Patrick Braker is a retired US Navy intelligence officer with extensive experience in homeland defense and international affairs. In his Navy career, Mr. Braker served overseas four times, and garnered broad experience in international affairs and diplomacy while serving as the Assistant Naval Attaché in the Defense Attaché Office, US Embassy France. He is a designated US Navy Foreign Area Officer with expertise in Western Europe and speaks French. His last active duty assignment was as the Director of Operations for NORAD and USNORTHCOM's Combined Intelligence and Fusion Center.

Mr. Braker instructs a graduate level course on terrorism, and lectures a Freshman Seminar on Homeland Security. He received his Master's degree in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School, and Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Drexel University.

Elizabth (Liz) Coffer is a retired senior CIA officer with over 25 years of experience in intelligence.  During her final assignment, Liz served for two years as the CIA Officer-in-Residence at the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  As a faculty member in the Political Science Department, Liz taught American Government, Geopolitics, and Politics & Intelligence.  For the latter, she received the department’s “Instructor of the Year” award for revising the course content and increasing its enrollment by 50%.  Her previous assignment was at NORAD and United States Northern Command where served a three-year tour as the Director of National Intelligence’s senior intelligence officer to the Commander of both military commands.  Liz’s earlier CIA assignments were largely in the field of resource management in support of operational entities and programs.

Since retirement, Liz has been teaching on-line for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in the National Security Intelligence certificate program.  She has also taught pre-college mathematics for Pikes Peak Community College and most recently is teaching remedial mathematics and composition at Central Texas College at their Vicenza, Italy facility.

Jay Fawcett was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. When he was    17 he moved to Colorado Springs to enlist in the Air Force Academy as a Cadet. Fawcett spent six years as a Weapons System Officer before going to Johnson School of Management at Cornell University to earn his M.B.A. Fawcett received the Bronze Star when he was deployed during the first Gulf War Fawcett served in Operation Desert Shield and in the helicopter assault into Iraq in Desert Storm. Fawcett moved up to the rank of Lt. Colonel before he retired to become a defense contractor. In 1998 he returned to Colorado Springs and began work at the US Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base.

 Lori Hodges  Lori Hodges currently works as a Field Manager for the Colorado Office of Emergency Management. Her responsibilities include working as a field liaison to ten counties in and around the Denver Metro area supporting local jurisdictions and agencies in emergency management activities. Prior to working for the State of Colorado, Lori worked as a local emergency manager for Park County. She also spent eight years as a Paramedic Field Training Instructor for Summit County Ambulance and five years as a volunteer structural firefighter for Snake River Fire Rescue. Lori also has experience with Incident Management Teams. She started with a small Incident Management Group in Summit County, and now belongs to the Type III Jefferson County Incident Management Team as both a Planning Section Chief and a Liaison Officer.
Lori's certifications include the Advanced Professional Series through FEMA and Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers. Lori's education includes a Master's Degree in Political Science and Public Policy, a Bachelor's Degree in Emergency Management and Planning, and an Associate's Degree in Fire Science Technology.

Kurt Johnson is currently the Director at the Center for Homeland Security, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of Wisconsin, a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Wisconsin, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in international law from the University of Virginia. He retired from the U.S. Navy in late 2008 with the rank of Captain (O-6). During his twenty-three year career, he served worldwide primarily as an advisor to U.S. military commanders. His final assignment was as the senior legal advisor to the Commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM from 2005 to 2008, where he grappled with some of the most challenging legal and policy issues in the Department of Defense, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Katrina..read more.

 Michael A. Noll recently retired from the Senior Executive Service after almost nine years as the Director of Intelligence (J2) for North American Aerospace Defense Command, US Northern Command and Director of Joint Intelligence Operations Center North. As such, he was responsible for a team of 250 intelligence professionals charged with the duties of warning, threat characterization, and knowledge of the human and physical environment of North America and adjacent regions. The intelligence missions conducted by JIOC North included counter-terrorism, countering transnational crime, missile defense, air and maritime threat warning, and Arctic security issues.

Mr. Noll is currently a graduate-level instructor for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, teaching courses on intelligence and on border security. Education includes a B.A. Honors, Russian History, University of Missouri and M.A. National Security Studies, Georgetown University.

Randy Pearson is a national security professional with over fifteen years of foreign affairs, defense policy, and intelligence experience. He began his civil service career as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of State advancing nuclear safety policy with European partners throughout the former Soviet Union, and serving on detailed assignments to the Department’s China Desk, and to the Pentagon’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Policy Office. He then transferred to the Department of Defense becoming responsible for defense programs, bilateral working groups, and ministerials with Caribbean and Central American states, as well as Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he became responsible for screening, assessments, and recommendations regarding enemy combatants detained in the global war on terror in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.  Randy accepted promotion to senior intelligence advisor in the Joint Staff’s war on terrorism directorate where he was responsible for the national level review of the Army’s revised interrogation manual, detainee repatriation, and various special access programs.  Following his time at the Pentagon, Randy accepted a position with the Central Intelligence Agency advising and producing... read more

 Scott Stanley graduated in 1982 from St. John's University, NY with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and commissioned through Officer Candidate School in March 1983. Following Basic Surface Warfare Officer School and Damage Control Assistant School, he reported to USS TUSCALOOSA (LST 1187) as DCA. From 1985-87, he served as Flag LT to Commander, Amphibious Group THREE and Commander, Naval Surface Group Long Beach.

Captain Stanley was selected for lateral designator transfer to Naval Intelligence in 1987 and reported to USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) where he served as OZ Division Officer, Multi-Sensor Interpretation Officer and Supplementary Plot Officer. He graduated in 1992 from the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of Arts degree in National Security Affairs (Russian Studies). Coincident with his graduate studies, he graduated from the Russian Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute... read more

Michael Therianos graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelors Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air University. Finally, he earned a Masters Certificate in Homeland Security from UCCS. He has served in the United States Air Force for over 21 years with various command and control assignments in the Continental U.S., Pacific, European and Middle Eastern theaters. His present assignment to U.S. Northern Command has presented many opportunities to plan and execute exercises and operations for Homeland Defense and Homeland Security. Col Therianos has played key roles in planning and operations during Hurricane Katrina Relief Operations, Space Shuttle Consequence Management missions, State of the Union '08 and the Democratic & Republican National Conventions.

   
CAPT. James W. Terbush  Captain Terbush currently serves as the Private Sector Medical lead for the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) Interagency Coordination Directorate (IC). He establishes effective working relationships with key Private Sector and NGO Healthcare entities in advance of disasters. The role of the IC is to facilitate the anticipation, integration and synchronization of Interagency activities to ensure mutual understanding and unity of effort.  USNORTHCOM cooperates with key Private Sector/NGO stakeholders to “advance understanding, increase unity of effort and enhance capacity in mitigating the effects of  natural or man-made disasters”.

Bret Waters was born and raised in Tulare County, California. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Fresno Pacific University. Bret worked as the Emergency Manager in Tulare County, California, and directed Homeland Security efforts and Public Health emergency planning. Since June 2005 he has served as Director of the Office of Emergency Management for the City of Colorado Springs. Bret has oversight over Homeland Security and emergency planning efforts within Colorado Springs and is the past Chair of the South Central Homeland Security Region. Bret managed the City of Colorado Springs Emergency Operations Center during the Waldo Canyon Fire and had a significant management role during this event. Bret is an adjunct instructor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and is Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers.