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Our Team
CRA is comprised of a team of psychologists, behavioral specialists and trainers who specialize exclusively in the areas of threat assessment, critical incident management and behavioral health consultation. Our core consulting team are licensed psychologists who have years (typically decades) of experience in the assessment and strategic management of high-risk situations within a wide variety of circumstances, and have the flexibility to be called upon on an as-needed basis.
Dr. Marc McElhaney
CEO & Director of Professional Services
Dr. Marc McElhaney serves as CRA’s CEO and directs the Critical Response Team. Dr. McElhaney works exclusively in the areas of threat assessment, critical incident management and conflict resolution. Since 1977, he has consulted with hundreds of organizations (typically large corporations and law enforcement agencies) in regards to the assessment, management and resolution of high-risk incidents, and is a charter officer of the Atlanta/Southeast Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP). He has also helped schools and corporations develop workplace violence policies and crisis response programs, and presents workshops and training programs in the areas of workplace violence prevention, conflict resolution and crisis management. Dr. McElhaney is the author of Aggression in the Workplace: Preventing and Managing High-Risk Behavior"
Dr. Nancy Gup
Consulting Psychologist
As the Director of Client and Consulting Services for Gup & Associates, Inc., Dr. Nancy Gup, Licensed Psychologist, has been providing quality employee assistance and behavioral health services to businesses on a national basis since 1991. She brings to CRA a broad background that includes psychological disability management, executive coaching, drug free workplace consultation, training & development programs, and over fifteen years teaching at the university level. She has presented at several national professional conferences including the American Psychological Association and American Psychological Society Conferences.
Lisa Millsor
Business Manager
Lisa Millisor joined Critical Response Associates as Business Manager in April 2011, after serving in various management positions with Speedway/Super America a Marathon Oil Brand division, and as Regional Director of Human Resources with Sara Lee Corporation. Lisa has M.B.A with a concentration in Human Resources, and a background in Training and Development.
Dr. Thomas Evans
Consulting Psychologist
Dr. Thomas Evans is the Clinical Director of the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Diagnostic Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio. He is an Assistant Clinical Instructor at Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Department of Child Psychiatry. He is also the President of The Institute of the Study of Interpersonal Violence, a non-profit organization that conducts research in all aspects of violence, including school violence, stalking, domestic violence and child abuse. Tom is involved in all aspects of the risk assessment process, and specializes in fitness for duty evaluations.
Dr. Heather McElroy
Consulting Psychologist
In addition to being one of our associates, Dr. Heather McElroy serves as Vice President and managing partner of Stone McElroy Associates, one of CRA's strategic partners. She is a Board-Certified Police and Public Safety Psychologist and a sworn Reserve Police Officer, currently serving with Criminal investigation unit of the Smyrna Police Department. Dr. McElroy is an active member of the major national organizations of Police Psychologists and has written articles for Police Chief Magazine and other publications, has presented at various professional meetings and is the past chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Psychological Services Section.
Rosalind Jackson
Trainer
As the owner and Director of Train Intervene Prevent (TIP), Rosalind Jackson develops and delivers programs for CRA that focus on workplace violence awareness and prevention. In her previous position as manager of Georgia-Pacific’s workplace violence prevention program, Roz advised managers and HR professionals faced with potential workplace violence interventions, and was responsible for developing company-wide training programs. She also serves as production manager for the Security Executive Council, has served as a charter officer of the Atlanta/Southeast Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), and is actively involved with the Partnership Against Domestic Violence.
Dr. Joseph Konieczny
Consulting Psychologist
Besides his work with CRA, Dr. Joseph Konieczny has served as a Consulting Psychologist with Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Juvenile Court Diagnostic Clinic and the District Five Forensic Center in Mansfield, Ohio. As such, he was responsible for conducting psychological evaluations of offenders for the courts, in regards to sentencing, custody and other forensic issues. In addition, he conducts psychological evaluations for the Bureau of Disability Determination in his home State of Ohio.
Dr. Cerise Vablais
Consulting Psychologist
In addition to her work with CRA, Dr. Cerise Vablais is the Managing Member of Public Safety Psychological Services, PLLC, the largest provider of pre-employment psychological evaluations for first responders in the Pacific Northwest, and also serves as a member of the North Sound Metro SWAT CNT team. She has extensive experience in forensic assessment, having worked for the Maryland Department of Public Safety, and has served as the Director of Mental Health for the Anne Arundel County Detention Center. Dr. Vablais has provided expert witness testimony for matters including competency, criminal responsibility and civil commitment, and currently serves as the Membership Chair of the Psychological Services Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Dr. Ashley Christiansen
Consulting Psychologist
Aside from her work with CRA, Dr. Ashley Christiansen operates Christiansen Applied Psychological Services, a private practice group providing criminal, civil, employment related, and disability evaluations. She is board certified in Forensic Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology, and provides psychological consultation and evaluation for multiple federal agencies. She is active in teaching, mentoring early career psychologists, and continues to be involved in research relevant to the practice of forensic psychology. Dr. Christiansen has been published and regularly provides presentations on topics including psychological and forensic assessment, ethics in forensic psychology, and risk assessment.
Dr. Christy Giallella
Consulting Psychologist
In addition to her work with CRA, Dr. Christy Giallella has worked in various community based and correctional settings with justice-involved adolescents and adults. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the Behavioral Health and Justice Division (BHJD) of the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) where she manages programs with the jail, the state hospital, state prisons, and adult probation and parole. In addition, she conducts forensic evaluations, provides consultation services, and facilitates training on topics related to psychology and the legal system as part of her private practice. Her research background includes juvenile justice, forensic mental health assessment, and public policy.
Dr. Craig Childs
Consulting Psychologist
In addition to his work with CRA, Dr. Craig Childs is a subject matter expert concerning pre-employment psychological evaluations, fitness-for-duty evaluations, and leadership evaluations. As owner and operator of Tyre and Childs Public Safety Consulting, he regularly consults with public safety agencies, and currently serves as a member of the Wisconsin Suburban Critical Incident Team as a mental health advisor to the hostage negotiation unit. In addition, Dr. Childs has served as an expert witness in cases involving public safety matters, and also maintains an interest in coaching and leadership development.
Dr. Gerard Labuschagne
Consulting Psychologist
As the Director of L&S Threat Management, South Africa’s first workplace violence threat assessment and management consultancy, Dr. Gerard Labuschagne enjoys an international reputation for his work in threat management, training, and program/policy development. Previously, he had served for 14 years as the Section Head of the South African Police Service’s specialized Investigative Psychology Section (which functions similar to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit). As a member of our international team, Dr. Labuschagne consults with CRA on issues that occur within Africa, but also in many parts of the world outside of the U.S. He is also the current and founder president of the African Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (AfATAP).
Totti Karpela
Threat Management Consultant & Trainer
As the CEO of Peace of Mind, Totti Karpela is an internationally recognized threat assessment professional, who has provided behavioral and security consultation and training to a variety of multi-national organizations. Based in both Finland and Hong Kong, he serves as CRA’s primary consultant on casework occurring within Asia and Europe. During his prior career with the National Police of Finland, Inspector Karpela served on the multidisciplinary threat management and the hostage negotiator teams, in addition to teaching behavior management and conflict resolution at Finland’s National Police University. He holds a certification in Threat Management (CTM) and is an executive board member for the Association of European Threat Assessment Professionals (AETAP).
Varsha Avadhany
Threat Management Consultant & Trainer
In a career spanning over two decades, Varsha Avadhany has worked in a variety of capacities both in the non-profit and corporate sectors, in the areas of behavior analysis, threat assessment, crisis management, and the development of risk-fee organizational cultures. Based in Southern India, Varsha is a recognized speaker and trainer, and is instrumental in supporting CRA in our work with our clients who have a presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Honored among India's Top 20 Women Influencers in Security, she also serves as a member of the ASIS Steering Committee on Human Threat Management.
Our Partners
CRA relies on consultation with a range of international colleagues when we are advising on cases occurring in various parts of the world. Currently, we have partnerships with threat assessment professionals based in Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Hong Kong and Australia, each of whom also have connections throughout their respective regions, that we call upon as needed.
Stone McElroy Associates
One of our primary strategic partners, Stone, McElroy & Associates (SMA) is an industry-leading nationwide firm of Police and Public Safety psychologists. SMA provides pre-employment screening, psychological fitness-for-duty evaluations, post-critical incident management, operational consulting and hostage negotiations, primarily to public safety agencies. For more information about SMA's services, visit them here: https://stonemcelroy.com
Fortress Consulting
With their extensive experience in law enforcement and emergency response, CRA calls upon the expertise of Fortress Consulting in a variety of situations- particularly when organizations require advice in establishing facility-specific tactical procedures and response protocols for emergency situations, such as those involving an "active shooter".
Global Partners
CRA relies on consultation with a range of international colleagues when we are advising on cases occurring in various parts of the world. Currently, we have partnerships with threat assessment professionals based in Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Hong Kong and Australia, each of whom also have connections throughout their respective regions, that we can call upon as needed.