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The C.O.P.S. National BoardThe C.O.P.S. National Board is composed of 10 voting members and 2 non-voting members. Voting members include the National President, the Immediate Past President, and 8 Regional Trustees. The National President and the 8 Trustees are elected each May at the National Police Survivors' Seminars. To run for office, a candidate must be a law enforcement survivor and must have passed the one-year anniversary of their officer's death. Non-voting members are the Executive Director and the National Chapter Coordinator. Board members develop policy, govern the organization, and provide peer-support and information about C.O.P.S. programs and services. All Board Members can be reached through the C.O.P.S. National Office. The National Board of C.O.P.S. for 2008-2009 is composed of:
National President Mrs. Jennifer Thacker, surviving spouse of KY Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Investigator Brandon Thacker, EOW, 4/16/98, was elected as the 13th President of Concerns of Police Survivors. Jennifer, a resident of Louisville, KY, served 4 years on the National Board as the Southern Region Seaboard Trustee, was a founder and President of the Kentucky Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors, and received recognition as the “Gutsy Gal”. Her daughter, Katherine, 11, is her mom’s biggest fan. jenniferthacker_cops@msn.comImmediate Past PresidentMrs. Jean Hill, surviving mother of Harris County (TX) Deputy Barry Hill, EOW 12/4/00, completed her term as National President of C.O.P.S. and will now serve as the Immediate Past President on the Board. A resident of Houston, TX, Jean traveled the country extensively during her term and represented the organization while attending many conferences, trainings, and making presentation on C.O.P.S. She is congratulated for two very successful years as President and thanked for the endless energy and effort she gave to promoting C.O.P.S. Jean replaces Mrs. Shirley Gibson, Washington, DC, as the Immediate Past President. bjeanhill@sbcglobal.netRegional TrusteesNortheast Region Retired Chief Paul Armitage, Middleton, MA, was elected to the Northeast Trustee position replacing Mrs. Debra Noyes of Silver Lake, NH. Debbie reached her term limit and vowed to help Paul in every way possible. Paul lost his close friend and co-worker in a line of duty incident on 7/10/97. Paul has been a long-time mentor with the C.O.P.S. Kids program during National Police Week. He looks forward to dealing with survivors in the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey and hopes to open more doors for C.O.P.S. with agency administrators nationwide. pfarmitage@comcast.net
Northern Seaboard Region Northern Seaboard Trustee Eleanor Allione was reelected to her position for a second term. Eleanor is the surviving mother of DE State Trooper Frances Collender, EOW 2/6/01. She and husband, Joe, reside in Middletown, DE. Eleanor looks forward to working with survivors and agencies again in the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia, and West Virginia. troopersmom4COPS@yahoo.com
Southern Seaboard Region The Southern Seaboard Trustee position changed hands when Jennifer Thacker of Louisville, KY, reached her 4-year term limit. Linda Gregory of Germantown, TN, was elected to that position. Linda is a surviving sibling of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer James Moon, EOW 9/27/71. Linda is a founder and Chapter President of the West Tennessee C.O.P.S. Chapter and her C.O.P.S.’ service area covers the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. lmoongregory@comcast.net
Great Lakes Region John Kalaman became a surviving father on January 12, 1998, when his son, John P. Kalaman, was struck and killed by a vehicle. John has attended NPW every year and three Parents’ Retreats. In 2006 he spoke at “The Traumas of Law Enforcement” and became a Regional Director for Ohio C.O.P.S. John looks forward to serving survivors in the states of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. glcops33@sbcglobal.net
Plains Region Paul Gertsen, surviving sibling of Deputy Sheriff William Davis, EOW 11/03/03 is the new Plains Region Trustee. Paul, a resident of Roseville, MN, is the founder of the MN Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors and is employed by the St. Paul Library System. Paul will be working with survivors of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Colorado. paulgertsen8080@aol.com
Gulf Region The Gulf Region will again be represented on the National Board by Charles Shinholser of Jacksonville, FL. Charles is the surviving father of Officer Ray Shinholser, Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Office, EOW 12/14/88. Charles will again be working with survivors and law enforcement agencies in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico and Caribbean Territories. crshinholser@hotmail.com
Mountain Region The Mountain Region Trustee position was secured by Earl Fisher of Glendale, AZ, who is an affected co-worker. Mountain Region Trustee Jan Blaser-Upchurch chose not to seek reelection. Earl is a retired officer with the Phoenix Police Department, is active with the AZ C.O.P.S. Chapter, has organized a run that raises needed funds for the chapter, and will be working in the states of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. 2740@cox.net
Pacific Region The Pacific Region Trustee position was won by Andy Powell, surviving in-law of Deputy Eric Thach, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, EOW 10/8/99. Surviving adult child Sarah Koch-Schiller chose not to seek the position again. Andy, a resident of Temecula, CA, will be serving C.O.P.S.’ interests in the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana and the Mariana Islands. Andy has been the President of Southern Cal C.O.P.S. and taken a leadership role at the annual In-Laws Retreat. apowell@hfinc.com
Non-Voting Board MembersExecutive DirectorSuzie Sawyer has been the Executive Director of C.O.P.S. since it was founded in 1984. Suzie oversees the day-to-day operation of C.O.P.S. and the C.O.P.S. staff. Suzie is one of C.O.P.S. law enforcement trainers. She also serves as secretary of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and oversees the coordination of National Police Week activities. Suzie and husband Buzz live in Camdenton, MO, where the C.O.P.S. National Office is located. cops@nationalcops.org National Chapter CoordinatorThe Chapter Coordinator is responsible for overseeing C.O.P.S. chapters nationwide. She helps new chapters get organized and assists established C.O.P.S. Chapters throughout the year with their administrative chores. The Chapter Coordinator also spearheads the Chapter Connection between chapters and the National Office. As a survivor, Chapter Coordinator Debbie Geary of Cooper City, FL, can relate closely to survivors at the grass-roots level. She served as C.O.P.S. ninth National President from May 16, 1998, through May 16, 2000. Debbie became a survivor on November 28, 1988, when her husband, David Strzalkowski of the Metro Dade (FL) Police Department died in the line of duty in an incident that also claimed the life of Metro Dade Officer Richard Boles. Debbie has served as the Gulf Region Trustee, the National Training Committee Chairperson, and president of the South Florida C.O.P.S. Chapter and is one of C.O.P.S. certified instructors. Debbie's husband, Pete, is very supportive of her work with C.O.P.S. Contact Debbie through the C.O.P.S. National Office or at djgeary@comcast.net. Past PresidentsAll Past National Presidents of Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. serve as ex-officio board members. Past Presidents are:
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Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. - P.O. Box 3199 - 3096 S. State Highway 5 - Camdenton, MO 65020 Phone: 573-346-4911 - Fax: 573-346-1414 - Email: cops@nationalcops.org DISCLOSURE: If you would like to help our organization by doing
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