In January 2014, Adrienne Meador Murray joined D. Stafford & Associates where she currently serves as the Vice President, Equity Compliance and Civil Rights Services after having been affiliated with D. Stafford & Associates as a part-time Associate since 2012 and the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers & Professionals (NACCOP) where she currently serves as Director of Training and Compliance Activities. Murray began her career in municipal law enforcement as a civilian employee with the City of Richmond Police Department (Virginia). She graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University Police Training Academy and began her career as a sworn police officer for the University of Richmond (UR) Police Department (Virginia). At UR, Murray progressed through the ranks from a night shift patrol officer to Operations Lieutenant (overseeing criminal investigations, crime prevention and patrol) over the span of a decade before becoming the Chief of Police at Davidson College in North Carolina. Most recently, Murray served as Chief of Police at Trinity Washington University (in Washington, D.C.).

As the Vice President, Equity Compliance and Civil Rights Services for DSA, Murray builds on her 17-year career in law enforcement in which she became a nationally recognized expert in the field of best practice postsecondary institutional response to the sexual victimization of college women in the United States and in Canada. She is also a trained civil rights investigator and is well respected throughout the country for her ability to aid institutions in understating how to do best practice criminal and civil rights investigations concurrently. She is well known for her work in having provided support, advocacy and criminal investigative services for victims of sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence and is a sought-out speaker and investigator. She has expertise in the construction of best practice law enforcement standard operating procedures and training police officers to respond in best practice and trauma-informed ways to victims of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. In her current role, Murray coordinates curriculum development and instruction for national classes, including basic and advanced sexual misconduct investigation classes; an investigation of dating violence, domestic violence and stalking class; and a Title IX Coordinator/Investigator class offered through D. Stafford & Associates. To date, Murray has trained more than 3,500 criminal and civil rights investigators throughout the U.S.

Drawing on her experiences as a trained criminal and civil rights investigator, Murray also oversees independent investigations of complex sexual misconduct cases; conducts audits of Title IX/VAWA Compliance; drafts institutional sexual misconduct policies and procedures; and conducts campus-based trainings pertaining to the resolution of sexual misconduct offenses on college and university campuses. Murray frequently presents at regional and national conferences on topics such as the Sexual Victimization of College Women, Understanding Consent and Incapacitation, and Responding to Sexual Assault on Campus: Clery Act and Title IX Implications. Murray also conducts provincially specific sexual misconduct trainings throughout Canada.

Murray is a graduate of the University of Richmond, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Studies in Human Resource Management and of New England College, where she received her Master’s Degree in Campus Public Safety Administration. Murray is also a graduate of the 235th session of the prestigious FBI National Academy where she was awarded a graduate certificate in Criminal Justice from the University of Virginia. She has authored numerous journal articles.

Ann Todd, Esq is a seasoned civil rights investigator in higher education for D. Stafford & Associates (DSA). Ms. Todd is a graduate of Davidson College with a degree in psychology and holds a JD from the University of Nebraska.  Ms. Todd joined DSA in 2015 and currently serves as a consultant, focusing on equity compliance and civil rights investigations. Ms. Todd is a subject matter expert on Title IX and Clery and provides consulting services and expert witness testimony to clients on compliance obligations with state and federal law. Her areas of expertise include reviewing and drafting policies and processes that provide equity and fairness to all parties involved and Ms. Todd is adept at facilitating discussions with institutions to ensure the end product represents the values of the campus community.

Ms. Todd also serves as a Senior Investigator for the DSA Title IX Investigations Team.  She conducts external investigations on behalf of colleges and universities, specializing in investigating student allegations of sex discrimination, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking. Additionally, she brings a strong Human Resources background to investigating a range of employee misconduct—from performance issues to disability discrimination.

Prior to joining DSA, she practiced law in Charlotte, NC, specializing in employment and civil rights and worked for a number of non-profit organizations.  She returned to her alma mater (Davidson College) in 2008 and worked there through March of 2016 serving as the Assistant Director of Human Resources with the responsibility of managing employee relations and the learning and development function while also serving as the deputy Title IX Coordinator.  

Ms. Todd is a frequent speaker and trainer on overseeing, investigating and resolving claims of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, in the post-secondary environment. She conducts between 20-30 courses every year, including national classes and classes for individual client institutions across the country.

Ms. Todd is licensed private investigator and a member of the NC Bar. She is a Certified Clery Compliance Officer through the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals (NACCOP) and she is also a certified 360 facilitator through the Center for Creative Leadership. Ms. Todd lives in Davidson, NC where she volunteers for a number of local nonprofits and civic organizations.

Bill Lafferty retired from active service in Law Enforcement and Public Safety after 38 years of experience and with over 28 years of experience within Higher Education.  He began his career with the U.S. Air Force as a Security Police Specialist.  During his military service, he worked his way up through the ranks and performed a variety of specialized duties within the law enforcement and security field.  These duties included patrol officer duties, patrol supervision, crime prevention programming coordinator, asset and resource protection specialist, and a quality assurance reviewer.  Bill was also instrumental in implementing an Air Force Anti-Terrorism response plan and protocol during his tenure.

After the Air Force, Bill joined the public safety team at Villanova University where he performed duties as a Patrol Sergeant, Shift Lieutenant, Assistant Director of Housing Security, and Associate Director of patrol and investigatory operations.  After nearly seven

years at Villanova, Bill left to become the Director of Public Safety at Gettysburg College.  Bill served 21 years at Gettysburg College, completing his career there as the Assistant Vice President of College Life.  Bill’s responsibilities included: direct strategic management oversight of all public safety operations; sexual and relationship violence response and investigation policy and protocol development; emergency operations management; life and fire safety; behavioral threat assessment; the oversight of institutional Clery Act and Title IX compliance requirements for the college; and during his tenure with Gettysburg, he managed student life development areas including: Greek Life, Student Activities, Experiential Education, and Student Conduct.

Bill went full-time with the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals (NACCOP) and D. Stafford & Associates (DSA) in October of 2021, continuing his service as the Director of Federal Relations for NACCOP and serving as the Director, Regulatory Compliance and Public Safety Services for DSA. In his role with DSA, Bill will continue his work as an instructor of the Clery Compliance classes, including the Clery Academy and the Advanced Clery Academy and teaching for the DSA Procedural Justice Institute. Bill will also serve as a team member in conducting Clery Act Audits and Assessments, Procedural Justice Assessments, and Organizational Assessments of campus police and public safety agencies.

Bill has served as the Director of Federal Relations with NACCOP since May of 2016.  In this role, Bill is responsible for monitoring key public policy issues facing institutions of higher education, with a particular focus on those that impact the Clery Act.  Bill is NACCOP’s representative to federal agencies, Congress and other associations regarding NACCOP’s views and legislative priorities within the higher education community, public safety, and beyond. Bill has also served as an Associate of D. Stafford & Associates since 2016 as well, teaching classes and participating in Clery Act Audits and Assessments.

Bill is a graduate of Eastern University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Development, and Villanova University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration.  Bill was certified as a NACCOP Clery Compliance Officer (CCO) as part of the program’s first cohort in July of 2017. Bill previously served a two-year term as President for the Northeast Colleges and Universities Security Association (NECUSA).

Catherine E. Lhamon is the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, where she has served since the United States Senate confirmed her in October 2021 following President Biden’s nomination for her in May 2021. From January through October 2021, Assistant Secretary Lhamon served as Deputy Assistant to President Biden for Racial Justice and Equity, where she managed the President's equity policy portfolio. From December 2016 until January 2021, she chaired the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, to which President Obama appointed her. She also served in California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Cabinet as Legal Affairs Secretary from January 2019 through January 2021. Before these roles, Lhamon had also been Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, to which President Obama nominated her and the Senate confirmed her in 2013. In addition to her government service, Lhamon has litigated civil rights cases at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, National Center for Youth Law, and Public Counsel Law Center. Earlier in her career, Lhamon taught federal civil rights appeals at Georgetown University Law Center in the Appellate Litigation Program and clerked for the Honorable William A. Norris on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

In 2023, Disability Rights California honored Lhamon with their National Leadership Award. YaleWomen honored Lhamon with their Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in 2019 and the Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. Magazine gave Lhamon their Wonder Women Award in 2018. In 2016, Politico Magazine named Lhamon one of Politico 50 Thinkers Transforming Politics and the National Action Network honored Lhamon with their Action & Authority Award. In 2015, Yale Law School named Lhamon their Gruber Distinguished Lecturer and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities awarded Lhamon their Special Recognition Award. Chronicle of Higher Education named Lhamon to their 2014 Influence List as the Enforcer. The Daily Journal listed her as one of California’s Top Women Litigators in 2010 and 2007, and as one of the Top 20 California Lawyers Under 40 in 2007. In 2004, California Lawyer magazine named Lhamon Attorney of the Year for Civil Rights.

Lhamon received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was the Outstanding Woman Law Graduate, and she graduated summa cum laude from Amherst College.

 

Cathy Cocks has been a higher education professional for over thirty years. Her work with D. Stafford & Associates focuses on Title IX investigations and training; assessment of student affairs policies, practices and services; and behavioral threat assessment. Cathy was the Director of Community Standards for the University of Connecticut for 14 years where she managed the student conduct process, which included managing all Title IX cases involving student respondents and chaired the University’s student threat assessment team. Prior to that, she held several positions within Residential Life at the University of Connecticut and Roger Williams University. 

She has been a faculty member for the Association for Student Conduct Administration’s (ASCA) Donald D. Gehring Academy teaching on subjects such as ethics, governance, threat assessment, media relations, and higher education trends. She was an affiliated faculty member for many years in the University of Connecticut’s Higher Education and Student Affairs Master’s program teaching “The Law, Ethics, and Decision-Making in Student Affairs.”

Cathy has co-authored the “Philosophy of Student Conduct” chapter in the 2nd edition of “Student Conduct Practice” (2020) and was a member of the writing team for CAS Standards’ Cross-functional Framework for Identifying and Responding to Behavioral Concerns.

Cathy is currently the Sergeant at Arms for the New England Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) and is a Past President of the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA). Cathy has served in a variety of leadership roles in NASPA Region I. 

She was the 2015 recipient of ASCA’s Donald D. Gehring Award. She is a past recipient of the NASPA Region I Mid-Level Student Affairs Professional Award and the NASPA Region I Continuous Service Award.

She earned her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Connecticut and Bachelor’s degree in Communications/Media from Fitchburg State University.

Danielle Chambers, the Chief Student Services Officer at Southwestern Illinois College, is an accomplished academic and vocational executive leader, specializing in organizational change initiatives. She holds a Master's in Business Administration and extensive experience in student services, Human Resources and program management. Excelling in team building and client services, Danielle is a certified as a Title IX Investigator and has a proven track record of implementing strategic initiatives and ensuring compliance as evidenced by her work as the COVID-19 Coordinator for Southwestern Illinois College at the height of the pandemic. Danielle approaches the daily challenges of her multi-faceted role with the perspective that while it isn’t possible to prevent all issues from occurring, handling them in a timely, professional, and equitable way, helps to minimize their negative impact and quickly turns problems into opportunities. A devoted wife and mother, Danielle has a heart for home and family. During her downtime she enjoys being a homebody or being actively engaged in meaningful work at church, demonstrating a commitment to community and spiritual values.

Dolores Stafford currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals (NACCOP), a professional association for campus administrators who are responsible for managing Clery Act compliance. She also serves as President and CEO of D. Stafford & Associates, a professional services firm specializing in safety and security related issues on college campuses, including a specialization in Clery Act and Title IX compliance issues, through which she has provided consulting services since 1997.

Ms. Stafford served as the Chief of Police at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. from 1992 to 2010. She has 26 years of experience in the law enforcement and the security industries. She spent a total of 23 years in Campus Law Enforcement at the George Washington University, Butler University and Bucknell University.  Ms. Stafford has twenty years of experience overseeing a sexual assault crisis response team at GW and Butler University that she implemented and managed at both institutions. Ms. Stafford has experience in developing operating procedures and protocols in Behavioral Threat Assessment and has led such as team for more than five years at GW. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Mansfield University and has a Master's of Science Degree in Education from Bucknell University. 

Ms. Stafford led the GW Police Department as it became an accredited law enforcement agency with the Commission of Law Enforcement Accreditation (CALEA) in March of 2006 and an International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) Accredited Agency as of 2007. She is an active assessor for the CALEA and IACLEA. She was an active member of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators for 20 years and she served on the Board of Directors from 2000-2005. Ms. Stafford served as the 45^th President of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators in 2003-2004 and she was the first female to ever hold that office. She served as the Chair of the IACLEA Accreditation Commission from 2005-2008.

Ms. Stafford has testified at several congressional hearings regarding the Clery Act and  represented IACLEA as the primary negotiator during the 1999 and 2009 Negotiated Rule Making sessions.  In 2014, she was named an expert advisor to the Negotiated Rule Making Team that dealt with the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act.

Stafford has instructed more than 300 Clery Act/HEOA training classes for her colleagues around the country and has conducted several hundred audits/reviews of the compliance efforts at various institutions. She developed a train-the-trainer program for IACLEA, actively assisted Westat in development of the initial Clery Act Handbook for Campus Crime Reporting published by the Department of Education, and participated on the Department of Education’s Handbook Review Committee in 2011. Ms. Stafford also serves as a partner in NACCOP-AEGIS, LLC, a company specializing in software solutions for higher education. As Partner in NACCOP-AEGIS, LLC, Ms. Stafford was instrumental in developing CleryEdge, a powerful, integrated suite of software modules designed to improve Clery Act compliance. 

Josh Vollendorf is Gateway Technical College's director of compliance. Mr. Vollendorf serves as the Title IX Coordinator and primary civil rights investigator, and oversees the college's compliance with Title IX, the ADA, accessibility, language access, and civil rights.. He also co-chairs the Wisconsin Technical College's Compliance Collaborative which provides compliance training programs to the 16 state technical colleges. In his career as an investigator, Mr. Vollendorf has conducted hundreds of investigations and supervised thousands more. Mr. Vollendorf holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice/law enforcement and masters degrees in adult education from UW-Platteville, a masters degree in human relations and business from Amberton University, and certification as a Professional in Human Resources from HRCI. He's currently completing his post-baccalaureate certificate in legal studies.

James Moore is the Senior Advisor for Clery Act Compliance and Campus Safety Operations at the United States Department of Education. He serves as the Federal Government’s leading expert on the Clery Act, the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, and other campus safety and crime prevention initiatives. Mr. Moore also leads the Department’s Clery Act training, technical assistance, and outreach initiatives.

He is a frequent speaker and trainer on a range of campus safety issues, including sexual assault prevention and response, threat assessment, and substance abuse prevention. From 2014-2017, Mr. Moore also served on the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.

Laura Hetrick currently services at the Director and Coordinator of Title IX at Midwestern State University. She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts with an emphasis in counseling. She completed more than 3,000 hours of clinical training and earned licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor in 2016. Laura worked for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for ten years. She has been working at Midwestern State University for the last seven years.

Lindi J. Swope is the Director of Clery Compliance activities for D. Stafford & Associates. Lindi is an expert Clery compliance professional and instructor with more than 15 years’ experience in the field. Ms. Swope served as the Manager of Transportation Services and Compliance Activities at the George Washington University where she co-wrote the campus police department’s Clery compliance manual and was the lead coordinator for Clery compliance for the campus. Ms. Swope was charged with analyzing and counting crime data, publishing the institution’s ASR and maintaining all necessary files to demonstrate compliance. She developed relationships and collaborated with local law enforcement agencies as well as the U.S. Department of Education and worked closely with the University’s Housing, General Counsel and Student Affairs administrators. Additionally, Ms. Swope directed the University’s safety transportation service which transported over 160,000 students annually.

From April 2013 to December 2018, Ms. Swope served as the Director of the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals (NACCOP). She has provided Clery Act consulting services and served as lead instructor for the Clery Act Compliance Training Academy for D. Stafford and Associates since 2011.

Ms. Swope obtained a B.A. in Psychology from the George Washington University and is an IACLEA Certified Clery Act Trainer.

Dr. Michael M. DeBowes is an experienced higher education administrator, author, and instructor. From 2007-2014, he served as the Director of Student Conduct & Academic Integrity at Old Dominion University, a large, public, metropolitan research university in southeastern Virginia. In this role, Dr. DeBowes oversaw the student conduct system for academic and nonacademic violations involving undergraduate and graduate students as well as recognized student organizations. Previously, Dr. DeBowes worked in the Center for Student Ethics and Standards at the University of Vermont.

From 2012-2014, Dr. DeBowes served as an Associate with D. Stafford & Associates (DSA). In 2014, he began his tenure with the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals as Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives. Dr. DeBowes held the same title with DSA through September 2021 until being promoted to Vice President, Regulatory Compliance and Strategic Initiatives. In these roles, DeBowes provides a variety of consulting, training, and technical assistance services related to institutional compliance with the Clery Act and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. Dr. DeBowes serves as the Editor of the Journal of Clery Compliance Officers & Professionals and has been instrumental in the development of CleryEdge, a powerful, integrated suite of software modules designed to improve Clery Act compliance.

Dr. DeBowes graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Millersville University in 2004; a Master of Education degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESA) from the University of Vermont in 2006; an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from ODU in 2011; and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Higher Education from ODU in 2014. His dissertation examined student conduct administrator knowledge of the statistical reporting obligations of the Clery Act and was recognized by the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) with the 2015 Dissertation of the Year Award. Dr. DeBowes has published three co-authored book chapters including a chapter on the Clery Act in Campus Crime: Legal, Social, and Policy Perspectives (4^th edition). Dr. DeBowes has authored numerous NACCOP whitepapers focusing on Clery Act and DFSCA compliance, and he has also contributed to industry and academic journals including the Security Journal, Campus Safety Magazine, Academic Perspectives in Higher Education, and The Vermont Connection. Dr. DeBowes has also served as an outside reviewer for the Journal of College and University Law and the International Journal of Communication.

Sharon Gooding is an education attorney who received her master’s degree in education with an emphasis on at-risk youth. A former middle school teacher, Sharon is a life-long community advocate, having worked with a myriad of non-profit organizations dedicated to addressing the needs of underserved youths and their families. She presently serves as the Director, Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) at Texas Christian University and the Deputy Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. Her background in law and equity make her an ideal fit to serve the needs of the diverse community of athletes, scholars, and employees at TCU.

A 2005 Alumna of UVA Wise, Tabitha Hackney Smith is currently the Associate Vice Chancellor for Advocacy and Opportunity and Title IX Coordinator. Tabitha joined the College in the Counseling Center in June 2011 and remains a Licensed Professional Counselor through the Virginia Department of Health Professions. She became the College’s first full-time Title IX Coordinator in November 2014 and joined the Chancellor’s Senior Leadership Team in 2021. Tabitha has obtained extensive knowledge in matters related to gender and race discrimination, sexual harassment, equity, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. Additionally, she led the College’s strategic plan for Inclusive Excellence. Tabitha provides direction, oversight, and management for UVA Wise’s student-led Multicultural Center, Title IX, Clery, Violence Against Women Act, Youth Protection, Counseling Center, Disability/Student Support Services, and the Federal TRIO Program. Tabitha earned an M.Ed. in Counseling & Human Development from Lindsey Wilson College, an M.A. in Human Services with a concentration in Marriage and Family from Liberty University, and a B.A. in Government, minor in Women’s Study from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Tabitha is the first UVA Wise employee to receive the John T. Casteen III Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Leadership Award in April 2021. She completed Cornell University’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certification Program in 2020, and the American Education Council’s Virginia Network Senior Leadership Seminar Series in 2023.

Valerie Mercado is a Higher Education professional with expertise in human resources, student affairs, and conducting investigations into incidents of sexual misconduct for staff, faculty, and students. Ms. Mercado has been in Higher Ed for over 15 years and a Title IX Coordinator and Clery Compliance Officer for over ten years. She currently serves in this dual role at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Ms. Mercado is an Army Veteran and a graduate of Carlow University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in HR Management, and Seton Hill University, where she earned an MBA and an MHR.