CSKA and CPKN Research Symposium Presenters 2025
Learn About Our 2025 CSKA and CPKN Research Symposium Presenters
The Brain Story and Resilience Scale in Action: From Awareness to Implementation
Presentation | Wednesday, February 26 | 9:45 a.m.
Nancy Mannix
Nancy Mannix is the Chair and Patron of the Palix Foundation, a private foundation whose philanthropy aims to improve the health and wellness outcomes of children and families. The Foundation, through the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative, focuses on aligning science, policy, and practice in areas of brain development and its implications for child development, mental health, addiction, and other disease and disorders, generating changes at an individual, organizational and systems level.
Nancy's work with the Palix Foundation has garnered a number of prestigious awards in the mental health sector. Throughout her career in the charitable sector, Nancy has been involved with several organizations, and recently contributed to understanding the impact of COVID-19 on children and youth as a member of the Child and Youth Well-being Review panel.
Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of San Diego and a Juris Doctor Degree from Seattle University
Claire Niehaus
Claire Niehaus is a Scientific Associate with the Palix Foundation. She is a graduate from the University of Lethbridge having received her MSc in Behavioral Neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Robbin Gibb. An active member of her community, she volunteers with Let’s Talk Science and Building Brains Together, and serves as a Director on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lethbridge and District.
Claire joined the Palix Foundation in the summer of 2022 and is passionate about applying her skills and knowledge to build resilience within her community.
Lighting the Fire Within: Culture and Trauma Informed Policing Operationalized
Wednesday, February 26 | 1 p.m.
Todd Fox
Detective Sergeant, Todd Fox is a proud member of the Wikwemikong First Nation and has worked in policing for the past 16 years. Prior to working with UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service, he served his community with the Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service (WTPS) as an auxiliary member, Police Officer, Sergeant and Detective Sergeant.
He now serves with the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service as the Detective Sergeant overseeing the crime unit, and has overseen many complex investigations. He is a graduate of the police foundations program with Algonquin College and is trained in homicide investigations, sexual assault investigations, major case management, confidential informant handling, as well as many other investigative trainings.
Taylor Sayers
Taylor Sayers is a member of Ketegaunseebee First Nation and is the Director of Corporate Services with UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service. The police service serves six First Nation communities on and around Manitoulin Island. For the past 13 years she has worked closely with the Police Service Commission and the Chief of Police to deliver the organization’s strategic objectives and oversees the corporate functions of the organization. She is also a member of the Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario and has worked with them to create equity for First Nations police service employees (officers and civilians).
Taylor has also been instrumental in the development of culturally responsive policing initiatives for the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service, and recently created the culture and trauma informed curriculum that is being delivered for the Lighting the Fire Within project. The curriculum focuses on providing participants with crisis intervention and de-escalation training, responding to mental health and addictions crises in communities, trauma informed approaches to policing from a culturally safe lens, and ensuring a proactive approach to an individual’s own mental health as a first responder.
Taylor is passionate about Mental Health in the workplace and serves as a member of various provincial and national working groups that focus on improving the mental health of public safety personnel. She is a graduate of Business Administration from Laurentian University – Algoma University College and holds certificates in Labour Law and Workplace Mental Health Law from York University. In addition to her work, she also serves as an external member of the Board of Governors for Algoma University.
Teresa Nahwegahbow
Teresa Nahwegahbow is the Community Mobilization Assistant with the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service. Prior to working with UCCM APS, Teresa co-founded a successful urban Indigenous Employment and Training organization in Kitchener-Waterloo, ON. Ms. Nahwegahbow credits her past work as a Senior Proposal Assessment Officer within the Aboriginal Healing Foundation in Ottawa for lighting her passion to provide ways to affect positive change for Indigenous people. Her work in the Aboriginal Healing Foundation offered her a new teaching ground as she gained a greater understanding of the impacts of the Residential School system on Indigenous peoples from local, regional, and national perspectives.
This drive to create change led Teresa to Northeastern Alberta. In Alberta, Teresa worked alongside her late husband where they co-founded their company, The Paudash Group. Together they developed and facilitated programming for at-risk Indigenous children, youth, and young adults. In the twelve years living and working in Northeastern Alberta, they facilitated their Life Enhancement & Empowerment Program and Transition to Employment Program in the urban, First Nation and Metis communities of the Wood Buffalo Region. In 2014, Teresa accepted the position of Executive Director of Nistawoyou Association Friendship Centre. During her work in the Centre, Teresa and her team of staff members and Board of Directors led the Friendship Centre to become a critical re-entry point for the Indigenous communities following the fire of May 2016 in Fort McMurray.
Teresa believes strongly that her role within the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service has been a forum for her to continue with her passion of exemplifying the power of change and how change can create connections, foster understanding, and preserve relationships.
Tasmania Police: Trauma Informed Practice
Wednesday, February 26 | 3:15 p.m.
Dr Isabelle Bartkowiak-Théron
Dr Isabelle Bartkowiak-Théron works at the University of Tasmania and specializes in socio-legal studies, with a particular interest in police interaction with vulnerable people. Lead senior researcher on the vulnerability, police education, and law enforcement and public health research streams at the Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies. Coordinates the Tasmania Police Recruit Course for the University, within which she teaches on police interactions with vulnerable people and the related legislation.
Within the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association, Isabelle sits on the First Responders Mental Health Special Interest Group. She has been the deputy chair of the Tasmanian Social Science Human Research Ethics Committee since 2018. She also occasionally consults on the UNODC on vulnerability matters and international curricula. Isabelle sits on various international journal editorial committees, and on international and Australian charitable, professional and research governance boards, such as Connect42 (a Tasmanian charity that aims to promote literacy as a public health issue) the Australian Institute of Police Management Ethical Review and Research Governance Advisory Committee, and the Australia New Zealand Society of Criminology. She sits on the Australian Crime Prevention Council as the executive member for Tasmania, and on the Tasmanian Sentencing Advisory Council.
Joanne Stolp
Commander Stolp has been a member of Tasmania Police for 29 years, working in a diverse range of roles, at different ranks, and across all districts. Operationally, she has had significant stints in investigation, both drug and criminal.
Commander Stolp was previously responsible for the People Support portfolio and assisted in leading the project to integrate Business and Executive Services across the four operational arms of the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management (DPFEM) – Tasmania Police, Tasmania Fire Service, State Emergency Service and Forensic Science Service Tasmania.
Commander Stolp’s research and development of a Preventative and Proactive Wellbeing business case led to the implementation of a large-scale Wellbeing Support Program across DPFEM and Ambulance Tasmania.
Commander Stolp undertook a leadership role in protective security, emergency and risk management, counter terrorism policy, and special operations group and capability support as the Commander of Special Response and Counter Terrorism, prior to commencing a period of project work based in the Office of the Commissioner. These projects have included negotiation of the most recent Tasmania Police Enterprise Bargain, the implementation of Tasmania Police’s new Think Tank approach and a review of the Police Family Violence Units.
Commander Stolp is continuing project work with implementation of Commission of Inquiry into Tasmanian Government Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings and Child and Youth Safe Organisation Reform recommendations. A significant part of the recommendation implementation has involved introduction and continuation of Trauma Informed Awareness and Practice specifically for police and, more broadly, across the Tasmanian State Service. Commander Stolp has developed a particular interest in this area and is working closely with the University of Tasmania.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Study: An Overview with Recent Results and Opportunities for all Police
Keynote Presentation | Thursday, February 27 | 8:30 a.m.
Nicholas Carleton
R. Nicholas Carleton is a Professor of Clinical Psychology. He focuses on the mental health of first responders and other public safety personnel. He has published 270+ peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, completed 550+ national and international conference presentations, and been awarded $100M+ in competitive funding. He has received several prestigious recognitions, including induction to the Royal Society of Canada’s College and as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He is principal investigator for the RCMP Longitudinal PTSD Study (www.rcmpstudy.ca) and for other public safety personnel (www.saskptsistudy.ca), and co-investigator for a National Internet Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program (www.PSPSNET.ca).
Best and Worst: The Dual Perspective of Police Citizen Interactions
Thursday, February 27 | 9:30 a.m.
Holly Campeau
Holly Campeau is an Assistant Professor of Sociolegal Studies at the University of Waterloo specializing in the intersection between criminology, cultural sociology, and sociology of law. She is also a Senior Researcher with the Global Justice Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, focusing on justice reform. Her research uses fieldwork and qualitative methods to shed light on “how culture works” in the broader field of law and criminal justice, as well as the system of relations among its members. She has published several papers on "police culture" and the impacts of various changes in policing, and recently turned her focus toward arrest encounters to unpack the “dual perspective” of police-citizen interactions through interviews with both frontline officers and individuals who are detained.
Beyond Resilience: The MAGNUSity of Preemptive Strength Through the 11 Rings of Performance and Wellbeing
Thursday, February 27 | 10:45 a.m.
Sam Spiegel
Neurodiversity in Policing: Building Better Practices for Safer Interactions
Thursday, February 27 | 12:45 p.m.
Alisha Salerno-Ferraro
Alisha Salerno-Ferraro is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at York University specializing in the intersections of psychology, law, and social justice. Her research focuses on improving police response toward autistic people, decision-making processes within the legal system, and the role of perceptions and emotions in justice outcomes. She is passionate about translating psychological research into actionable insights for law enforcement and policymakers to foster fair and effective practices. In addition to her research, Alisha is an experienced educator, engaging students in courses that explore psychological principles and their real-world applications.
Who is the Justice Client: The Victim Offender Overlap
Presentation | Thursday, February 27 | 1:45 p.m.
Dan Jones
Dan Jones retired from the Edmonton Police Service after 25 years of service. He worked in General Patrol, Foot Patrol, Undercover Operations and Gang Unit as a Constable, Professional Standards Branch, and Homicide Section as a Detective, General Patrol as a Staff Sergeant, as well as Investigative Support Branch Downtown Division Patrol and Research as an Inspector. He earned a Master’s Degree in Applied Criminology from the University of Cambridge where his research focused on the victim/offender overlap and the impact that trauma has on the justice client. He is currently the Chair of Justice Studies at NorQuest College.