Dr. Jason C. Garnett is a respected expert in strategic leadership, organizational development, and criminal justice reform with more than 30 years of experience in corrections and executive leadership. As the former Acting Assistant Director and Chief of Parole for the Illinois Department of Corrections, he has led statewide initiatives advancing leadership culture, operational excellence, and reentry reform. As Founder and Principal of Jason C. Garnett & Company, he empowers organizations across corrections, corporate sectors, and higher education to build high-performing teams, strengthen accountability, and align strategy with measurable outcomes. His mission-driven approach emphasizes clarity, collaboration, and execution, helping leaders turn vision into sustained impact. Dr. Garnett holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Illinois Springfield and a Master's in Rehabilitation from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. Recognized nationally for Excellence in Corrections Leadership, he continues to advise, coach, and develop leaders committed to building effective systems and fostering lasting organizational transformation.

Crystal P. Sherrill is an Operational Excellence Strategist and Coach who helps organizations across various sectors, including corrections and electronic monitoring, establish a clear vision, order, and execution that doesn’t burn people out. With nearly 20 years of experience in learning, leadership, and operational restructuring, she builds systems that raise standards while supporting people. With 17 years inside the corrections and electronic monitoring space, her work sits at the intersection of people, learning, and operations. Crystal spent nearly two decades supporting parole, probation, and aftercare agencies through GPS and case management software, training field agents, supervisors, and leadership teams responsible for tens of thousands of cases. Her people-first approach ensures staff feel understood, supported, and confident in their roles, especially under pressure. Today, as the founder of a strategic planning and operations firm, Crystal partners with organizations to design learning, workflows, and leadership systems that are intentional, effective, and grounded in real-world demands. She believes operational excellence is not about working harder, but about integrity, clear expectations, and building systems that enable people to do meaningful work well. Her leadership philosophy is simple: when people are prepared, respected, and supported, performance naturally improves, fostering a culture of trust and excellence.

Mario A. Reyes is a speaker, veteran of the United States Air Force, and President of Undugu, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening emotional intelligence, accountability, and leadership among men and justice-involved populations. He is the creator of the Semantics Matters Shared Language Model, a behavioral engagement framework designed to improve communication and reduce escalation in community supervision systems. Reyes’ work focuses on the role language, identity, and emotional regulation play in supervision outcomes. Through his Identity-Centered Accountability approach, he helps supervision professionals identify the emotional drivers beneath behavioral reactions and guide conversations toward responsibility rather than confrontation. For more than two decades, Reyes has facilitated leadership and identity-centered programming with justice-involved individuals, fathers, and community leaders. His work bridges emotional intelligence training, restorative practices, and community-based engagement models that support long-term behavioral change. Through Undugu’s cohort programming, staff training, and agency partnerships, Reyes works with institutions seeking innovative strategies to improve officer–participant communication, reduce escalation during supervision encounters, and strengthen accountability across justice systems.

Jermail Shelton is the founder of the Undugu Foundation, a brotherhood community of more than 500 Black men focused on emotional intelligence, accountability, and authentic communication. Through his work with Undugu, Shelton has helped cultivate spaces where men engage in honest dialogue, develop self-awareness, and build stronger relationships within their families and communities. Shelton is the creator of the Undugu Speaks Curriculum, a communication and identity development framework that helps individuals articulate their experiences, develop their voice, and engage in meaningful conversations that support personal growth and accountability. He has coached professionals, community leaders, and aspiring speakers in developing clarity, confidence, and purpose-driven messaging. As a facilitator, Shelton brings deep experience guiding group dialogue and fostering environments where individuals can explore identity, responsibility, and emotional awareness. His work supports programs focused on leadership development, community engagement, and successful reintegration for justice-involved individuals.

Ashley Martin has 19 years of experience with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services. She began her career as a field probation agent supervising high-risk populations and later served as a subject matter expert in evidence-based assessments, supervision planning, and violation decision-making. She currently serves as an Evidence-Based Analyst, where she supported an artificial intelligence pilot by developing business metrics, training managers, and overseeing auditing and data management processes. Her work focuses on aligning emerging technologies with evidence-based practice, operational realities, and realistic implementation expectations. Ashley holds a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology and served six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Vik Manne is the a passionate and innovative enterprise security architect and Artificial Intelligence (AI) researcher with extensive experience helping organizations succeed in complex technology initiatives. As a former Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, he provides mission-critical technical leadership across enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

Cristel Tullock, is the Chief of the San Francisco Adult Probation Department. Chief Tullock holds a MSW and a BA in Criminology and Corrections. With 25 years of experience in community corrections, she has trained with Kaiser Permanente's Psychiatry Department and contracted with California’s Mental Health Department to develop reentry strategies for sex offenders. Her expertise spans local, state, and national criminal justice reforms, and she has led a variety of programs designed to help justice-involved individuals rebuild their lives. Among her many accolades, she received the San Francisco District Attorney’s Victim Services Award from Kamala Harris in 2007. Additionally, she graduated from the APPA Leadership Institute in 2016 and is an active member of both the APPA AI Committee and the APPA Technology Committee.

Brian Passenheim began his career with the Placer County Probation Department in 2004 as a Deputy Probation Officer, starting at the Juvenile Detention Facility. A graduate of Woodcreek High School in Roseville, California, Brian launched his career as a Correctional Officer with the Brookings County Detention Center in South Dakota. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from South Dakota State University in 2001, with minors in Criminal Justice and Spanish. Following his undergraduate studies, Brian served as a Parole Agent with the South Dakota Department of Corrections before returning to California to continue his public service. Throughout his tenure at the Placer County Probation Department, Brian has promoted through every rank, demonstrating strong leadership and a commitment to excellence. He served as Assistant Chief Probation Officer from 2021 until his appointment as Chief Probation Officer in March 2025. In addition to his leadership roles, he has held a wide range of responsibilities including Background Investigator, Field Training Officer, Public Information Officer, Safety Officer, Co-Coordinator of the CSEC team, and Evidence Room Manager. In 2023, Brian earned a Master of Science in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego. Brian is passionate about serving the community and is honored to lead the department in its mission to enhance public safety, promote rehabilitation, and support positive change throughout Placer County.

Michael Laughlin holds a Master’s in Counseling/Guidance and is a former Senior U.S. Pretrial/Probation Officer-Specialist, later serving in multiple jurisdictions as a County Manager involving Jail Diversion, Pretrial, and Criminal Justice systems. He is past President of Texas Association of Pretrial Services and currently serves on their Professional Development Committee as well as the APPA Technology Committee’s AI Subcommittee. Additionally, Mr. Laughlin is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, and nationally Certified Pretrial Release and Pretrial Diversion Professional. He served over 30 years within clinical and criminal justice systems at municipal, state, county, and Federal levels providing and managing treatment services, as well as in Federal/County Courts overseeing clients and staff as a senior officer, treatment and workforce specialist and manager. During this he led multi-disciplinary, cross-system teams successfully excuting several in-custody and community-based treatment, jail diversion, and reentry/workforce programs gaining local and national recognition and replication. Mr. Laughlin trained many groups over this time covering treatment, corrections, criminal justice, pretrial, workforce development and data/performance measurement topics. He looks forward to fostering fresh ideas here around improving AI adoption and implementation to improve public safety operations and outcomes for staff, agencies, clients, and system stakeholders.

Dean Dittmann began his IT career over two and a half decades ago in the private sector as an end user support technician. Working for a small business, he worked his way through the ranks from service to sales and eventually becoming the location manager in California’s Central Valley. Seeking a new challenge, Dean joined a start-up company specializing in data services, telephony and converged networks. While with this company, Dean carried out a variety of roles doing everything from pulling cable to programming complex phone systems and configuring converged networks supporting computer-telephone integration. When presented with the opportunity to work for a Fortune 50 company, Dean left the startup and joined PepsiCo where he honed his skills managing enterprise-wide IT and network projects eventually serving as Senior Technician in the California region.

Steve Jackson serves as Chief Probation Officer for the San Joaquin County Probation Department, overseeing community supervision services in one of California’s largest counties, with a population of more than 800,000 residents. Chief Jackson was appointed Chief of the San Joaquin County Probation Department in March of 2020 having begun his career in 1998 as a Probation Officer in Stanislaus County.