Conference Keynote Speakers

We are getting so excited about the conference coming up in Overland Park! It is less than a month away! Our conference lineup is looking great. Here is some information about our keynote speakers and the conference schedule has been posted on our website. We sincerely hope to see you there!

“Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way” – Leadership is more than being an appointed supervisor. Everyone in your communications center has the possibility for leadership. This one of a kind leadership class will address leadership at all levels of your organization and provide attendees with ways to improve the leadership in your communications center. By Tony Harrison

Tony Harrison – Tony is the founder of The Public Safety Group. Tony has spent more than twenty five years in communications, working in small centers to major metropolitan communications centers. He is a Certified Emergency Number Professional, has a BA in Criminal Justice and a MA in Political Science and Urban Affairs. During his time in the communications center he has served as a Call Taker, Dispatcher, Communications Training Officer and Communications Training Coordinator. He was also a Communications Supervisor for 6 years. Tony has been awarded numerous letters of commendations during his service for his professionalism and attention to duty during an officer involved shooting, the federal building bombing and service on numerous department boards. Tony was the on-duty shift supervisor during the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995 when 168 people were killed during the largest domestic terrorist event in US history. Tony served as a reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Canadian County Sheriff's Office in Oklahoma for more than 20 years and retired at the rank of Captain. This gives him a very unique insight into BOTH sides of the radio - the needs of the officer on the ground and the demands on communication personnel. During his service he was awarded the Medal of Valor for his involvement during a fatal officer involved shooting of a homicide, kidnapping and rape suspect. Tony has been active in both APCO and NENA serving as a state chapter president and numerous committees at a national level including the Professional Development Committee, Project 35, project 37, Homeland Security Task Force, policies, procedures & training committee and currently serve on the Commercial Advisor Council. In 2012 he was awarded life membership in APCO international.

Dealing with Burnout & Managing Stress By Dr. Jenny Prohaska

Dr. Jennifer Prohaska – Dr. Prohaska is a native Kansan. She completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas in 2013. She completed her residency at University of Kansas Medical Center with a specialty in neuro-rehabilitation medicine, where her primary focus was addressing the immediate psychological needs of individuals undergoing major physical and emotional trauma in an inpatient medical setting. After completion of her residency, also in 2013, she was hired as a Clinical Faculty Member at the University of Kansas Cancer Centers where her duties were to address the needs of terminally ill individuals with a variety of cancers, and specializing in brain cancer. In late 2013 she was presented with the opportunity to return to a trauma medicine-related practice when she entered private practice as a police and public safety psychologist. Since that time she has worked primarily with individuals in law enforcement and the fire service in both clinical and educational settings. She enjoys complex casework that still allows her to use her medical knowledge while helping people return to their respective service positions. She very much enjoys teaching, risk assessment and evaluations, leadership coaching, and using psychological knowledge and skill to help organizations address complex personnel problems and create positive organizational change.