Our Team

Rich Stanek

CEO - Principal Consultant

Rich Stanek's Bio

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

State and federal public policy experience

Education that matches the experience

David J. Mahoney

Senior Consultant

David Mahoney's Bio

Dave Mahoney is an internationally recognized expert in law enforcement, public safety, and corrections. While licensed as a police officer for more than four decades, including more than twenty years’ experience as a detective, Dave served four terms as the 52nd Sheriff of Dane County, Wisconsin (2007-2021). Sheriff Mahoney (ret.) has led national, state, and local law enforcement organizations, and is well-known as a champion for community engagement and treatment alternatives to incarceration.  

Dave Mahoney is a Senior Consultant with 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. Dave 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, staffing and labor management, strategic planning, leveraging and  developing technology, enterprise security, and relationship development.  

Dave Mahoney has shaped and inspired learning and innovation among public safety organizations at  the local, state and national level, as President of the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) and on the  Executive Board for the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA). He is recognized across the national  landscape as an advocate for mental health and substance use treatment for the justice-involved, and for identifying strategies to address racial disparities and disproportionate minority confinement. His  comments have been published in the Psychiatric Times (2015), Capital Times (2014, 2015), The Hill (2016), and NPR (2017), among many others.

Sheriff Mahoney earned international recognition and acclaim in 2010, for his leadership in coordinating  peaceful protests, protecting 1st Amendment rights, and maintaining the safety of 120,000 protesters and  activists — and hundreds of national and international media organizations –who occupied the Wisconsin  State Capitol for 120 days consecutively. His legacy continues through service on the Governor’s Council  on Homeland Security and the Governor’s Criminal Justice Council. 

Dave is a graduate of Mount Senario College in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy for Executive Management (2008) and  the FBI National Executive Institute (NEI) for Executive Leadership (2013). He has been married to Kathy  Mahoney since 1983, and they have 2 adult children. When time allows, he enjoys motorcycling across  the country to enjoy the mountain views of West Virginia or Montana, or just to grab a great Memphis  barbecue.

Four decades of Law Enforcement & Public Safety Service

State and National Leadership and Advocacy

Education

Julianne Ortman

Managing Partner and Senior Consultant

Julianne Ortman's Bio

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.

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, and her leadership  assignments from 2007-2018 included 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 Subject Matter Expert in the areas of government legal affairs, finance, purchasing,  and contracting. She provides professional policy, research, writing and analysis for PSSG’s  clients, including grant and proposal writing. She is a trusted advisor on communications strategy, government relations and marketing (including association investment and conference  planning and cordination).

Julianne has been married to Ray Ortman since 1989, they have four grown children. She is an  avid runner and has finished 8 marathons and an official race in 15 states (and counting!)

An Attorney for Nearly 35 Years

State and County Public Policy and Leadership

Outstanding Academic Credentials

John Shuman

Senior Consultant

John Shuman's Bio

John Shuman is a highly trusted, experienced, and internationally recognized security expert, having served as a Special Agent on a wide range of details in the United Secret Service, and as Chief Security Officer/Director in two of the largest corporate enterprises in the world. For nearly 15 years, Secret Service Agent Shuman managed high-level security assignments of national and international significance.  

He has trained, prepared and coordinated security teams from posts in the Minneapolis Field Office, the U.S. Vice President’s Protective Division, the United States Secret  Service Academy, and the Chicago Field Office. John’s unmatched achievements include responsibility for training and certification programs for agents  assigned to the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Divisions at the U.S. Secret Service Training Academy.  He has designed security and coordinated and trained thousands of law enforcement, fire, and EMS  personnel for large scale, high-level, high-profile events in the U.S., Europe, India, and Southeast Asia.  

John Shuman’s areas of expertise include Threat and Vulnerability Assessments, Executive Protection  for VIP and C-Suite clients, Corporate Security Roadmaps, Security Technology, Security Systems and  Investments, and Multi-site Operations. Upon leaving the Secret Service, John served as a top corporate  security officer in Fortune 500 multi-national corporations, first for Target Corporation (with oversight for  event security, workplace violence mitigation, and global protection of C-Suite leaders Directors) and then  with U.S. Bank (with responsibility for the safety and security of 73,000 employees, customers, and  contractors; 300 facilities and 300 non-retail facilities in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Mexico).  

John Shuman consults as a Security Expert with Public Safety Strategies Group, and also owns and  operates a separate corporate entity providing licensed, bonded, and insured armed security,  employing retired law enforcement and military professionals. John consults with Fortune 500  companies, public agencies, and high net worth family- owned businesses, advising on all security matters  including key personnel; hiring, training, and policy best practices; security budgets, systems, and  technology investments; and security strategic planning and project management. 

John earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul,  Minnesota. He certified as a Criminal Investigator by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and  is a graduate of the U.S. Secret Service Academy’s Special Agent Training Course. He has been married to Terri Shuman; they live in North Oaks with their son, Jonah, where John also serves as an elected city  councilman.

Nearly 15 Years in Leadership Positions with the United States Secret Service

Fortune 500 Multi-National Security Expertise

Education, Certification and Training