Meet Your Conference Host
Matt Laas
Meet Your Presenters
Dr. Monya Cohen
Is there room for a Ride Along?
Monya Cohen is a licensed psychologist practicing for over 20 years in Maryland. She developed and teaches a course, “Understanding trauma and PTSD in first responders” at a university in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Cohen is the department psychologist at one of the busiest fire/rescue stations (Rescue 2, Wheaton) in Montgomery County, Maryland. Monya is committed to meeting the health and mental wellness needs of the department.
Dr. Silvia DeGirolamo
From SOF to Station: What Operator Performance Science May Offer the Fire Service
Dr. Jeannelle Perkins
Decision-Making Under Fire: Cognitive Load, Stress, and Nervous System Effects on Performance
Dr. Perkins is an educator, author, and international speaker dedicated to helping individuals, organizations, and communities build resilience and thrive.
As Founder and CEO of Haruki Health, she specializes in emotional resilience, relational intelligence, mental wellness, and trauma-informed care, with a particular focus on high-stress professions and underserved communities.
Dr. Perkins has presented nationally and internationally, including in Kenya, Japan, Tanzania, Vietnam, and beyond. She has been featured in media outlets such as Newsweek, PBS, Vice, TV One, and Charleston Magazine.
Dr. Perkins is the author of two books: Strategic Emotional Resilience: Mastering Your Inner World for a Life of Power, Purpose, and Peace, and Into-Me-See: Mastering Black Intimacy for the Relationship You’ve Always Wanted. Additionally, she’s been published in various academic journals.
Through her clinical work, teaching, writing, and speaking, Dr. Perkins empowers audiences to strengthen their inner world, deepen relationships, and lead lives of greater purpose, performance, and well-being.
Battalion Chief (Ret.) David Picone
Restoring Resilience: An Evidence-Based Biopsychosocial Approach to PTSD, Brain Injury, and Chronic Pain in First Responders
David Picone is CEO of the Health & Safety Leadership Alliance and a retired Battalion Chief from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Over his 30-year career, he built one of the most comprehensive Health & Safety Office models in the fire service, authoring 34 integrated policies that address prevention, behavioral health, cancer mitigation, injury rehabilitation, and coordinated claims management.
During a decade of operational growth, SDFD’s injury rate per FTE dropped from 32% to 24%, while annual Workers’ WC claims remained stable despite increased presumptive exposures.
He secured over $1.5M in grants to develop a Division I–level Wellness Center and expanded peer, chaplain, and canine-based crisis support services department-wide.
As CEO, Picone now leads a national effort to scale this proof-of-value framework across the fire, EMS, law enforcement, labor, healthcare, and risk sectors—aligning prevention and recovery systems with NFPA, OSHA, Cal/OSHA, IAFF-WFI, MTUS, ACOEM, and law enforcement standards.
Ms. Latisha B. Russell
Overcoming Burnout and Leading with Resilience
Andrew James Smith
Building Social Relationship Resilience to Protect Against the Inevitable Effects of Chronic Trauma Exposure
Ms. Jennifer Laurel Weaver
From the Brain to the Backstep: Stress, Survival, and Performance in the Fire Service
Dr. Ashley T. Winch
From Fragmented to Unified: Implementing a Statewide Zero Suicide Framework for the Florida Fire Service
Dr. Winch is a licensed clinical psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UCF (University of Central Florida) RESTORES.
She serves as a lead clinician on the crisis response team, responding to departments in the wake of line-of-duty deaths, suicides, and officer-involved shootings.
Dr. Winch’s research focuses on firearm safety and suicide prevention, with a particular emphasis on identifying risk factors and prevention strategies for first responder suicide.
Your Conference MC
Battalion Chief Robert Avsec (Ret.)
Chief served with the Chesterfield (Va.) Fire & EMS Department for 26 years, where he led with vision and a commitment to transformational change.
As FSPA’s Operations Chief, he is serving as the conference MC for a fourth time (Hope he gets it right this time!)
Chief Avsec brings not only decades of experience but also a passion for elevating dialogue around mental health, leadership, and cultural competence in the fire service.
With his many appearances on fire and EMS podcasts and his active presence on social media, Chief Avsec is widely recognized for his thought leadership in fire service innovation.
He is a frequent contributor to FireRescue1.com and FireChief.com, where his writing bridges operational insight with strategic foresight. He is also the author of the book, Successful Transformational Change in a Fire and EMS Department, which chronicles how a focused team built a revenue recovery program for emergency ambulance transportation from the ground up in just six months.
Fire Chief Jack “J.” Taylor
Jack “J.” Taylor has served as Fire Chief of the Pearland Fire Department since May 2022. A 33-year veteran of the fire service, Taylor previously led the Town of Trophy Club, TX, as Fire Chief and served the City of Irving, TX, for 25 years—rising through the ranks to the role of Assistant Chief before retiring.
Firefighter Eduardo “Eddy” Liceaga
Eduardo “Eddy” Liceaga is a Firefighter/EMT-B with the Pearland Fire Department, bringing over a decade of experience and a deep commitment to service. He holds multiple fire certifications and has been honored with a lifesaving award for his actions in the line of duty.
Dr. Daniel R. Altman
Effective Psychological Pre-Employment Evaluations in Fire Services
Daniel R. Altman, Ph.D., has worked in psychology for over twenty years, after earning his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University.
Dr. Burton A. Clark, Ed. D., EFO
Fire Service Seatbelt Use: A 20-Year Case Study
Burton “Burt” Clark has been in the fire service for 50 years and counting! He started his career a firefighter in Washington, DC, and his career path took to Prince George’s County (Mary.), and Carroll County (Mary.),