Instructors

Janet Arrowood has been a writer, technical editor, and writing trainer for over 35 years. Ms. Arrowood is a mathematician by degree, an engineer by training, and a writer by profession. She specializes in training professionals, engineers, and contract specialists in “how to write in plain English.”

Ms. Arrowood has been a presenter for NIGP’s 2020 and 2021 Learning Labs and the2020 Virtual Conference. She has also presented on procurement and professional development at NCMA in 2018 and 2019. Ms. Arrowood has developed and presented plain/practical language, proposal/solicitation writing training, and presentation skills training programs for numerous government agencies, and international organizations.

Ms. Arrowood writes proposals for a number of local and nationwide companies of varying sizes. She edits proposals and trains proposal and grant writers for clients around the world.

Janet Arrowood is the author of the Rowman & Littlefield book, Plain Language, Please: How to Write for Results. She is an international author, speaker, and trainer. Her small business-focused columns appear twice a month in the Grand Junction Business Times.

In addition to her training, editing, and writing expertise, Janet brings both engineering and military backgrounds to her work. She served as an Army Signal Corps Officer, a member of the technical staff at MITRE, and a staff engineer at Martin Marietta and NATO. She holds a degree in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University.

Janet’s “plain language” programs are consistently rated among the highest in any organization where she facilitates training. 

Ms. Goetze has served as the Mental Health Professional (MHP) for the Mobile Crisis Team and well as a counselor for three years in Grays Harbor County in Washington State. Currently she works as a psychotherapist as the highest level of care before a psychiatric ward for extremely high acuity clients who experience homicidal and suicidal thoughts and attempts as well as a variety of abnormal mental illnesses. Ms. Goetze is also a diagnosing clinician for a psychiatric hospital. She has significant experience working with different law enforcement agencies as well as fire and EMS services during difficult calls with persons who are experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Ms. Goetze graduated from Capella University with a Bachelor of Psychology as well as completing a graduate degree- Master of Science in Psychology. Currently, she is working on her Doctoral degree where she will conclude her Ph.D., specializing in trauma and natural disasters through North Central University in 2025. Ms. Goetze is heavily trained in sexual deviant behaviors and abnormal behaviors.

Jeffrey German is a Detective with the City of Joliet, Illinois Police Department. Detective German has over 20 years’ experience as a Police Officer and over 10 years’ experience as a Detective and an Investigator for the Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force.  Detective German is currently tasked with High-Tech Criminal Investigations for the Joliet Police Department Investigations Division where his duties are cell phone forensics, video forensics, vehicle forensics, major crimes investigations, and Geolocation analysis of mobile devices.

Detective German is a subject matter expert in Call Detail Records and Geolocation Analysis and a LEVA Certified Forensic Video Technician. He is a Cellebrite Certified Mobile Examiner, Magnet Certified Forensic Examiner, Berla Certified Vehicle System Forensic Technician/Examiner, and Certified Fire Investigator. Detective German was awarded the VFW Officer of the Year award for 2009 and 2013 and the State of Illinois VFW Officer of the Year in 2013.  He was awarded the 2021-2022 Outstanding Faculty Award from the College of DuPage Homeland Security Training Institute.

Detective German is the owner of Hi-Tech Investigations LLC which provides training to Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, and Corporate Security Personnel.  Detective German is an Adjunct Faculty Instructor for the College of DuPage Homeland Security Training Institute and a Contract Trainer for the Public Agency Training Center (PATC) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

Jess Stennett is a Lieutenant with the Idaho State Police.  Jess has over 20 years of law enforcement experience and training, with a primary focus on drug-related investigations.  He is currently assigned to the Idaho State Police Investigation’s Division District One in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 

In 1994, Lieutenant Stennett began his law enforcement career with the United States Coast Guard.  In 2001, he became a deputy sheriff working for the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.  While at the sheriff’s office, he worked a variety of assignments, including being assigned to the local drug task force and later to the general crimes division.  In 2008, he was hired by the Idaho State Police and moved to Meridian, Idaho, where his primary duties included significant drug investigations, homicide investigations, and other major crimes.

In 2018, he was promoted to sergeant and relocated to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  In 2023, he was promoted to Lieutenant over the investigative division for ISP District 1, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Lieutenant Stennett is an Idaho POST certified instructor, holds an Idaho POST Supervisor certificate, and has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Lieutenant Stennett is the recipient of two lifesaving awards, a Distinguished Achievement Award, and the State of Idaho Silver Star.  In 2022, the HIDTA task force he supervised won the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA Outstanding Team Award and the DEA Administrator’s Award for OCDETF Operation Red Road.  Additionally, he is a co-creator of the Idaho Fentanyl Education Project and continues to educate the public on the topic of dangerous drugs.

Mr. Bivona was born in Brooklyn, NY. He received a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Business Administration in International Business from Pace University, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Management from Fordham University and graduated the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College. He retired from the FBI in September 2022 after twenty-six years of service. Prior to working for the FBI, Mr. Bivona was an Officer in the United States Army. He retired from the United States Army Reserve in December 2019 at the rank of Colonel. He is currently serving as a security and investigations consultant collaborating with private and government clients guiding both domestic and international security and investigative operations.

            Mr. Bivona joined the FBI in 1996. From 1996 through 2016, Mr. Bivona was assigned to the FBI New York Division, where he worked narcotics, counterterrorism, and transnational organized crime Investigations. Mr. Bivona conducted various deployments in support of FBI operations. These include serving as one of the founding members of the Joint FBI and Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation (HNBI) Organized Crime Task Force in Budapest, Hungary; serving on a Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) sponsored by the U.S. Army in Mosul, Iraq; and serving as the FBI’s temporary liaison to Albania. In 2010, he became the leader of a transnational organized crime task force. One notable achievement during his tenure supervising the task force was the indictment and simultaneous arrests of six leaders of a cyber organized crime enterprise located in four countries thereby dismantling this syndicate and saving corporations and victims millions of dollars. As a result, the task force was recognized by the New York Federal Executive Board. From February 2016 to March 2019 Mr. Bivona was the Legal Attaché (LEGAT) in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) promoting the FBI’s efforts in BiH, Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. A prominent achievement during his term in Sarajevo was the location, apprehension, and extradition of a wanted terrorist resulting in a highly successful collaborative follow-on investigation. From April 2019 to June 2022, Mr. Bivona served as the LEGAT in Riga, Latvia promoting the FBI’s efforts in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia with a focus on financial and counter-intelligence investigations. During this period, Mr. Bivona was a leader harmonizing U.S. and allied efforts targeting Eastern European criminal organizations and their support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Mr. Bivona has received numerous recognitions for his service and performance. His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster and awards from the governments of Iraq and Kuwait. As an FBI Agent, SSA Bivona has received commendations from the FBI, DEA, The Federal Executive Board, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) as well as the governments of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 

Mr. Bivona has extensive experience collaborating with various international entities, both public and private, including financial intelligence units, intelligence services and law enforcement agencies. This deep understanding of the global landscape allows him to offer students strategic insights and guidance when dealing with cross-border investigations and operations.

John P. Crimmins retired after 25 years of service with the Chesapeake, VA police department. During his career John spent 12 years as a criminal investigator, three years in the Crimes Against Property Section and nine years in the Crimes Against Persons Section. Realizing that the ability to effectively illicit information from reluctant witnesses and suspects was the key to a successful criminal investigation, he dedicated himself to learning and mastering the art of interview and interrogation. Recognized as an expert, John was selected by his agency to assist the Secret Service should a criminal incident occur during a campaign visit by former President Barack Obama. After 12 years as a criminal investigator, John was promoted to the rank of sergeant and returned to uniform patrol. Recognizing that it is easier to obtain a confession soon after an incident has occurred and before a suspect has been able to develop a coherent “story,” John trained his squad in the interview/interrogation techniques he developed. The confession rate increased resulting in an unprecedent number of case clearances for the City of Chesapeake Police Department. John has taught counter-terrorism and intelligence gathering processes to police officers in the U.S., Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Chad, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic and Niger. Additionally, he has imbedded with law enforcement officers in Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Chad to train them in various law enforcement techniques including, but not limited to, interview and interrogation. Present during the twin bombing terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on March 2, 2018 John advised both the Burkina Faso National Police and the Gendarmerie in techniques to utilize during the interview and interrogation of witnesses and suspects. John taught interview and interrogation, criminal investigation, officer survival and defensive tactics courses, as a collateral duty, at the Chesapeake, VA Police Academy for 20 years. Additionally, John was an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, VA for 13 years. John has received training in the Reid Interview and Interrogation technique, the Wicklander – Zulaski Interview and Interrogation technique, FBI Interview and Interrogation techniques, crime scene investigation, homicide investigation and robbery investigation. John has a Bachelors’ of Science Degree in Law Enforcement from George Mason University, in Fairfax, VA and a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration from Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, VA.

John Kempf is currently a Captain and District Commander of The Idaho State Police District One office located in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. John began his career as a Trooper with the Idaho State Police in 1997 and was promoted to Detective in 2000 where his primary focus was narcotics investigations. As a Detective John lead and participated in hundreds of narcotic cases ranging from street level investigations to complex conspiracy and federal wire tape cases. In 2008 John was promoted to Sergeant and supervised a narcotics unit whose primary focus is mid to upper-level drug traffickers. In 2014 John was promoted to Detective Lieutenant where he managed a unit whose caseloads included major narcotics cases, Officer-Involved Shootings /Critical Incidents, Homicides and Professional Standards Investigations.

John is a member of the National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies and the coordinator for Idaho of the Domestic Highway Enforcement program. John has been called to testify in Federal Court as an expert witness on drug investigations and is one of the lead instructors and organizers of the Idaho Basic Narcotics Officers Course. John has received numerous accolades for his law enforcement efforts including a U.S. Department of Justice Award for Public Service, Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Idaho, and Outstanding Supervisor award from the Idaho State Police. John has also been awarded the Idaho State Police Silver Star and the Idaho Medal of Honor for Bravery. 

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Delaware Valley University in Criminal Justice Administration and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.  

Joseph Willis (retired) is a 25 year veteran of the Keene (NH) Police Department. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree magna cum laude from Franklin Pierce University. He is both a national instructor and an auditor in the property and evidence management field. He is a certified instructor through NHPS&T. While assigned as the department property and evidence officer, he was an integral member of the team to achieve CALEA recognition and certification for accreditation. Until his retirement he was the team leader for both the Collision Analysis and Hostage Negotiation units. Among many of his assignments, he served as a Juvenile Detective/Prosecutor, Major Crimes Detective, Platoon Case Manager, Undercover Narcotics Detective for the NH Attorney Generals Drug Task Force and finally as the Property and Evidence Manager. He is a member of the International Association for Property and Evidence, New England Association for Crisis Negotiators and President of NH Property and Evidence Room Management Professionals.

Kevan Dugan retired in 2011 after more than 28 years with the Pennsylvania State Police, retiring as Division Director of the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations. His varied assignments included patrol, criminal investigations, undercover narcotics and SWAT. He served six years as a board member for the National Tactical Officers Association and is a graduate of the FBINAA, Session 213. After retirement he worked as the Director of Sales in Mexico for Point Blank Body Armor. He was a Spanish instructor for his department and acted as interpreter on homicide, aggravated assault, theft, drug and internal investigations, as well as translating department documents into Spanish. For the NTOA, he taught SWAT Command Courses in Spanish in South America.

Certified with PITC as a Spanish Instructor in 2001, he has taught in Pennsylvania, New York, North Dakota, South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho, Indiana and U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Kevin holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Western New England College and a M.S. in Forensic Science from The University of New Haven. He has been employed as a latent print examiner since 1995, working with The New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory, The New York City Police Department Forensic Laboratory and currently with The Connecticut DESPP Forensic Laboratory. He has extensive experience concerning Latent Print subject matter and has testified over 80 times as an expert in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut. His instructing experience includes teaching for 16 years within The University of New Haven Forensic Graduate Program as an adjunct professor, guest lecturing at numerous State and Private Colleges and Universities in Connecticut and Massachusetts, including UCONN Law School, providing training to State and Local law enforcement personnel and lectured at Forensic/ Law Enforcement Conferences. Further, Kevin has authored two articles, which have been published in scientific peer journals and is a member of the CT IAI and The Chesapeake Bay Division of the IAI.