also advises members of the police department on media matters, serves as chairman of the department’s awards committee, and is a member of Chief John Drake’s executive staff.

Aaron holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunications, with minors in English and Management, from Middle Tennessee State University. He is a two-time past president of the National Information Officers’ Association (NIOA), an organization of spokespersons from primarily law enforcement and emergency services organizations at the local, state and federal level, and continues to serve on the NIOA’s conference planning committee. Aaron is married to Carla. They have one daughter, Alexandria (Allie)

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