Shop Talk

Akil Davis, a former officer in the Scottsdale Police Department back in 1999, who embarked on a new path after a few years, embracing a captivating career with the prestigious FBI.

Davis is a 17-year veteran with the FBI. He served in Palm Springs, Los Angeles and Kabul, and has investigated organized crime, drug trafficking, violent crime, human trafficking and crimes against children. He served with FBI's SWAT team in Los Angeles and with the U.S. Army's 10th Special Forces Group.

He has also been involved with the Weapons of Mass Destruction Director at the FBI's headquarters, and has acted as a legal attaché to The Hague. He comes to Phoenix as a section chief responsible for international operations.

Davis grew up in Mesa. He has a bachelor's degree from UCLA and a master's from Northern Arizona University.

Experience Scottsdale President & CEO Rachel Sacco has been an integral part of the highly regarded Arizona destination marketing organization since 1986.

She joined the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce that year to lead its tourism division, which became the convention and visitors bureau in 1987. In 2001, Experience Scottsdale – then known as the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau – officially separated from the Chamber to become a stand-alone, non-profit organization with Sacco as its first president and CEO.

Over the years, Sacco has been inducted into Scottsdale’s History Hall of Fame, the Arizona State University College of Public Programs’ Alumni Chapter Hall of Fame, the Arizona Governor’s Tourism Hall of Fame, and the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. She has been named one of the “50 Most Influential Women” by Arizona Business Magazine, and Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine recognized her as one of the most successful women leading destination offices in the U.S.

She has also been recognized for her community service and leadership in the city, being awarded the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Volunteer Legacy Award, Scottsdale Rotary Club’s Corporate Club Member Service Above Self Award, and Scottsdale Leadership’s Drinkwater Leadership Award.

Sacco is a national board member for the U.S. Travel Association, and also serves on the executive committee of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association and the boards of directors of the Fiesta Bowl, the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and Scottsdale Charro Foundation.

Detective Tom Houk joined the Scottsdale Police Department in February 2000 after spending time playing and coaching professional baseball in the minor league. He spent 6 years in the minor leagues and, in 1990 led the Gulf Coast League with a .344 ba!

Tom went from patrolling the baseball diamond to patrolling the streets of Scottsdale until February 2007 when he joined the Traffic Enforcement Section as a motorcycle officer.  He worked closely with the Vehicular Crimes and Reconstruction Unit until he was transferred in March 2014.

 Detective Houk has completed over 900 hours of Vehicle Crash related training. This training includes specialized training in Pedestrian, Bicycle and Motorcycle Crash Investigations. 

Detective Houk has helped to investigate numerous crashes in his career. He has assisted with over 125 serious injury and fatal crashes and has been the Primary Investigator in over 60 of those crashes. 

Detective Houk is a Field Training Officer, General Instructor, Police RADAR instructor, Taser Instructor, and Taser Armorer.  Detective Houk has assisted teaching Traffic Law and Accident Investigation classes at the Phoenix Regional Police Academy.  He has also assisted with teaching At Scene, Traffic Crash Reconstruction I and Traffic Crash Reconstruction II at Arizona Post. 

Executive Managing Director

Pat is the Managing Director of the Phoenix Tenant Representation Group and is responsible for all day-to-day operations.

He represents clients in facility and site acquisition. His responsibilities include marketing, strategy implementation, site evaluation and selection, detailed financial analysis and lease review and negotiations. His technical knowledge of the real estate process gives him a broad understanding of the important principles that must be incorporated into a transaction.  His leadership skills and unparalleled knowledge of the office, industrial and medical industries continue to exceed clients' expectations, including but not limited to Axway, Banner Health, Choice Hotels, City of Phoenix, Freedom Financial, Dial Corporation, Isagenix, Lovitt & Touche, Northern Trust, Progressive Insurance, Shutterfly and the State of Arizona.

Pat focuses on user/tenant representation for the following specialties: Acquisitions, Public Institutions, Banking, Technology, Call Center, Corporate Headquarters, Dispositions, Portfolio Management, Financial and Strategic Consulting, Healthcare and Law Firms. Pat received his Bachelor of Science in business arts from the  University of Arizona.  His civic activities include the Boys and Girls Club and The Phoenix Thunderbirds.

Human Trafficking is a growing danger in Arizona and it could be going on right next to you. Join Chief Walther and Sgt Quon as they talk to a panel of experts on this important topic.

https://www.teamstrategia.com/

For more than 30 years, Lissa has established a powerful reputation– from Los Angeles to Chicago and New York – as a highly seasoned communications strategist, crisis management leader, nine-time Emmy award-winning television journalist, media consultant, guest lecturer, and tireless client advisor. In addition to leading the Strategia team, she is counseling clients on issues at the intersection of government affairs and lobbying, crisis communications, municipal relations, media relations/training, corporate communications, internal/external communications strategy and social media.

During her eight years with Serafin & Associates, Lissa’s clients included large and small corporations, celebrities, municipalities and law enforcement agencies across the United States and, in some cases, the world. She spent 13+ years with CBS Television both in Chicago and Los Angeles before capping her television career as the executive producer launching the Comcast SportsNet network in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and New York, winning the 2009 Chicago Journalism Award in Sports. She has written and produced for news, entertainment and sports. During the 1990s, she covered headline stories including the Persian Gulf War, the Oklahoma City bombing, the O.J. Simpson murder trial, and the Chicago Bulls championships.  

Lissa is the recipient of the National 2019 Professional Women in Advocacy Award and the 2016 Filipo Mazzei Award for Excellence in Public Affairs. In 2018, she received one of the highest honors from the Italian government: induction as a Cavaliere dell’ Ordine della Stella d’Italia, or Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy. Bestowed upon her by the President of the Italian Republic, His Excellency Sergio Mattarella, this honor is a direct result of her deep commitment to championing the Italian culture and supporting the Italian American community in the Chicagoland area.

Lissa guest lectures and is a regular contributor on television and radio stations, offering a front-line analysis and perspective on many types of crises and public affairs priorities. She is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Jarrett Payton Foundation and serves on the board of Milan – Chicago Sister Cities International. Lissa is also Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Get Growing Foundation. She is on the engagement committee of The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii Italian American church and is a member of the National Italian American Foundation. Lissa is also an active alumna of her alma mater, the University of Arizona.

https://azdohs.gov/

Tim Roemer was appointed by Governor Ducey as the Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security in April of 2021. Director Roemer also serves as the State’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), managing cybersecurity for the State of Arizona. In his role, Director Roemer advises the Governor on a wide range of topics including cybersecurity, border security, and counterterrorism. As State CISO, Director Roemer leads the State’s cybersecurity team, sets cybersecurity strategy, and defends the State against evolving cyber attacks that threaten our citizens' data and Arizona’s critical infrastructure.

Prior to his appointment, Director Roemer served the State of Arizona in a variety of leadership roles including four years in a dual role as the Governor’s Public Safety Advisor and Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, one year as the Governor’s Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, and two years as the State’s CISO. Since the beginning of Governor Ducey’s Administration in 2015, Director Roemer has served on multiple Boards and Commissions including the Arizona-Mexico Commission’s Security Committee and the Human Trafficking Council.

Prior to working for the State of Arizona, Director Roemer admirably served in the Central Intelligence Agency for ten years. The final two years of his CIA career were spent assigned to the White House Situation Room, where he provided critical national security updates to the President, Vice President, and National Security Council. In this role, he briefed senior U.S. policymakers on a diverse range of national security-related issues.

In addition to his time in the West Wing, Director Roemer supported the CIA mission at its Headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Over his decade career in the U.S. Intelligence Community, he also completed assignments at the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

An Arizona native, Tim graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and a minor in Political Science.

Lieutenant Nicholas Alamshaw - Scottsdale Police Department

https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/police

Joined the Department in 2007 as a police recruit. He holds a bachelor's degree in Education from Arizona State University.  As an officer he worked patrol and the Special Assignment Unit.  He was promoted to Sergeant in 2018 and worked in Patrol from 2018-2021 and Human Exploitation & Trafficking Unit from 2021-2022.  Nicholas was the recipient of the Chief’s Award for Supervisor in 2021, the Life Saving Award in 2009 & 2010, and the Critical Response Award in 2019 & 2020. Promoted to Lieutenant in September 2022.

Rachel Cole is an anchor, reporter, and multi-skilled journalist for 12News.

Rachel joined Team 12 from KRIS-TV, Channel 6 in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she was a morning anchor and reporter. While in Texas, Cole covered several high-profile trials, including the Hannah Overton case, involving a foster mother convicted in the death of her 4-year-old foster son, who served seven years in prison before her conviction was overturned.

A native Arizonan, Rachel is a Cum Laude graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, and cheering on Arizona sports teams.

Jessica Nicely is a passionate advocate for child abuse prevention, awareness and treatment. A survivor herself, Jessica founded her own non-profit 501c3, Winged Hope Family Advocacy Foundation in January 2013. 

Dedicated to serving victims of family violence and trauma, since it’s inception Winged Hope has provided direct services or training to over 55,000 people around the state of Arizona. Winged Hope was the Recipient of the Arizona Attorney General's 2018 Arizona Crime Victims' Rights Week Award for their work with victims of violence.  

A graduate of Arizona State University, Jessica's memoir All My Friends Are Zeros: My Secret to Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences is available at all online booksellers. 

Jessica is the recipient of the Beth McDonald Woman of the Year Award for 2019 and the Positive Paths East Valley Woman of the Year Award for 2020. 

For 26 years, listeners in schools, conferences, law enforcement and more have been inspired by Jessica’s journey of resiliency and hope, shared with the goal of impacting survivors of family violence and trauma worldwide. 

Dr. Casey Solem is a Board Certified Emergency Physician and he serves as the Medical Director of the Scottsdale Fire Department.

Casey was born and raised right here in Scottsdale. After graduating from Chaparral High School, he studied Biology at Arizona State University. He then joined the inaugural class of the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix Campus.

He now practices full-time Emergency Medicine in three local hospitals: HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center (where he was born), HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center, and HonorHealth Thompson Peak Medical Center.

Casey loves the Scottsdale Community and is involved with many local organizations including the Scottsdale Charros.

He lives here in town with his wife, Sara, and their three kids.

Angela Harrolle came to be the CEO of The 100 Club of Arizona in an unconventional way, as a line of duty death family beneficiary. She is a true testament of ‘you never know where life will take you.’ Prior to my arrival as the CEO she championed legislation known as “Harrolle’s Law”, which provides surviving families with lifetime access to health insurance benefits following a line of duty death.

The 100 Club of Arizona, a non-profit organization that provides statewide assistance for public safety agencies, officers, firefighters, EMT/Paramedics and their families. As a 501(c)(3), the 100 Club of Arizona is dedicated to standing behind the men and women who stand behind the badge. Angela also continues her aforementioned work in addition to being a partner in local restaurant concepts such as CHoP Chandler, The Living Room, and Sea & Smoke. She also continues to provide residential real estate, relocation services as the Designated Broker/Owner of The Fed Realty Group.

Dr. Wayne Svoboda joins Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther and Commander Chris Coffee on Shop Talk. He grew up in the small town of Wahoo, Nebraska. His background in the medical/science field and great love of animals influenced his decision to pursue a career as a veterinarian. He earned his B.S. degree in Microbiology from Kansas State University. He received his M.S. in Cellular Biology in 1982 from Purdue University. He received his D.V.M. in 1986 from Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine.

He enjoys both small animal and exotic pet medicine and surgery and has a special interest in Police K-9 medicine. Dr. Wayne Svoboda provides veterinary medical care for approximately ten different valley law enforcement K-9 units and routinely conducts K-9 first aid seminars for police officers and EMT/first response individuals. When not working, Dr. Svoboda enjoys outdoor activities, photography, cycling, long-distance running, and spending time with the family.