Our Network of Experts
Rich Stanek is an internationally recognized expert in law enforcement, public safety, and corrections. While licensed as a police officer for nearly four decades, Rich served as Minnesota’s Commissioner of Public Safety and Director of Homeland Security, and as Sheriff of Hennepin County, Minnesota. Sheriff Stanek (ret.) has led national, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and is well-known as an innovator and champion for the public safety mission; he is a published author, frequent conference speaker and media guest.
Rich is the Principal Consultant for Public Safety Strategies Group, LLC (PSSG) a national consulting firm providing subject matter expertise and services for public agencies and private firms across the United States. Rich works with Executive-level leaders from small agencies to Fortune 500 Companies providing PSSG’s clients with a broad portfolio of services, including organizational and leadership studies and guidance, strategic planning, information sharing; leveraging and developing new technology, corporate security, and relationship development.
Rich Stanek’s national leadership influences included Law Enforcement Senior Advisor to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Secretary of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was an integral contributor to FirstNet, as a Board member for 6 years. Rich served as President of the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), Vice President of the National Sheriffs Association (NSA), President of the Leaders in International Counterterrorism (LinCT), and President of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association (MSA). He continues his service to the law enforcement community and on behalf of PSSG clients through his membership and work with National Public Safety and Corrections Associations; including the International Association Chiefs of Police, Police Executive Research Forum, National Sheriff’s Association, and Major County Sheriffs of America.
Sheriff Stanek’s legacy continues through his creation of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Community Engagement Team, Jail Mental Health Services Reforms, Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF), Criminal Information Sharing & Analysis Unit (CISA), and construction of the new regional Communications Facility. He is acknowledged to have reduced violent crime across the county by 38% between 2007-2018; he was among the first in the nation to serve as Incident Commander under the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) after the collapse of the 35 W Bridge in Minneapolis in 2007.
Rich is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice; he earned a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration from Hamline University. He has been married to Sally Stanek since 1986, and they have two adult children. He is an avid Minnesota outdoorsman, and enjoys fishing, boating, hunting, snowmobiling, and even ice fishing in below zero temperatures.
More than 38 years of public safety experience
- Three term Sheriff of Hennepin County, MN
- Retired Captain from the Minneapolis Police Department
- Minnesota's former Commissioner of Public Safety & Director of Homeland Security
State and federal public policy experience
- Vice Chair of the First Responder Network Authority FirstNet Board
- Five term Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Chair of the MN House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee
Education that matches the experience
- Criminal Justice Degree from the University of Minnesota
- Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Hamline University
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Julianne Ortman is an attorney and managing partner with Public Safety Strategies Group, LLC a national consulting firm providing subject matter expertise and services for public agencies and private firms across the United States. Julianne’s areas of expertise include law enforcement, corrections, mental health, justice, and public safety. She concurrently serves as the Executive Director of the National Fusion Center Association, made up of members from the National Fusion Center Network and associated public safety partners and stakeholders across the United States. The NFCA works closely with Federal Partners: Congress, Homeland Security (DHS), Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Sheriffs Association (NSA), Major Cities Chiefs (MCCA), Association of State Crime Labs Law (ASCIA); State and Local Government Agencies.
Julianne is licensed to practice law in both Minnesota and Florida and became known for her successes as a trial attorney in several business and constitutional law cases. She is a former public official, elected to serve as a County Commissioner in Carver County, Minnesota followed by four terms as a Minnesota State Senator, where she served as the Deputy Majority Leader, Chair of the Senate Tax Committee, and member of the Public Safety and Judiciary Committees.
Julianne served as Chief of Staff for Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek; her leadership assignments from 2007-2018 included, and her areas of expertise include Finance, Legal Affairs, Communications, Government Relations, Strategic Planning, award-winning Jail studies and reforms, and the Agency’s internationally recognized Community Engagement Team.
In 2019, Julianne moved to Florida to join the Command Staff for Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, where her chief assignment was to prosecute Risk Protection Order Cases — Florida’s innovative Red Flag Law adopted following the tragic mass shootings at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Julianne is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul Minnesota, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia. She has been married to Ray Ortman since 1989, they have four grown children. She is an avid long-distance runner, having started – and finished — 8 marathons, including the original marathon in Athens, Greece.
An Attorney for Nearly 35 Years
- Current licensing in Minnesota and Florida; previous licensing in Washington D.C. and Virginia
- Skilled trial and business practice with focus on corporate, constitutional, and regulatory law
- Admitted to practice in the United State Supreme Court
State and County Public Policy and Leadership
- Elected Minnesota State Senator 2002-2016; Dep. Majority Leader and Chair of the Tax Committee
- Elected County Commissioner, Carver County, Minnesota
- 1 of 35 Department Directors for one of the nation’s largest counties (Hennepin County Sheriff Chief of Staff)
- Legal Affairs for Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County, Florida
Outstanding Academic Credentials
- Graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota
- University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
