Facilitators
TODD LARSON is the Director of the What You Do Matters (WYDM) Institute focused on training criminal justice personnel across the United States. Prior to this role, he was the Associate Vice President of Workplace and Public Safety for a large Arizona Hospital System and was responsible for Security, Emergency Management, Central Communications, Access Control, Military Partnership, Simulations Training Center, Trauma Outreach, Injury Prevention, and the Forensic Nursing Program across six hospitals and over 100 other locations.
Prior to working in Healthcare, Todd retired from the Scottsdale (AZ) Police Department after 22 years of service. He spent the majority of his career investigating felony crimes within the Special Investigations Section, Violent Crimes Unit, Federal DEA Phoenix Task Force and served over ten years on the Scottsdale Police Department SWAT Team as an operator, sniper, and team leader. Todd has authored numerous court orders and warrants as well as serving as an instructor for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Scottsdale Police Department, and The Arizona Narcotics Officers Association (ANOA) Annual Conferences.
Todd is a graduate of The Advisory Board’s High Performing Leadership Fellowship, The Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command, and is a Certified Force Science Specialist. Todd has authored several published articles involving police training, tourniquet research, TBI research, and healthcare technology. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Northern Arizona University, a Master’s Degree in Leadership with Emphasis on Crisis Management and Disaster Preparedness from Grand Canyon University, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University.
JON ELIASON is the Homicide Bureau Chief at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He is a career prosecutor and has conducted numerous jury trials.
Mr. Eliason received a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University and his Juris Doctor from Temple Law School. Mr. Eliason serves on the Commission on Victims in the Courts, the Governor’s Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women, and the Forensic Academy.
Mr. Eliason has received numerous awards and accommodations for his work. He has been recognized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, and numerous cities throughout Arizona for his work and dedication as a prosecutor. Mr. Eliason is a frequent lecturer at schools, police departments, and legal conferences, and teaches for the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council, the National District Attorneys Association, and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
JASON KALISH has spent his entire career as a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Jason graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1993 with honors, earning a degree in criminology. He then attended the University of Arizona College of Law with the specific intent of becoming a prosecutor. During law school Mr. Kalish served as an Honors Intern with the FBI and worked in various capacities at the Pima County Attorney’s Office. He was sworn in as a lawyer on October 18, 1997 and as a Deputy Maricopa County Attorney two days later.
Jason has prosecuted gang members and repeat offenders in the Gang/ROP bureau. He has served as a supervisor in other bureaus, including Charging/Grand Jury, Preliminary Hearings and Juvenile Crimes. Following the supervisory stints, he returned to trial work and spent nearly ten years prosecuting homicides, first in the Family Violence Bureau and then the Homicide Bureau (later renamed the Capital Litigation Bureau). He is currently the Bureau Chief of the White Collar, Cyber Crime Bureau. Jason was named APAAC Prosecutor of the Year in 2014 for his role as lead counsel in the retrial of the Buddhist Temple murders which occurred in 1991.
Jason has always enjoyed teaching and was named the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Trainer of the Year in 2003. He was formerly the Bureau Chief of the Training Bureau and has taught nationwide on a variety of topics. He is married and enjoys reading, travelling, and spending time with his family.
Travis is an AZPOST General Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Patrol Rifle Instructor, Physical Fitness Instructor, and Below 100 Instructor. He is also a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the General Instructor program at AZPOST. He has taught various courses at the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy, Phoenix Regional Police Academy, and the AZDPS State Trooper Academy. In addition to instructing for AZDPS and AZPOST; Travis is also an Adjunct Instructor for Arizona Christian University. He currently teaches courses in Criminal Justice Studies, Christian Studies, and Biblical Theology.
Travis holds a Bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University, a Master’s degree from Grand Canyon University, a Master’s in Divinity degree from Liberty University, and a Doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Liberty University.
DAVID MOORE is a Lieutenant with the Phoenix Police Department where he has served since 1996. He has significant experience working Patrol in several precincts around the City of Phoenix, Bicycle Patrol Officer, Investigator and Supervisor with the Professional Standards Bureau, Tactical Training and Firearms Instructor, Advanced Training Lieutenant, Motor Lieutenant, and the Vehicular Homicide Unit.
Lieutenant Moore has extensive experience developing and instructing a wide range of police related training programs. He is a graduate of Wayland Baptist University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and holds a Masters Degree from Northern Arizona University in Executive Police Leadership.
Currently, Lieutenant Moore is assigned to the Phoenix Police Department’s Cactus Park Precinct.
CHRIS OLSON is a commander with the Oro Valley Police Department where he has worked since 2001. He has 30 years of law enforcement experience and is currently serving as the agency’s Support Services Commander where he oversees the department’s Investigations Bureau, Community Services Bureau, and Communications Bureau.
Commander Olson has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Park University; an M.Ed. in Human Relations from Northern Arizona University; is a graduate of the 244th Session of the FBI National Academy; and a graduate of the 331st Class of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.
ELIZABETH ORTIZ has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, a Master of Arts in Political Science, and a Juris Doctor. After graduating from law school, Ms. Ortiz clerked at the Arizona Court of Appeals. Ms. Ortiz then joined the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, in Phoenix, Arizona, where she prosecuted cases for sixteen years. During that time, Ms. Ortiz served as a Bureau Chief in Juvenile, Pretrial, Charging, and Appeals. In 2009, Ms. Ortiz joined the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council (“APAAC”) as the Senior Staff Attorney and was subsequently named Executive Director. In addition to her APAAC duties, Ms. Ortiz is a sworn special prosecutor in several Arizona counties and continues to carry a criminal caseload.
Ms. Ortiz is co-chair of the Arizona Governor’s Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women, chair of the State Bar of Arizona Public Lawyers Executive Council, and chair of the State Bar of Arizona Criminal Justice Executive Council. She serves as a board member for the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators, the National District Attorney’s Association, the Arizona Forensic Science Academy, the Arizona Supreme Court’s Commission of Victims in Court, the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization, and the State Bar Professionalism Advisory Council. Ms. Ortiz teaches extensively throughout Arizona, the United States, and Mexico on a wide variety of legal topics, and is a facilitator for the Lessons From the Holocaust: What You Do Matters course.
SHEILA POLK, County Attorney for Yavapai County, received her bachelor’s and law degrees from Arizona State University and was honored as an Outstanding Alumni in 2019. After completing a clerkship at the Arizona Supreme Court, Ms. Polk worked in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for eleven years before moving to Prescott in 1994. There, she joined the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office where she specialized in the prosecution of felony crimes, including elder abuse, sexual offenses, and repeat felony offenders. In 2012, she was awarded the prestigious Michael C. Cudahy Criminal Justice Award from the Arizona State Bar.
First elected in 2000, Ms. Polk is currently serving her sixth term. In addition to overseeing a staff of 114 employees, Ms. Polk has found time to be at the forefront of change. She chairs both the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council and the Governor’s Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership and is vice-chair for the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. She is chair and founding member of MATFORCE, the Yavapai County substance abuse coalition, and serves as an advisory council member for the Yavapai County Justice and Mental Health Coalition. She assists as faculty for the CWAG Alliance Partnership, a cooperative initiative to strengthen the legal system in Mexico, and served on the Governor’s Arizona Human Trafficking Council from 2013 to 2021. Ms. Polk is the driving stimulus behind the nationally renowned law enforcement course, What You Do Matters: Lessons from the Holocaust. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum recognized Ms. Polk in 2018 as an “agent of change” at a national tribute dinner in Washington D.C. In 2018, the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council awarded Ms. Polk with the Gerda and Kurt Klein Guardian of Freedom Award for her tireless efforts to teach the “Lessons from the Holocaust” to police officers and prosecutors across the nation.
DIANA TAPIA WILLIAMS is a Lieutenant with the Mesa Police Department where she has served since 2003. During her tenure, Lieutenant Williams has worked assignments in Patrol, Training, Media Relations Office, Organized Crime Unit, and Mesa Family Advocacy Center as a Personal Crimes Detective. Her current assignment is Operations Lieutenant for the Fiesta Patrol Division.
Lieutenant Williams is committed to supporting the next generation of law enforcement professionals through instruction, training, mentorship, and coaching.
Lieutenant Williams was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Criminal Justice from the University of Arizona. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix in Administration of Justice and Security.
ADENA BERNSTEIN is a Deputy County Attorney with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. She is a career prosecutor and has worked in the Appeals Bureau, Family Violence Bureau, Sex Crimes Bureau,Trial Bureau, and the Juvenile Bureau. Ms. Bernstein currently works with local and federal agencies extraditing fugitives from abroad. She also assists in prosecuting the cases her office receives involving hate crimes. Ms. Bernstein received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh.
Ms. Bernstein is the grandchild of two Holocaust survivors. She has published a book describing how her grandmother survived the Holocaust which now has an accompanying Educator’s Guide for teachers. Ms. Bernstein is an active member of the Phoenix Holocaust Association and a founding member of 3GAZ, a group of grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Her grandmother often spoke to her about her experiences during the Holocaust, which had a profound impact on her life. She continues to honor her grandmother’s life by speaking about her grandmother’s survival and lessons learned from the Holocaust all over the world.