Our Network of Experts

Sheriff Rich Stanek (Ret.)

Principal Consultant and Senior Expert

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

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Sheriff Dave Mahoney (Ret.)

Senior Expert

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

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Attorney Julianne Ortman

Managing Partner and Senior Expert

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.  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

State and County Public Policy and Leadership

Outstanding Academic Credentials

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Sheriff Byron Oedekoven (Ret.)

Senior Expert

Chief Kel McDaniel (Ret.)

Senior Expert

Chief Deputy Mike Carlson (Ret.)

Senior Expert

Attorney Imran Ali

Senior Expert

Special Agent John Shuman (Ret.)

Senior Expert