2026 Spring Conference

April 12 – 14th, 2026 | Moab, UT

Hotel Information

Red Cliffs Lodge
MILEPOST 14, HWY 128 | MOAB, UTAH 84532
(866) 812-2002

Our Room Block Expires Friday, March 13th So Book Your Room Soon!
Book your group rate for FBI – 2026 National Academy

Rooms at the Red Cliffs Lodge are extremely limited and may already be all reserved. The Big Horn Lodge (550 South Main Street 435-259-6171) has agreed to provide a small block of rooms at a discounted rate.

Sponsorship FAQs

Agenda

2026 FBINAA Utah Chapter Spring Training

Guest Speakers

Captain Matt Ward Speaker Information

Sergeant Michael Kennon Speaker Information

Assistant Chief Rich Slavin Speaker Information

Sunday, April 12, 2026

1500 – 1730 & 2000 – 2130 Registration

1830 Hospitality Room open

Monday, April 13, 2026

0730 – 0800 Registration

0800 – 1000 Welcome

Business Items
Introduction of Sponsors
Section 1 Rep
FBI Update

1000 – 1200 Captain Matt Ward, Ogden PD, UT – Command Under Pressure: Lessons from a Barricaded Subject Response

1200 – 1300 Lunch on your own

1230 – 1700 Networking Activities

Golf Tournament (Moab Golf Course)
ATV Ride – Alex Davis

1830 Hospitality Room open

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

0800 – 1200 Chief Rich Slavin – AI as a Strategic Thought Partner for Law Enforcement Executives

1200 – 1300 Lunch provided

1400 – 1800 Sergeant Michael Kennon – How AI is Being Used by the Bad Guys – and What LE Can Do to Stop Them

1830 Banquet

Hospitality Room will open after banquet

Richard M. Slavin

Assistant Chief of Police
Scottsdale Police Department

INTEGRATING AI INTO STRATEGIC PLANNING AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

Chief Slavin has cultivated an expertise in using AI as a strategic thought partner. He will share an analytic tool he created to assess technology, crime heat zones and CAD data to determine optimized deployment of LPR and human resources.

Richard M. Slavin’s Bio

Rich Slavin serves as Assistant Chief of the Uniformed Services Bureau for the Scottsdale, Arizona Police Department (SPD). He leads four Patrol District Stations, the Special Operations Division, the Training Section and the Detention Facility. Slavin was previously the Assistant Chief of the Investigative Services Bureau for SPD and was the SWAT Commander with more than 600 missions over the course of 14 years.

MILITARY SERVICE | EDUCATION | EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Rich is a United States Air Force veteran and has 27 years of service with the Scottsdale Police Department. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice from Grand Canyon University and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership (M.OL) from Northern Arizona University.

Slavin is a graduate of several highly competitive executive development courses including: the Arizona Leadership Program; the FBI-LEEDA Command Leadership Training; the US State Department WMD Tactical Commander Management and Leadership Training; the Scottsdale Management Development Series XXXI; and the FBI National Academy Class 274 (2018).

EDUCATING AND INSTRUCTING LEADERS

Throughout his career, Rich has always placed great emphasis on developing exceptional leaders. In 2017, after creating from the ground up the Emerging Leadership Program, Slavin earned the Scottsdale City Manager’s Award of Excellence for providing a “Special Contribution to the Agency’s Future”.

Rich is an Adjunct Professor for Northern Arizona University where he teaches courses in Law Enforcement Leadership; Critical Issues in Policing; Juvenile Justice in the US; and Leadership Theory in Justice Administration. Slavin instructs at several national LE Command Colleges/Leadership Academies like the FBI Intermountain Law Enforcement Executive Command College and the Polk CO SO National Innovation Academy. Most recently, Slavin and his associates at Advance Team Leadership Training partnered with a select number of universities to develop the first ever leadership academy that brings LE leaders and community executives together to work alongside one another to shape the safety of the communities they serve. He previously taught Command Tactical and Leadership Courses internationally for DEA and the US State Department. Slavin has instructed more than 400 international students spanning 10 Central and South American countries and Mexico.

Joe Deese

Senior Investigator III
Cannabis Compliance Board Enforcement Division

Joe Deese serves his community as a Peace Officer for the State of Nevada with the Cannabis Compliance Board Law Enforcement Division (CCBED). Joe has over 18 years of experience in law enforcement with the Sparks Police Dept., Washoe County School Police Department, Nevada Fish and Game Warden, and his current assignment with the CCBED. During his time as a Police Officer, he has logged many patrol hours and some assignments include Field Training Officer, Drug Recognition Expert, DUI task force, Bike Patrol, underage drinking task force, active shooter instructor, firearms instructor, OC spray instructor, and stop the bleeding instructor. Joe was the Officer in Charge of the Nevada Air Guard Security Forces (Military Police) augmented program for 4 years. He was also a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force Officer investigating drug and human trafficking offenses in Northern Nevada and California.

In addition to his Law Enforcement commitment, Joe served as the Commander of the 940 Force Support Squadron for the Air Force Reserve, Beale AFB, California where he was responsible for the effective management of the wing’s Military Personnel Flight, Training Flight, Sustainment Flight which included Lodging and Dinning Facility and Communication Flight

Joe is a 2015 Air University graduate with a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree. He is also a 2001 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management of Technical Operations. Upon graduation from the Air Force Officer Training School in 2001, he was assigned to the 192nd Operations Squadron as a Navigator.

Joe has deployed multiple times as a Navigator in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. During his deployments, he served as C-130 Command Navigator, where he received the Air Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster for flying over 100 combat missions to Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Djibouti, and Kenya are some of the locations. Joe has over 1300 flying hours in the C-130 aircraft as a Navigator.

EDUCATION

2000 Associates Financial Management, Community College of the Air Force
2001 Associates Education and Training Management, Community College of the Air Force
2001 Bachelor of Science, Management of Technical Operations, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida
2001 Academy of Military Science, Knoxville, Tennessee
2015 Air Command and Staff College, Joint Warfare, Air University, Alabama
2015 Master of Military Operational Art and Science Degree, Air University, Alabama
2021 Air War College, Air University, Alabama

CERTIFICATIONS

Field Training Officer – 2008
Instructor Development – 2009
Drug Recognition Expert – 2010
Firearms Instructor – 2022
Glock Armorer – 2022

OC Instructor – 2022
Rifle Instructor – 2024
Shotgun Instructor – 2024
Active Shooter Threat Instructor – 2025

Dr. Benjamin Stone

Sigma Tactical Wellness

Biography: Dr. Benjamin Stone is an internationally recognized speaker and thought leader with over 20 years of experience inspiring audiences around the world. A dynamic presenter known for his compelling storytelling and unmatched expertise, Dr. Stone empowers organizations and individuals to rethink wellness, leadership, and human performance.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas and Oxford University, Dr. Stone holds a PhD in Human Physiology with an emphasis in cardiovascular genomics and metabolism. His academic journey led him to groundbreaking research in exploring the role of amino acid Lglutamine in recovery and physical resilience. He also worked with the British Olympic Medical Institute at Northwick Park Hospital, pioneering screening methodologies to prevent sudden cardiac deaths in young athletes due to a disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

At just 24, Dr. Stone was appointed Senior Lecturer at the University of Oxford’s Department of Physiology, where he delivered regular lectures on nutritional biochemistry, energy metabolism, and pathophysiology to medical and nursing students. He later served as Assistant Professor in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Central Arkansas and as an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he also co-chaired the committee determining medical curricula.

In 2015, Dr. Stone co-founded Sigma Tactical Wellness, where he served as CEO until its acquisition by Telemed2U in 2025. Under his leadership, Sigma became the national authority in advanced cardiac disease prevention for first responders, developing innovative research and screening protocols that have saved countless lives in police and fire agencies across the United States.

As a speaker, Dr. Stone is sought after for his depth of knowledge and ability to connect complex science to real-world application. He has delivered keynote addresses for the FBI National Academy, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and numerous state-level associations and conferences. His presentations inspire action, spark meaningful change, and leave audiences with practical strategies to improve health, performance, and wellness-forward leadership culture.

Whether addressing top law enforcement executives, medical professionals, or corporate leaders, Dr. Stone’s presentations consistently earn rave reviews for their authenticity, impact, and visionary perspective.