Resource Page

Brian Van Brunt, EdD, is the Director of Behavior and Threat Management for D-Prep Safety. Author of over a dozen books, Brian has spent time as a child and family therapist, university professor, assistant deputy director of training at Secure Community Network, partner at TNG, and president of the National Association for Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (NABITA). He is an internationally recognized expert in behavioral intervention, threat assessment, mental illness, crisis preparedness and response, and instructional design. Brian has provided consulting services to schools, colleges, and universities across the country and abroad on a wide variety of topics related to student mental health, counseling, campus violence, and behavioral intervention.

David Denino, LPC, NCC, worked in higher education and college counseling over the past several decades and is director emeritus of counseling services at Southern Connecticut State University. David is a master trainer of Question Persuade Refer (QPR) and was the key person in bringing the QPR model to the state university system in Connecticut. A certified clinical trauma professional, David is also a Red Cross mental health first responder and is the mental health lead for the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. As such, he has assisted with relief efforts for hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey as well as provided mental health support at the Sandy Hook and Las Vegas shootings.

Tammy L. Hodo, PhD, has been working in the diversity, equity, and inclusion field for most of her professional career. Being biracial and reared in the Midwest, Tammy learned early on that race, although a social construct, impacts life chances and experiences. She has the lived experience of being both European American and African American. Coming from a middle-class family and being reared in a predominantly white space provided her opportunities she would later learn were not available to everyone that presented/looked like her. She has written peer-review articles about the experiences of minorities in academia.

Robert Scholz, MA, LMFT, LPCC, is a licensed psychotherapist in California and Arizona, as well as a consultant and trainer throughout the United States. He has served in many clinical and leadership roles over the past 25 years, working in university, community mental health, forensic and private practice settings. Robert is well-known for his work as a trainer and consultant in assisting schools/universities and communities respond to major crisis events like wildfires, mass shootings, deaths of students/employees and responding to sexual and other types of interpersonal violence. He serves as the clinical supervisor for the Route 91 So Cal Heals project, which provides case management, peer support and support group care for survivors and family members impacted by the Las Vegas and Borderline Nightclub mass shootings.

Charlie Taylor is certified in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and is a suicide prevention gatekeeper instructor through the Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) program. Charlie has a long career history in personal management, interviewing, conflict resolution, hiring practices, performance improvement planning and employee termination. He has certification in Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response (100, 200), National Incident Management System (700, 800) and is a firearm instructor and competitive shooter with the National Rifle Association. Working in tandem with our DPrep Safety team members with expertise in psychology, law enforcement and threat assessment, Charlie supports DPrep Safety with interviews, physical security data gathering, and assessments as well training in situational awareness and all-hazard response during natural and manmade disasters.

Bethany Smith is a programmer with 15 years’ experience in software development and website design. She serves director of DPrep Safety, developing and managing their online presence, expert systems, and supplemental materials. Bethany worked with Dr. Brian Van Brunt to develop the Pathways risk rubric and the DarkFox violence risk assessment. She is the co-author of White Supremacist Violence: Understanding the Resurgence and Stopping the Spread and contributed to Understanding and Treating Incels and An Educator’s Guide to Assessing Threats in Student Writing.

Poppy Fitch, Ed.D., is the Dean of Wellness and Disability Support Programs and Services at San Diego Community College District. A higher education scholar, administrator and counselor, Poppy's work is focused on the intersection of student wellbeing and academic success, and she leads programs that support access and equity for students with disabilities, including workforce development programs aimed at addressing underemployment and combating poverty within the disability community. As a lecturer in the San Diego State University Educational Leadership doctoral program, Poppy is inspired by the scholarship of her students. She is a Gallup-certified Strengths Mentor and Coach, committed to building strengths-focused teams across educational institutions. Co-author of A Guide to Leadership and Management in Higher Education: Managing Across the Generations, Poppy regularly speaks at regional and national conferences on leadership, educational equity, and student success.

Amy Murphy, PhD, serves as an associate professor of student development and higher education leadership at Angelo State University. She is also the program coordinator for the M.Ed. in student development and leadership in higher education as well as the graduate certificate in academic advising, both fully online programs. Amy has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and student affairs. She is formerly the dean of students and managing director of the Center for Campus Life at Texas Tech University. Her experiences include chair of the school’s behavioral intervention team, oversight of prevention and response activities for gender-based violence and discrimination as the deputy Title IX coordinator for students, as well as administrative involvement in student conduct, disability services, counseling, and enrollment management.

Chris Taylor, PhD, a 30-year veteran of higher education, serves as the executive director of the International Association for Care and Threat Teams (InterACTT). He recently left his position as the dean of students and chief student affairs officer at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio where he had responsibility for counseling and wellness, student advocacy, student union and programs, recreational sports, residence life, and student conduct. He also chaired the university CARE and threat team. He has served on the leadership team for the Association of Student Conduct Administrators, and has been a member of NASPA, ACPA, ACUHO-I, and the American Men's Studies Association. He is a trained Title IX adjudicator and has also worked with D Stafford and Associates as a national Clery Act consultant.

Jacques Whitfield, JD, is a seasoned human resources executive with over 25 years of experience in human resources management. Jacques recently completed a six year tenure as the chief human resources officer for the Yuba Community College District. Jacques was responsible for the management and oversight of the human resources operations for the district and is credited with revitalizing and streamlining the human resource operations for the Yuba Community College District. Jacques is a subject matter expert in performance management, employee engagement and state and federal EEO compliance matters. He is highly accomplished in successfully working with others to develop professional skills and improve employee effectiveness through training and development. Jacques is a frequent speaker, trainer and presenter.