VIRGINIA APCO
Leaders in Public Safety Communications
MEMBER RECOGNITION
APCO International Life Members From Virginia
Nathan McClure
Retired Public Safety Consultant
AECOM, Inc.
(Past President-APCO International
August 1978 to August 1979)
Nathan McClure, MPA, ENP, is a retired senior communications operations specialist with AECOM, Inc., formerly known as CTA Communications, Inc. He has more than 38 years’ experience in public safety communications. Nate served as APCO International President from August 1978 to August 1979 while a member of the Illinois Chapter.
Tom Hanson
Retired Executive Director
Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County Emergency Communications
Tom Hanson, is Executive Director of the Charlottesville/UVA/Albemarle Emergency Communications Center. He joined APCO in 1992. He served as the Chapter’s Delegate to APCO International Executive Council from 2002 until 2006, and has been active on various Chapter and International committees. He currently chairs the Chapter’s Bylaws Committee.
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Steve Souder
Retired Director
Fairfax County Department Public Safety Communications
Steve Souder, a life member of APCO International, is the Director of the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications DPSC). Steve has over twenty years of experience in emergency communications and has represented the E-911 industry and public safety more broadly on countless professional committees, national task forces, congressional and FCC hearings. His commanding presence, passion for the job and eloquent style of speaking has inspired an entire generation of E9-1-1 professionals in Virginia and beyond. Steve chaired the APCO Project RETAINS, a project started in 2001. The results of the project were released in 2005 and include the most extensive in depth research ever conducted on the issues impacting the recruitment, hiring, processing, training and retention of personnel in 911 public safety communications centers.
Carol W. Adams
Former Director, Division of Emergency Communications
Stafford County Sheriff's Department
Carol Adams is the former Director of the Division of Emergency Communications for Stafford County Sheriff's Department. She previously served as a Supervisor for York County Emergency Communications from 1999 to 2006. Prior to her employment with York County, she served as a full-time dispatcher with Hanover County from 1980 to 1985, and as a part-time dispatcher for York County from 1987 to 1992 and for James City County from 1992 to 1999. She was honored as Dispatcher of the Year in 1998. While working part-time as a dispatcher, she also served as a paralegal. Prior to working as a dispatcher, Carol worked 11 years as a seasonal employee for Kings Dominion, including 3 years in loss prevention and communications. A member of APCO since 1999, she served as the Chapter's Secretary from 2002 to 2006 when she was elected Vice President; she is a Past President (2008-2009). Carol was awarded APCO International Life Membership and Chapter Life Membership in 2015. She graduated from Lee Davis High School in Mechanicsville and from the Smithdeal Massey Business College in Richmond as a legal assistant.
Terry Hall
Chief of Emergency Communications
York-Poquoson-Williamsburg Emergency Communications
(Past President-APCO International August 2012 to August 2013)
Terry Hall, is chief of emergency communications for York-Poquoson-Williamsburg Emergency Communications Center. Terry has worked diligently with APCO for over twenty years, getting to know and working with many Chapter members, whether it was on a piece of legislation, serving on a committee, or as an Executive Council member. Terry joined APCO as a commercial vendor for the first five years of his active twenty year membership. For the past fifteen plus years, he has served in the membership as a public safety professional. During this time, he has been honored to serve in the position of President of the Virginia Chapter twice, as Treasurer of the Virginia chapter, and as legislative chair for the past ten years. He served as the Chapter’s delegate to the International Executive Council (2008-2009). He has served as an APCO International Board member for the past three years, highlighted by serving as APCO International President for 2012-13. Highlighting some of the other efforts he has been a part of are:
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APCO Project Locate for the Commonwealth of Virginia
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Served as co-chair for PBX MLTS for Virginia
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Served on APCO International Strategic Planning Committee
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Chaired APCO International’s MAPP Committee
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Chaired two successful East Coast conferences, and served on numerous committees for both APCO International and APCO Virginia
In addition, he has been honored by receiving numerous awards and commendations in recognition of the work that has helped to advance the goals and objectives of both APCO and Public Safety Telecommunications. Among the awards were the Governors Award for Excellence 2006 and the APCO International Communications Director of the Year in 2006. He has also previously served in appointment capacity from the Governor of Virginia to the E-911 Wireless Services Board.
Currently, he manages a consolidated communications Center in York-Poquoson-Williamsburg. He is a sworn deputy and a member of the Virginia 1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. A past member of Virginia 2 Urban Search & Rescue, he has had the honor of numerous deployments to hurricanes, including Katrina, Rita, and Gustav.
Terry has made a conscious decision to commit to the mission and goals of APCO and has been active as well as proactive within the organization to be part of creating and applying solutions rather than settling for the status quo. In believing that we can always strive to do better and to be better, Terry has exemplified the public safety professional through the presentation and enacting of new ideas and innovations within our industry not only to the benefit of individual organizations, but public safety as a whole.
Bill Agee
Retired
Network and Telecommunications Services Manager
City of Hampton, Department of Information Technology
Bill Agee, is retired from the City of Hampton where he was the Network and Telecommunications Services Manager. He previously worked in similar positions with Roanoke and Franklin Counties. Bill is also retired as an E7 Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force having served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Most of his years in the Air Force were served in various electronic communications maintenance career fields. His military honors include the National Defense Service Medal with one device, the Air Force Achievement Medal with one device, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with 2 devices and the Kuwait Liberation Medal. A member of Virginia NENA since 2005 and the Virginia Chapter of APCO since 1997, Bill is a past president of Virginia APCO, served for 7 years on APCO International Executive Council representing Virginia APCO and chaired or co-chaired the chapter’s fall conference from 2009 to 2014 and then again in 2018. He served for 10 years on the Region 42 800 MHz committee, a Virginia E911 Services Board PSAP funding committee and on a committee to help draft the first statewide E911 Strategic Plan. He served for 6 years on the Virginia E911 Services Board's PSAP Grant Committee representing Virginia APCO and served on the initial committee to establish the founding guidelines for this program. Bill served on APCO International's Conference and Exhibition Advisory Committee and has served on APCO's Broadband Committee and on the E9-1-1 Emerging Technologies Committee. Bill was awarded Chapter Life Membership in 2013, International Senior membership in 2014 and APCO International Life Membership in 2015. Bill holds a Master of Arts degree in Management and is married with three children and two grandchildren. He and his family live in the Martinsville area.
Virginia Chapter Life Members
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Steve Souder
Retired Director
Fairfax County Department Public Safety Communications
Bio Above
Carol W. Adams
Former Director, Division of Emergency Communications
Stafford County Sheriff's Department
Bio Above
Melinda Bramley
Retired Training and Retention Specialist
Virginia Beach 9-1-1 Emergency Communications
Melinda Bramley began her career with the Virginia Beach 911 Emergency Communications Division in 1969. She began her career as an offense clerk and has served as dispatcher, operations supervisor, administrative supervisor and communications specialist. Melinda is currently the Training and Retention Specialist for the division and is responsible for the planning, administration, and oversight of the Virginia Beach 911 Emergency Communications Division’s training function. Her responsibilities also include creating activities and programs to enhance the selection, hiring and retention of Emergency Communications Division Employees. Melinda possesses an extensive knowledge of the entire operation of the Virginia Beach Communications Division. Melinda holds an Associates Degree in Police Science and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Resource Administration. She is also an Emergency Medical Dispatch Instructor and a Department of Criminal Justices General Instructor. Melinda represents her department/division in a positive manner in both APCO and Region 42. Melinda has been a member of APCO (Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Inc.) since 1982, and has served on the Executive Board since 1984. Melinda has served as Virginia APCO President, Virginia APCO Secretary and as Virginia APCO Treasurer. She has been awarded Life Membership in the Virginia Chapter of APCO. Melinda has been a member and served as Secretary of the Region 42 Committee since its creation in 1988 until her retirement. Melinda was an active member of NENA. She retired January 1, 2011.
Terry Hall
Chief of Emergency Communications
York-Poquoson-Williamsburg Emergency Communications
(Past President-APCO International August 2012 to August 2013)
Bio Above
Tom Hanson
Retired Executive Director
Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County Emergency Communications
Bio Above
Phil Heins
Retired Director of Communications
Hanover County Emergency Communications
Phil Heins, is the retired Director of the Hanover County Emergency Communications Department. A life-long resident of the County, he began his career is public safety in 1969 as a volunteer firefighter. He was hired by the Sheriff's Office in 1976 as a Communications Officer and was promoted to a Shift Supervisor in 1978. After serving in this capacity for several years, he was promoted to Director of Communications in 1983 and has served in that capacity ever since. Phil was the County's Project Manager for the purchase and installation of the Trunked Radio System and Enhanced 911 System. He also wrote the specifications for the CAD system that is currently in use, and has been very active in the purchase of other various radio and automation equipment. Phil served on the original committee that developed the Dispatcher Certification Program for the Commonwealth of Virginia and been a Department of Criminal Services Instructor. He is a Past President of the Virginia Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and a Past President of Virginia APCO. He serves as an active member of both NENA and APCO. Phil is a lifetime member of the Hanover Courthouse Volunteer Fire Company where he served for 29 years. During his tenure with the fire company he served as Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, and President. He was also very active in the Hanover County Association of Volunteer Fire Companies, where he held the position of Vice President for a number of years. Through his and his staff’s efforts, the Emergency Communications Department has grown into an efficient and professional organization that provides the citizens of the County as well as the various user agencies with a very high level of service. Phil is married to the former Rita Acors and they live in the Hanover Courthouse area with their two daughters, Kelley and Ashleigh. He retired June 1, 2011.
Bill Agee
Retired
Network and Telecommunications Services Manager
City of Hampton, Department of Information Technology
Bio Above
Scott Chandler
9-1-1 Consultant
Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Commission
Scott Chandler, serves as a part-time 9-1-1 Consultant for the Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Commission. He began his public safety career in 1970 as a volunteer firefighter and rescue squadsman. His interest in public safety communications led to his serving as Chair of the Accomack-Northampton Firemen’s Association’s Communications Committee and managing the area’s fire-rescue communications system in the 1980’s and to the development and early management of the Eastern Shore’s 9-1-1 Center in 1991. Scott joined APCO in 1993, represented the Chapter on the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board from 1997 to 2003, and served as acting Chapter President for 2003-2004 and as Chapter President for 2004-2005. Additionally, he has served as the Chapter’s webmaster and listserv administrator since 2003 and has served on several Chapter committees. He is a life member of both the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad and the Onancock Volunteer Fire Department. He served as a member of the Tidewater EMS Council for 25 years, and is a past president of the Eastern Shore EMS Council. He has been a member of the Eastern Shore Hazardous Materials Response Team since 1992, in addition to serving as hazardous materials coordinator for Accomack County from 1985 to 2013. Scott is employed full-time as Administrative Manager for the Virginia Department of Health, Eastern Shore Health District, and is currently in his 38th year of state service. He also owns and operates the Roseland Theatre, a single-screen motion picture theatre in Onancock. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Management. He and his wife, Sarah, reside near Onancock. He was awarded Chapter Life Membership in 2013.
Richard Troshak
Operational Planning Branch Chief
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Rich Troshak is the former Director of Emergency Communications for Chesterfield County, VA. Prior to this position he was the Project Manager for the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Protective Services Philadelphia MegaCenter, which provides dispatch services to federal facilities in 14 states. During his 24 year career in public safety he was also a PSAP Director in Michigan and Kansas City. He started his career as a Dispatcher for Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Rich is a life member of the Virginia Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) where he served two terms as Chapter President, and had served previously as President of the Michigan Chapter of APCO. He has chaired the annual Virginia APCO/NENA/SIEC Conference since 2012, and served a three year term on the Professional Development Events Committee (PDEC) . Rich is also the chair of the Capital Region Communications Steering Committee (CRCSC) which provides oversight to the Richmond area regional 800 MHz public safety radio system.
Rich specializes in teaching courses on leadership, suicide intervention, stress management, and critical incidents. Rich has also been a speaker at ten APCO International conferences, and numerous state public safety conferences.
Joell D. Kight, CPE
Communications Manager
Office of the Sheriff
78 West Lee Street, Suite 102
Warrenton, Virginia 20186
Joell Kight is a native of Fauquier County, she graduated from Waldorf College in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. In 2014, Joell earned APCOs Registered Public Safety Leader (RPL) in 2015, she earned her Emergency Number Professional (ENP) through National Emergency Number Association and in January 2018 completed the APCO Certified Public Safety Executive (CPE) program. She began her career in public safety as volunteer firefighter with the Lois Volunteer Fire Department. While with the fire department she obtained her emergency medical technician-intermediate. In 1997, she began working for Fauquier County as an emergency communications specialist.
Since then, she has been promoted through the agency to Shift Supervisor and Training Coordinator to her current role as the Communications Manager. Joell is life member of the Virginia Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers serving as the 2019 Chapter President. She has served on the Virginia APCO Fall Conference in multiple roles including co-chair. She served as a member of the Regional Advisory Council from 2015-2020 working on initiatives to ensure Virginia’s transition to Next Generation 9-1-1. In 2019, she was recognized by the Virginia Chapter of APCO as the Director of the Year, in 2019 she received the Regional Award for Outstanding Achievement in EMS – Outstanding Contribution to EMS Telecommunication.
Denice R. Crowder
Dinwiddie County Division of Fire & EMS
Director of Emergency Communications
13850 Courthouse Road
P.O. Box 70
Dinwiddie, VA. 23841
Office 804-469-5388 EXT 4241
Cell 804-704-0517
Denice Crowder has been the Emergency Communications Director for Dinwiddie County Fire & EMS, since July 2009. She leads a staff of 16 full time employees and 2 part time employees. She has 26 years of experience in the Emergency Communications field with 21 of those years in management.
Denice has also, worked for communications agencies, including Louisa Sheriff’s Office and Charlottesville Albemarle ECC.
In October 2021, she received her Senior Membership with APCO and currently serves on the Virginia APCO Board as a Delegate at Large.
Denice serves on several committees for APCO to include the ProCHRT, Conference, and the Legislative Committee Chair from 2018-2021 to address Telecommunicators being recognized as Public Safety-First Responders, and to obtain enhanced retirement.
Denice has served, on the Virginia Chapter of NENA, and was President of the Chapter in 2014.
Denice is married to Floyd Crowder. She has 2 sons, 1 daughter in law, 2 grandson, and 2 spoiled dogs.
Jim Junkins
Retired Director
Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center
Virginia Chapter Senior Members
Jim Junkins was the Director of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center. Serving since 1992, he was the project manager for consolidating three communications centers into one; serving 31 public safety agencies and the project/system manager for the regional $20M radio system utilized by 53 agencies. He is also the team Manager for the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Communications Cache, one of 5 regional teams of the Virginia Communications Cache. Junkins is past Chairman of the Commonwealth of Virginia's State Interoperability Executive Committee, served on the Executive Board of the Virginia Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Academy, COMLINC Advisory Board, FEMA Region III Emergency Communications Working Committee and Broadway Volunteer Fire Department Board of Directors. He previously worked as an RF Communications Applications Engineer for 9 years in the cable television industry, specializing in radio frequency leakage detection systems. He earned an applied sciences degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. He holds several state and national certifications including Communications Unit Leader (COML-L), COM-L Instructor, Amateur Radio licensee, Microsoft Certified Professional, Project Manager, Fire Instructor and Emergency Medical Technician. He has been a volunteer firefighter for over 33 years and is a life member of the Broadway Volunteer Fire Department. Jim was awarded Chapter Life Membership in October 2016.
Deceased International Members
John T. "Jack" Keating (Deceased)
Retired Director - City of West Covina (Calif.) Communications Department
John “Jack” Keating , served as APCO International President from August 1998 to August 1999 while a member of the California Chapter. He passed away on Friday, February 15, 2013. Jack retired from a career in the Coast Guard to take an open position as the communications director for the City of West Covina (Calif.) Communications Department. He joined APCO on Feb. 8, 1977. Before his election to the APCO International Board of Officers in 1995, Jack was very active in CPRA (APCO’s Southern California Chapter) for many years. He was president of CPRA in 1991. He served as conference chair for the Western States Regional Conference held in Anaheim in 1994. And he was a member of the APCO Regional Conference Manual Review Task Force and served as chair of the Activities and Membership Committee from 1988–1991. Jack served a term as the association’s president from 1998–1999 and was honored with Life Membership at the APCO International Conference & Expo in 1999. Following his retirement from the City of Covina, he and his family moved to Williamsburg, Va., and Jack remained active with Virginia APCO. Jack passed away on Friday, February 15, 2013.
William M. Lee (Deceased)
Retired-Virginia State Police
(Past President-APCO International August 1971 to August 1972 - Virginia)
Deceased Virginia Chapter Life Members
Ronald Wade (Deceased)
Retired Superintendent, City of Roanoke 9-1-1
Ronald Wade, was the retired Communications Manager of Roanoke City 9-1-1 Communications Center. Ron began his career in Roanoke as a Police Patrol Officer, then served 13 years as a Communications Supervisor and 20 years as Communications Manager. His responsibilities included communications project management (wireline and wireless implementation, CAD, MDS, and center upgrades), management of the 9-1-1 communications center, and management of the city-wide radio systems. As represented by his many years of public service to the Roanoke Community and to the APCO community, he loved participating in Virginia APCO, having been a member for 21 years, serving as its President from 2002-2003, as its Fall conference chairman/co-chair for 8 years in the Roanoke Valley, member of the Region 42 800 MHz NPSPAC Committee, and a member of the State EMS Advisory Board’s Communications Committee. He was awarded Chapter Life Membership in 2005. Ron passed away on Monday, February 1, 2010.