Steve Crimando, MA, CTS & CHS-V
Trusted Advisor
Psychological First Aid (PFA) & Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).
Steve has extensive academic credentials and field experience. Leader in Zero-Hour Behavioral Health Management. He is active in both public and private sector responses.
He is a Certified Threat Manager (CTM), a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress (BCETS), a Diplomate of the National Center for Crisis Management; the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, and the International College for the Behavioral Sciences, where he serves as an officer on the Board of Directors. He is a Certified Trauma Specialist (CTS), a Certified Police Instructor, and holds Level 5 Certification in Homeland Security (CHS-V). He is also a member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, an expert in threat assessment and management.
Steve served as a Disaster Field Operations Supervisor for the FEMA’s mental health response to the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks and coordinated onsite psychological operations at New Jersey’s Anthrax Screening Center. He helped coordinate psychological support services at such incidents as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Hurricanes Floyd, Irene and Sandy, and TWA Flight 800 crash.
Bill Gordon
, MS
Senior Coordinator: Emergency Management, Law Enforcement & Operations.
Bill is the Deputy Chief of the Greenfield, MA Police Department. He brings a unique perspective to our training. In addition to being our Massachusetts PFA & CISM instructor, Bill is a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) survivor. His knowledge and insights come from both ends of the engagement spectrum.
He also manages the Canines Helping Autism and PTSD Survivors (CHAPS) foundation. CHAPS provides outreach and education regarding Psychiatric Service Dogs as it relates to Autism and PTSD.
Deputy Chief Gordon earned his Bachelor Degree of Science in Law Enforcement and a Master’s Degree of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England College.
Donna Gleason
, MA, CDBC, SDC & CPDT-KA
Canine Behaviorist & Trusted Advisor.
Donna’s academic credentials and field experience enhances K9FR’s ability to provide qualified critical incidents response canine teams. Her deployment experience combined with 22+ years of training dogs gives her practical insights into training K9FR teams.
Donna earned her Masters Degree in Behavior Modification from Fairfield University. She also is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Certified Consultant with International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (CDBC), Service Dog Coach (SDC) and Research Associate – Canine Center for Behavior Studies.
Kate Nicoll, MSW & BSW
Senior Mental Health Professional, Canine Team Evaluator & Coordinator.
K9FR benefits from her 20+ years of clinical experience specializing in helping families cope with severe trauma, grief and illness. Kate’s extensive mental health experience includes work with inpatient medical, psychiatric hospitals, children’s clinic, private practice, homecare agencies and hospice.
Kate is an active responder in addition to her clinical practice. She oversees the LCSW members of our team not to mention monitoring all of our personnel’s mental health while deployed.
Kate was one of the individuals responsible for Public Act 13-114 (critical incident response therapy dogs) being passed in Connecticut. She lectures nationally and speaks on the power of body-centered psychotherapy and animal assisted interventions for children.
Kate earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) from Smith College and her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Elms College. She also is credentialed in Animal Assisted Therapy and Education from DePaul University.
Phyllis DiGioia, LCSW, CISD & CEAP
Trusted Advisor
Public Safety Personnel & Wellness
Phyllis DiGioia is the Founder and Director of Honor Wellness Center, an outpatient mental health, addictions and trauma treatment center for first responders and their families.
Phyllis graduated from Fordham University, has been a Social Worker for 27 years and earned her licensure to practice Clinical Social Work in the state of Connecticut in 2005. She specializes in first responder case management and clinical mental health, addictions and trauma treatment for 17 years.
Phyllis is a certified Police Officer Standards & Training (POST) instructor and earned her Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) certification in 2003. Phyllis is also a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) and has served as the Contract Manager for the State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection’s Employee Assistance Program contract since 2010.
Phyllis also currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement (CABLE).
Coordinator: Operations, Emergency Management & Public Safety/Hospital Liaison
Rebecca has 36+ years experience in Security Operations, Crisis Management, and Hospital Safety & Security Management. She is a certified instructor trainer in Management of Aggressive Behavior (MOAB) and Basic Life Support (BLS). She is an instructor in First Responder, Community Anti-Terrorism (“C.A.T. Eyes”), and Advanced Behavioral Recognition. She is also a certified Critical Incident Stress Management Counselor (CISM).
She is a former Senior Police and Security Manager – Massachusetts General Hospital and IMSuRT – Boston (International, Medical, Surgical, and Response Team) – Security/Safety Officer. Previously, she was in the uniformed security division of an international corporation and served in the United States Air Force as a Law Enforcement Officer/K-9 Handler, working exclusively in drug interdiction, search & rescue operations and also worked on the hostage negotiation team.
Rebecca graduated from the United States Air Force Police Academy and attended Northeastern University for Criminal Justice and Police Science.
Senior Coordinator: Operations, Logistics, Inter-Agency Liaison & Public Relations
Brad is the K9FR subject matter expert and Zero-Hour Behavioral Health Management influencer. He has 36 years experience in security/crisis management and investigations. Combined with his years of guard force management, Brad brings a strong operational and training discipline to K9FR. His experience with government, diplomatic, medical and corporate clients enhances K9FR’s operational effectiveness.
Brad is a an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program Specialist, Certified Fraud Examiner, Licensed Private Investigator and Security Consultant. He attended Champlain College and Northeastern University for AS Law Enforcement and BS Criminal Justice degrees respectively. Brad is also credentialed in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Post Traumatic Stress Management (PTSM), Psychological First Aid (PFA), Tactical Psychological First Aid (T-PFA), Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). A Reid certified interviewer and a member of the Boston Medical Reserve Corps.