National Instructors

Catherine Fontenot has worked in prisons or jails her entire adult life. Initially assigned as a Classification Officer at Louisiana’s only maximum-security prison, she became the first Executive Staff Officer at the Louisiana State Prison (LSP) and its Director of Classification, in addition to serving as the ACA Accreditation Manager and assisted other prisons across the state in achieving accreditation with the American Correctional Association. Ms. Fontenot was an original member of a unique and innovative program, titled Lousiaiana Department of Corrections Restorative Justice Task Force and Victim/Offender Dialoque Program. She has served as an expert witness in corrections litigation, and is a nationally recognized for her innovative leadership in prisons and jails. Ms. Fontenot served as one of the state’s youngest assistant wardens and gained her master’s degree in criminology in 2006. She has taught criminal justice and corrections at the university level, has been a warden at a local jail, and worked as a director of a reception and diagnostic unit.

Chinere (Cece) is the Assistant Commander of Special Investigations for the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office in NJ, at the rank of Detective Sergeant. She has been in law enforcement for 14 years serving in various capacities such as Crime Scene Investigations, Fugitive Warrants, Patrol, Court Services, and most recently as an instructor for the Passaic County Police Academy. Cece became a National Instructor for the ABLE Project (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement)in November of 2021. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology. She is a FBI-LEEDA trilogy recipient, with extensive training in Leadership and Crisis Intervention and Media Relations. Cece is also Community Manager for xHood, a community of Black queer people who feel empowered in their ability to build and nurture healthy families and parent happy children. She is an advocate and resource for Black and Queer Families both online and professionally. She has a passion for Leadership in Law Enforcement, personal development, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ acceptance and equality.

After graduating from the University of Colorado, Robert Nanney began his career corrections with the Jefferson County, CO) Justice Services Unit, followed by two years with Correctional Psychology Associates. He joined the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) in 2002. Since then, he has successfully worked his way up the career ladder, and now serves as Captain of the ACSO, where he manages all aspects of jail operations. In addition to his leadership at the Jail, Captain Nanney also serves as an Instructor for Mental Health First Aid. A gifted instructor and public speaker, he uses his vast experience in corrections and law enforcement to make his classes effective and credible.

Michael McIntosh currently serves as the Chief Deputy for the Douglas County (CO) Sheriff’s Office. From 2015-2019, he served as the elected Sheriff of Adams County, Colorado. With more than 35 years of law enforcement experience and volunteer service, he has received numerous awards for excellence in service and leadership. In 2009, he was selected to attend and graduated from Session 237 of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy. He has served as Director of County Sheriffs of Colorado, the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, as well as the Colorado Special Olympics. He is well known for his transformative leadership approach and has a proven track record of successfully leading teams and organizations through periods of change.

Ann Farrell lives in the Pacific Northwest in Washington state. She is the founder of Align & Unify 2 Thrive which helps leaders, teams, and organizations define and build healthy mission and values driven cultures to fulfill their highest purpose. In addition to her work with Heroes Active Bystandership Training, Ann is working with Metropolitan Police Department, Baltimore Police Department, and WA State Criminal Justice Training Commission as an instructor/facilitator for 21st Century Police Leadership (21CPL) which is offered to all leaders working in law enforcement. 21CPL works to help leaders develop greater Emotional Intelligence, build effective communications skills, and develop mission and values driven cultures that focus on officer wellness, officer and public safety, and public trust. Since 2006 Ann has been a board member and past board chair of her local Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound and volunteers both regionally and nationally for The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, representing local boards in WA, AK, ID, and OR.

After serving four years active duty in the United States Marine Corps., in 1999, John joined the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became a certified peace officer in 2002 and was promoted to Sergeant the same year. During his twenty-five year career, he has served on the Honor Guard and as a Field Training Officer for Officers and Supervisors. John ran the Jail Investigations Unit for a number of years, handling over a thousand criminal cases inside the detention facility, and re-developed the agency’s Field Training and Certified Officer programs for Corrections.