2021 Law Enforcement Conference Speakers

 

Terry Wade
Executive Assistant Director, Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch, FBI
In this role, he oversees all FBI criminal and cyber investigations worldwide, international operations, critical incident response and victim assistance. Mr. Wade began his career as a Special Agent with the FBI in 1996. He has served in the Helena, Montana Resident Agency of the Salt Lake City Field Office, Oklahoma City Field Office, Flagstaff Resident Agency of the Phoenix Field Office, Albuquerque Field Office, and Los Angeles Field Office, in addition to a deployment to Baghdad, Iraq as the deputy on-scene commander. His assignments at FBI Headquarters have included leadership positions in the Criminal Investigative Division, Human Resources Division, and Inspection Division. Most recently, Mr. Wade served as the Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division. Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Wade began his law enforcement career in Oklahoma and served as an agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, where he investigated a variety of state and local crimes, ranging from public corruption to homicide.
  John Cohen
Assistant Secretary at Office of Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention, DHS 
Mr. Cohen has more than three decades of experience in law enforcement, counterintelligence, and homeland security. Mr. Cohen has studied mass casualty attacks and is currently studying the impact of Internet-based communications technologies on crime and homeland/national security. During the Obama Administration, Mr. Cohen served as the DHS Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) and Counterterrorism Coordinator. During his time at DHS, Mr. Cohen was a direct adviser to the Secretary and oversaw the development and implementation of several high visibility Department-wide crime prevention, counterterrorism, counterintelligence and border and transportation security initiatives. Mr. Cohen also led the Department’s efforts to establish multi-disciplinary programs focused on countering violent extremism, preventing and responding to mass casualty/active shooter attacks, improving information sharing, and expanding DHS’ interactions and collaboration with state and local law enforcement organizations, private sector companies and faith-based organizations. 
Timothy P. Bell
FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Detailee to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Treasury
Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Timothy Bell is currently assigned to the Financial Crimes Section of FBIHQ where he serves as the Liaison Officer to the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, FinCEN.  As the FBI’s subject matter expert on Bank Secrecy Act regulations and anti-money laundering best practices, he is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, a Certified Global Sanctions Specialist, and a Certified Fraud Examiner. In over 21 years with the Bureau, SSA Bell has worked a variety of criminal violations and managed diverse programs.  Prior to his current role, he led the National Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), a unit comprised of agents, analysts, and officers from nearly 50 federal, state and local agencies.  The National JTTF served as a point of fusion for terrorism intelligence at the National Counterterrorism Center and supported the 184 JTTFs nationwide.  SSA Bell also served as a Watch Commander on Counterterrorism Watch, the FBI’s 24-hour command post responsible for terrorism prevention and response operations.
Kala Bokelman
Supervisory Special Agent, US Department of State Diplomatic Security Service
Kala Bokelman has been a Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agent for 16 years. Her domestic assignments include the San Francisco Field Office and Washington, D.C., headquarters. She has also served as the assistant regional security officer (ARSO) in Maputo, Mozambique and Baghdad, Iraq and ARSO-Investigator in San Jose, Costa Rica. In 2018, she returned to DS for a domestic assignment in the Overseas Criminal Investigative Division and currently leads the Recruitment Division for DSS. Roughly half of her time in DSS has been spent investigating crimes involving human trafficking, sexual assault, and fugitive returns. 
Matt Drake
Director of Cyber Intelligence, SAIC
Matt joined SAIC in March 2020 as the Director of Cyber Intelligence.  In this capacity, he leads the Cyber Threat & Intelligence Integration Center.  Before joining SAIC, Matt was a Special Agent in the FBI where he retired as a Section Chief in the Cyber Division, overseeing certain nation-state cyber operations and election interference matters.  Matt spent 24 years in the FBI working a variety of programs to include criminal matters, counterterrorism, intelligence, and cyber investigations.
Stacie Harris
Associate Deputy Attorney General (ADAG), the National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, and the National Human Trafficking Coordinator, DOJ
Stacie B. Harris is currently detailed to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where she serves as an Associate Deputy Attorney General (ADAG), the National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, and the National Human Trafficking Coordinator. As an ADAG, Stacie assists in oversight of DOJ’s human trafficking and child exploitation-related policy initiatives and investigations.  She represents DOJ at the National Security Council, the Domestic Policy Council, the Senior Policy Operating Group, in interagency settings, Congressional meetings, and various national and international fora.  As a member of DOJ’s senior leadership staff, she advises the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General on DOJ’s day-to-day management. 
Gregory McAleer
Deputy Assistant Director, United States Secret Service
Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) McAleer is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service having served in investigative and protective assignments in New York and Washington DC. His leadership positions include assignments in the Office of Protective Operations, the Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information, the Office of Investigations and in joint and interagency roles within the Department of Homeland Security and at the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF). DAD McAleer was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in 2019 and was most recently assigned to the Office of Investigations where he oversaw a $54 million budget and managed the Criminal Investigative Division, Forensic Services Division and the National Computer Forensics Institute. In 2020, DAD McAleer returned to the NCIJTF as Deputy Director of the Criminal Mission Center.
Jere T. Miles
Assistant Director, Operational Technology and Cyber Division (OTCD), Homeland Security Investigations

Jere Miles is the Assistant Director (AD) for OTCD, which provides all ICE components with cutting-edge electronic surveillance equipment and support to assist with criminal investigations and national security operations. OTCD also encompasses the Cyber Crimes Center, which brings together highly technical assets dedicated to conducting trans-border criminal investigations of internet-related crimes, and the Innovation Lab, which is responsible for the development and deployment of enterprise-wide law enforcement technology, focusing on enhancing its uses, conducting research and development, and purchasing and deploying systems and applications. AD Miles is responsible for supporting HSI operations by managing computer technology, data management, executive information reporting, information sharing and infrastructure management, and technical operations. Read more. 
Ramón Padilla
Interim Director, Center for Countering Human Trafficking, DHS
The Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the first unified, interdepartmental coordination center for holistically countering human trafficking and the importation of goods produced with forced labor. This law enforcement operations center prioritizes and integrates support for criminal investigations of human traffickers and for the identification and assistance of human trafficking victims. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Padilla served as the Chief of Staff of Joint Task Force – Investigations (JTF-I), which through the DHS unity effort prioritizes top criminal networks impacting homeland security and identifies weaknesses or gaps in Department practices. Prior to joining JTF-I, Mr. Padilla was an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan where he was responsible for the operational and administrative oversight of four investigative groups and the only tactical communications center owned and operated by an HSI field office.
Timothy Plancon
Assistant Administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Operational Support Division
Mr. Plancon has oversight responsibilities for DEA’s Office of Forensic Sciences, Office of Investigative Technology, Aviation Division, Environmental Management Section, and Cyber Support Section. In this capacity, Mr. Plancon is responsible for all DEA forensic and digital laboratories, investigative technology and telecommunication intercept programs, and cyber investigative technology, along with DEA’s aviation air assets; these offices and programs support DEA operations worldwide. Mr. Plancon is also the Vice-Chairman for the National Domestic Communications Assistance Center (NDCAC) Executive Board. 
  Kimberly Poyer
Section Chief, Victim Services Division, FBI 
Ms. Poyer has worked at the Federal Bureau of Investigation for twenty years and is currently assigned to the Victim Services Division as the section chief for all programing related to victim services.  Ms. Poyer has held a variety of management positions in the FBI including the Workforce Planning Unit, Leadership Development Program, Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of Victim Assistance where she served as the Deputy Program Director and Clinical Programs Director.  Prior to working at the FBI she was employed for five years at the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia as the first Child Interview Specialist hired by the Department of Justice to work in a U.S. Attorney's office. Prior to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Ms. Poyer was employed at The Children's Hospital in Denver Colorado.  She was the Co-Director of the Child Advocacy and Protection Team, a multi-disciplinary team that evaluated 1200 cases a year of fatal child abuse, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. Ms. Poyer has provided consultation and training both nationally and internationally to a wide variety of professionals on various topics in the fields of leadership, employee development, social work, violence and victimization, as well as child abuse and neglect.
Melissa Snow
Executive Director of Child Sex Trafficking Programs, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
Melissa Snow has worked in the anti-trafficking field for nearly 20 years developing and providing trauma-informed, survivor-informed, and survivor centered direct services.  Melissa is responsible for overseeing specialized assistance for law enforcement and child welfare on cases child sex trafficking.  Her work includes ensuring NCMEC aligns with trauma-informed and survivor-informed promising practices of child sex trafficking identification and response.  Melissa is the former Child Victim Program Coordinator for the FBI, Victim Services Division.  During her time with the FBI she served as a subject matter expert on issues related to child development, child victimization, trauma-informed victim assistance for Victim Specialists and Special Agents.  Melissa was embedded within in the FBI Crimes against Children and Human Trafficking Section to provide trauma-informed and victim- centered support and guidance in the operational response to victims and families impacted in federal cases. Additionally, she provided victim assistance and operational response guidance to victim specialists and special agents on crimes against children cases including but not limited to: child sex trafficking, child sexual abuse imagery, sextortion, child abduction, international parental kidnapping, and child sex tourism. 
Herb Stapleton
Cyber Division Section Chief (SES), FBI
Mr. Stapleton is the executive responsible for the FBI’s operational programs targeting sophisticated cyber threats from criminal actors. Prior to his current role, Mr. Stapleton served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Field Office, where he led the Cyber, Intelligence, and Crisis Management programs in Southern Ohio. Mr. Stapleton began his FBI career as a Special Agent in the St. Louis Field Office, Cape Girardeau RA, and later served in the Chicago Field Office. During his time in Cape Girardeau, he investigated an array of criminal violations including bank robberies, public corruption matters and child exploitation cases and received the 2008 “Distinguished Service” award from the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri for his investigation of a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme which had a major impact on the area housing market. In Chicago, Mr. Stapleton investigated Transnational Organized Crime matters emanating from the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Mr. Stapleton also served as a Supervisory Special Agent at the Internet Crime Complaint Center and in the Cincinnati Field Office.
Drew Watts
Section Chief of the Procurement Section, FBI
Mr. Watts serves as Section Chief of the Procurement Section, which supports the FBI mission by responsibly and efficiently procuring all necessary supplies and services across the enterprise with a focus on customer support and Acquisition Business Transformation (ABT). Mr. Watts previously served as the Section Chief of FFD’s Field Operations Support Section before transferring to Procurement. Prior to joining FFD, Mr. Watts served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Office’s, National Security Branch.