Policing Fellows

Michael L. Billera has been with the New York City Police Department for approximately 11 years. He currently serves as a Sergeant in the Police Commissioner’s Office as part of Executive Communications. His first assignment after he completed the Police Academy was serving in the 67th Precinct in Brooklyn as part of the NYPD’s Operation:…

Sergeant Gibson started at the Charleston Police Department as an intern in 2013 and now serves as the Recruitment, Selection, and Retention Supervisor. In this role, he manages the department’s recruitment initiatives, the unit’s related research efforts, and the implementation of various talent acquisition strategies, and he has renewed the agency’s commitment to officer retention…

Shaun Ward, DM, a 20-year law enforcement veteran, is a service-minded change agent focused on encouraging people to work together representing different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Dr. Ward is a National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholar, a policing fellow with the National Policing Institute, and considered a subject matter…

Sergeant John “Jack” Wagstaff Jr is currently assigned to the Durham Police Department’s (NC) Patrol Services Bureau. He previously served as an investigative supervisor in the Special Victims Unit and led several ad hoc teams in problem-oriented policing. His experience also includes membership on three specialty teams (Honor Guard, Mobile Field Force, and the Crisis…

James VanderMeer is a sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, DC. Sergeant VanderMeer was a behavioral scientist before joining MPD, and this background has since proven valuable in a number of policing projects including surveying members on scheduling preferences, successfully lobbying the DC Council for legislative change, and designing training to improve…

Frank P. Tona is currently a sergeant with the Charles County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office where he has worked since 2002. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service police agency that serves about 170,000 residents in southern Maryland. The county is 25 miles south of Washington, DC, and 60 miles south of Baltimore, Maryland. Sergeant…

A month after retirement from the Florida Highway Patrol, Dr. John T. Schultz began his career as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia. As a tenure-track faculty member, Dr. Schultz is responsible for teaching various topics in policing operations, criminal justice, and emergency management. In addition, Dr….

Detective Jeffrey Payne has been a deputy sheriff with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida, for over eight years. Detective Payne currently works in the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) where he specializes in sex crimes. Prior to his position in CID, he was in the Uniformed Patrol Division where he has amassed experience…

Lieutenant Norton was born and raised in San Diego County and began his career at the Oceanside Police Department in 1998. As an officer, Lieutenant Norton held a variety of assignments including defensive tactics instructor, less lethal instructor, drug recognition expert, chemical agents instructor, SWAT operator, and field training officer. In 2004, he was chosen…

Dr. Obed Magny is the Founder and CEO of Magny Leadership. Dr. Magny is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and public policy advisor. Dr. Magny’s expertise includes motivation, job satisfaction, diversity, trauma, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and emotional intelligence. Dr. Obed Magny is a former police officer with nearly two decades of experience. Dr….