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Recently retired Chief Gary Woodruff is a 40-year law enforcement veteran, serving in the US Army Military Police/Criminal Investigations Division, Frankfort (IN) Police Department, and Lawrence (IN) Police Department.

Gary started his career in 1983, joining the US Army Military Police, where after completing Basic Training & MP School at Ft McClellan, AL, he was assigned to the US Forces Police station in Kaiserslautern, Germany, a joint Army/Air Force law enforcement operation serving the largest American community outside of the US. For his last year of military service, Gary was assigned as an Investigator at the US Army Criminal Investigations Division office at Ft Harrison, IN.

Upon concluding his commitment to the military, Gary joined the Frankfort (IN) Police Department, graduating from the 89th Session of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. At Frankfort PD, Gary initially served in the Patrol Division, eventually earning promotion as a detective in the Criminal Investigations Division, attained the rank of Captain, served as the Project Director of a multi-jurisdictional Federal, State, and Local drug task force, was the department Public Information Officer, and responsible for dignitary protection, among other duties.

In 2000, Gary transferred to the Lawrence (IN) Police Department, where he served the remaining 24 years of his career, primarily as a detective in the Investigations Division, two years as Commander of the Investigations Division, served as the department's Public Information Officer/Media Relations Chief, provided dignitary/executive protection, was appointed Deputy Chief in 2010, and as Chief of Police in 2022.

During his career, Gary earned several certifications as a use of force instructor, regularly guest instructing at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and across the US as a contract instructor. 

Post-retirement, Gary continues leveraging his career experiences as a consultant, contractor, instructor, media analyst, and dignitary/executive protection provider.

 Gary's LinkedIn

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Ashley Turner, APIO is an award-winning Social Media Manager and Public Information Officer renowned for her crisis communication and social media expertise. With a focus on customer-centric strategies, she has elevated trust and service delivery in calm and challenging situations. Leading a team of 50 social media administrators across 36 social media accounts, Ashley has implemented award-winning training programs, policies, reports, and content calendars. During emergencies like Hurricane Ian, she has excelled in digital communications, managing website updates, press releases, and social media monitoring. Notably, she’s increased her social media following by 43% and expanded impressions by 166% in less than three years, showcasing her proficiency in content curation and social media knowledge. Notably, Ashley has been honored with a national award from the Government Social Media Conference and the Nextdoor platform for her exceptional use of the platform, adding another layer of distinction to her remarkable achievements in the field. Recently honored as a 30 under 30 professional by the National Recreation & Park Association. A sought-after speaker and published author, Ashley actively contributes to shaping conversations on social media and crisis communications at local, state, and national levels.

Ashley's Email

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Brent Weisberg is the communications administrative director for the Salt Lake City Police Department. Weisberg joined the department in July 2021 after spending three years as the communications director for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in Portland, Oregon. Prior to his time overseeing strategic communications for the district attorney’s office and Salt Lake City Police, Weisberg spent 10 years as a television reporter in Portland where he primarily covered breaking news and filed reports covering the criminal justice system in Portland throughout Oregon. In his current role, Weisberg, as a senior staff member to the Chief, manages a team of public information officers and professional staff who provide timely responses to media and other community members. He is also responsible for overseeing and coordinating the department’s internal and external communications and community-relations strategy. Weisberg has a heavy emphasis on crisis communications and enjoys working with his team to identify creative and strategic ways to show case the work of the Salt Lake City Police Department. In 2021, the Portland Police Bureau awarded Weisberg, and several other key public information officers, with the department’s “Achievement Medal” for his communications work during the 2020 riots in Portland, Oregon. Weisberg graduated from Washington State University.

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Scotty Leamon is the Public Safety Information Officer for the Coconut Creek Police Department, and Coconut Creek Fire Rescue. Born in Athens, Tennessee, he graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 1998 with a degree in Mass Communications. He spent nearly 15 years as a TV reporter, working in Bowling Green, KY (WBKO), Myrtle Beach, SC (WFXB & WBTW), and Roanoke, VA (WSLS). He joined the PIO ranks in 2013 when he took the PIO job with the Roanoke Police Department. He came to Coconut Creek in 2018 to be its police department’s first civilian PIO. In his free time he enjoys the agony that the Dolphins, Heat, Panthers, and Marlins regularly put him through. He makes weekly trips to the beach. He also tweets free PIO advice from his X handle: @PIOnParadise.

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Cara Cruz is a former broadcast journalist with close to 20 years of experience as a producer and reporter with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Vancouver, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.

She has been with the City of Pittsburgh since 2019 as a Public Information Officer for the Department of Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police, Pittsburgh Fire, and Pittsburgh EMS. 

Cara is a former competitive figure skater, and in her off time, she can be found running, skating, or scouring Western Pennsylvania and Ohio for vintage finds for the antique store she owns and operates with a Pittsburgh Police homicide detective and his wife.

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After working in local news for nearly a decade, Alexa decided it was time to use her strategic communication storytelling skills for a new and meaningful cause.

Currently, she am responsible for telling the story of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) as their Chief Communication Officer.  She also has the honor of showcasing the brave men and women who protect and serve Indy in a monthly video called “Behind The Badge.”

Prior to joining IMPD, Alexa was a morning on-air reporter for FOX59/CBS4 in Indianapolis where she would rise before the sun did to report on breaking news and deliver critical information to Hoosiers starting their day.
 
Before moving to Indy, Alexa was a reporter for Spectrum News first in Binghamton, NY and then in Syracuse NY, covering stories in two of the snowiest areas in the country.

Alexa's Twitter @AlexaBoylanMedia

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Irene Mahoney joined the Mesa Arizona Police Department in 2018 after more
than 15 years in the news business. As an Executive Producer and News Director, Irene managed newsrooms across the country, in various markets including Los Angeles, Boston, San Diego and Portland.

She is a multiple Emmy Winner, Peabody Award recipient and has also received
an Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence and various Associated Press
Awards. Originally from Boston, Irene and her family moved to Arizona in 2014. When she joined Mesa PD, Irene brought her media skills to the department to enhance its
communication and transparency with the community.

In addition to answering media inquiries and providing information on incidents,
she and the Media Relations Team use their growing social media platforms to
help share the amazing work that the officers in Mesa do every day. Irene is an avid sports fan and she and her husband keep busy with two teenage daughters; one is a competitive dancer, the other a competitive cheerleader.

They also have two dogs, a Frenchie named Bryan and Sadie the rescue dog!

Irene's Email - [email protected]

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Julie Mann has worked over three decades as an award-winning journalist in the city of Chicago and suburbs as a reporter, anchor and managing editor of WBBM Newsradio. She was named one of the 10 Most Powerful Women in Chicago Journalism in 2014, 2017, and 2019.  In 2021, she accepted the Public Information Officer position with Kane County Government, where she serves as liaison for local and national media on behalf of the county and promotes awareness of the county’s mission programs, policies and initiatives. 

Email - [email protected]

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Jenny Weekes is a marketing strategist and owner of Hartwood Creative, where she helps agencies elevate their online presence. With more than 20 years in the fire service, she educates agencies on how to serve their community at the highest level through training and coaching.

Throughout her fire service career in Washington State, she has served as the lead PIO for a variety of large-scale events, including multiple train derailments, a plane crash, wildfires and numerous multi-jurisdictional incidents. She also serves as a PIO on a local Type-3 Incident Management Team, where she has been activated for COVID and multiple law enforcement and fire service LODDs.

She built Hartwood Creative to train and educate government agencies on how best to tell their story, especially through social media. As someone who has managed social media accounts since 2009, she has seen a lot of evolution and has built courses that give agencies strategies they can apply immediately. Her goal is to empower agencies to understand they have a voice and give them the confidence to build their brand around it. She has worked with clients to train their staff, increase recruiting efforts, streamline marketing processes, manage their social media, and launch new social media accounts, among other services.

Jenny earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and Master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University, both in communications.

https://hartwoodcreative.com/

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Jesse Carr is the Senior Public Information Officer with the Dallas Police Department and Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Southern Methodist University (SMU), Jesse’s expertise includes roles in community engagement, media relations, and crisis response.

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Our premiere sponsor, Social News Desk, has an exclusive offer for PIO Podcast listeners. Head over to socialnewsdesk.com/pio to get three months free when a qualifying agency signs up.