ITAC Speakers

Download the Printable ITAC 2024 Speaker List (PDF)

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.

TAHIR RAHMAN, MD

Tahir Rahman, MD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. He has 20 years of clinical, educational and research experience in various aspects of clinical and forensic psychiatry. He conducts psychiatric consults at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis. He also conducts competency to stand trial and insanity evaluations involving violent offenses. Dr. Rahman is the originator of the concept of “Extreme Overvalued Beliefs” which has emerged as an important fixation in targeted attacks. He has won several teaching awards and he has authored or co- authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters. He is an enthusiastic teacher andlecturer for residents and students of psychiatry.

LYNN FAIRWEATHER, MSW

Lynn Fairweather, MSW is a domestic abuse survivor who has worked in the violence response and prevention field for over 30 years. As president of Presage Consulting and Training LLC, she provides individually tailored guidance and education to a diverse portfolio of multinational Fortune 500 employers. Presage’s bespoke services include live and virtual domestic violence trainings, workplace violence program and policy development, awareness campaign design, and on-call threat assessment for employee involved cases. As a sought-after public speaker, she presents regularly at industry conferences around the world and contributes to a variety of violence prevention publications.

Ms. Fairweather’s specialty in domestic violence threat assessment and management was developed by working on thousands of high-risk cases through positions in social service, criminal justice, university, and shelter systems. She holds a master’s degree in social work, as well as training certifications from multiple institutions such as Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and Gavin de Becker’s Advanced Threat Assessment Academy.  Throughout her career, Ms. Fairweather has participated in advisory boards and multi-disciplinary response teams, as well the facilitation of victim support groups and batterer’s intervention programs. She has also served as a subject matter expert on a variety of corporate and community projects, civil and criminal cases, and legislative issues.

Lynn is an active member of the National Speaker’s Association, the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, and the American Society for Industrial Security. In addition, she serves as an advisor to The Bureau Consortium, an elite group of former FBI agents specializing in the prevention of mass shootings. Ms. Fairweather also writes professionally on the subject of domestic violence, releasing her first book in 2012 (Stop Signs: Recognizing, Avoiding, and Escaping Abusive Relationships” –Hachette Publishing) and appearing as a featured author in Asta Publishing’s 2015

compilation “Tales of Women Survivors”. In her spare time, she volunteers with local organizations focused on helping abused people and animals.

SARAH CARNEY, FBI

FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst, Sarah Carney has worked as an FBI analyst for the past 19 years in both Boise, Idaho, and Washington, D.C., with the FBI’s International Terrorism Operations Section. Sarah maintains a subject matter expertise on national security issues to include counterterrorism and counterintelligence threats, with a specialty in international and domestic terrorism issues. In her current role, Sarah supervises the FBI’s analytic resources for Idaho and Montana, which includes four operational and 10 tactical analysts.

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.

CLEMENTE “ABBEY” ABBONDANDOLO

Abbey was Born on Long Island in New York.  In 1981 he graduated from the Houston Police Academy, spending 5 years in patrol, 6 years in the South Central Tactical Unit, followed by 21 years in the Homicide Unit.  Abbey retired from the Houston  Police Department in 2013, when he started with St. Luke’s Health System in May of 2013.  He is also a regular character on the TV show Cold Justice, since 2014. Currently, he serves as a Senior Director for St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho.