2026 Crime Stoppers Prep Fair
Our Speakers and Team
Brian Blake
Executive Director, Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC)
Brian Blake currently serves as Executive Director of CUSEC - the Central United States Earthquake Consortium, based in Memphis, Tennessee. CUSEC was established in 1983 under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program to advance earthquake preparedness, planning, and mitigation across the central U.S. region. Brian has served at CUSEC since 2003 in various capacities, becoming Executive Director in 2023. He has led and contributed to major initiatives including the New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Initiative, the New Madrid Bicentennial, CAPSTONE-14, and the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. Brian lives in the Memphis area with his family. Outside of work, he is an award-winning songwriter and performing musician.
Dr. Clover Johnson
Dr. Clover Johnson has spent more than two decades helping under-resourced individuals and communities navigate crisis, build resources, and strengthen their capacity to recover. As a resource director for a Chicago shelter serving young mothers experiencing homelessness, Johnson helped broaden the understanding of emergency preparedness beyond natural disasters to include the everyday crises that threaten stability—housing loss, food insecurity, interrupted services, transportation barriers, health emergencies, and the loss of essential community supports.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson drew upon years of experience in online education, social work, community resource development, and trauma-informed practice to help people adapt when familiar systems suddenly became inaccessible. Her work since then has continued to focus on community resilience: helping people identify the resources, relationships, knowledge, and practical skills they need before a crisis occurs.
Johnson holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and an MSW and has worked across education, social services, nonprofit leadership, community health, and community-based programming. As Resilience Specialist for Ready Carbondale, she brings a simple philosophy to emergency preparedness: a resilient community is not merely prepared for disaster—it is prepared to take care of one another when ordinary life stops working.
Navreet Kang
Navreet S. Kang is a USCCA Training Counsellor at Shawnee Training Academy, bringing expertise in insurance and community leadership. Navreet's background includes a focus on firearms safety and concealed carry training, educating responsible armed Americans.
With a foundation in the insurance sector, Navreet served as an Agent and Owner at Navreet Kang - State Farm Insurance Agent for an extended period, providing insurance solutions and financial advisory services. Navreet's tenure at State Farm involves offering a range of insurance products, including auto, homeowners, life, and pet insurance.
Complementing earlier assignments, Navreet has also contributed to community initiatives as a Councilman & Liquor Control Commissioner for the City of Carbondale, demonstrating community engagement and policy oversight. Prior to this, activities involved serving as a National Committeeman at Naifa.
Navreet's academic background includes a Master of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, demonstrating applied business administration principles, and a Master's degree from Punjab Agricultural University. As the Communications specialist he brings experience with ham radio technology and building smart technology.
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Kara Dunkel
Lead Community Relations Liaison
Kara Dunkel is a strategic community leader and communicator dedicated to building resilient, safe, and inclusive communities. With over two decades of public affairs experience, she specializes in bridging the gap between public agencies, expert resources, and local needs to transform long-term strategies into impactful realities.
Emergency Preparedness & Crisis Readiness
30+ Years of Training: Seasoned in community safety and disaster response, integrating training from FEMA and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Holistic Resilience: Combines technical disaster preparation with mental health advocacy to support communities through both the physical and psychological challenges of recovery.
Community Recovery: Experienced in bringing communities and trained professionals together with potential to build unified support systems that help families heal and thrive after disaster strikes.
Community Relations & Local Advocacy
Strategic Partnerships: Trusted liaison expert at fostering robust collaborations between public entities, multi-sector organizations, and diverse demographics.
Conflict Mediation: Facilitated the eight-week Study Circles “Police Community Discussions” to successfully mediate and diffuse high-stress relations between law enforcement and local citizens.
Local Board Leadership: Active contributor to local safety, crime prevention, and crisis support initiatives, including serving on the board for the Carbondale Warming Center and participating in Carbondale Crime Stoppers.
Mandy Bizaillion
Emergency Management Coordinator, Deaconess Illinois
Mandy Bizaillion serves as the Deaconess Illinois Emergency Management Coordinator, supporting emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across healthcare operations. She works closely with hospital leaders, public safety partners, and emergency management agencies to strengthen readiness, coordinate incident response, and promote a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors. Mandy is passionate about preparedness education and helping organizations build resilient systems that can effectively respond to emergencies and disasters.
Tamara Caffey-Bey
Emergency Preparedness Project Manager
Tamara Caffey-Bey is a native of southern Illinois. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Geography from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Prior to joining SIH Office of Emergency Preparedness, Tamara was Project Manager for the Natural Hazard Research & Mitigation Group housed in the Geology Department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She has experience in mitigation planning, hazard identification, risk assessment, and plan development. Tamara has worked in collaboration with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assist several counties across the southern Illinois region in the development of a FEMA-approved plan in order to obtain funding to implement jurisdiction pre-disaster hazard mitigation projects, as a mitigation planning requirement of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Her current job duties entail supporting the development of local, state, and regional healthcare emergency response and recovery plans, as well as overseeing strategic planning efforts for Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition. Tamara has a vested interest in helping communities prepare for all hazards, natural or manmade.
JJ King, RN, ECRN, PHRN, LI
EMS Coordinator, Deaconess Illinois Medical Center
My name is JJ King. My real name is Jennifer, but I’ve gone by JJ since birth. I am the EMS Coordinator at Deaconess Illinois Medical Center, and I often say I have the best of both worlds—I get to work in both pre-hospital and hospital settings. I wear many hats and have the alphabet soup behind my name: RN, ECRN, PHRN, LI. I’ve been a nurse for 33 years and involved in EMS for 27 years. I also volunteer with the Jefferson Fire Protection District in Mt. Vernon, IL, where I’ve served for 28 years. I oversee EMS education for the department and truly enjoy teaching. I grew up on a farm in Sesser, IL, and my husband and I now live on part of that family farm. In my spare time, I love working on the farm alongside my family. My husband and I also enjoy camping, hunting, fishing, and traveling.
Orval Rowe
Coordinator/Emergency Manager, Jackson County Emergency Management Agency
Orval is the Coordinator/Emergency Manager for the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency. He has been with the County EMA since 2017. Orval serves as the Chairperson for the Jackson County Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC) and the Vice-Chairperson on the Jackson County Emergency Telephone Services 911 Board (ETSB-911). Prior to his current position, he served on the Jackson County Board for 8.5 years, completing in the position of Vice-Chairperson. Orval is a member of both the ELKS and MOOSE lodges in Murphysboro and has served as an officer of the ELKS Lodge #572 in Murphysboro. He is also a member and past Elder of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Murphysboro. Orval is a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and has received his Illinois Professional Emergency Management (IPEM) certification from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA).
Aur Beck
AES Solar
If you’ve ever met Aur Beck (and if you’ve spent any amount of time in Southern Illinois, you probably have), “shy” is probably not the first word that comes to mind. Aur’s gregarious presence as part of innumerable events and organizations in the region would probably lead you to believe he is an extrovert, but as it turns out, quite the opposite is true. Aur credits “tons of passion” for helping others and serving as our Founder and Chief Tech for motivating him to regularly get out of his comfort zone. Aur was born in New Haven, CT, but finds it hard to define where exactly he’s “from.” His family traveled constantly, and by the time he was 20 years old, he had lived in 34 states and 3 different countries. His dad eventually retired to Southern Illinois, and Aur decided to stay here as well, sensing that he could make a difference in the region. Aur loves the way that Southern Illinoisans genuinely care about each other, like during the aftermath of the 2009 derecho when the community banded together to help feed one another and spawned “Rice & Spice,” a local slow foods group. Aur’s career in solar power started very organically. As a teenager, he saw a solar power demonstration and was instantly fascinated and wanted to learn more. That rewarding challenge of constantly learning, and helping to save the world in the process, meant that before long he was an expert in the field, and other people that were interested in solar power started coming to him for advice. It seemed only natural to start AES Solar, and 19 years on he is still passionate about educating and empowering others. These days, he enjoys working in an environment were co-workers are always pushing one another to do better. In his free time, Aur stays very active in the community, volunteering with various organizations, and working on that comfort zone by cutting a rug at Carbondale Salsa Dance Nights. You may also recognize him as one of the hosts of Your Community Spirit on local community radio station WDBX. Like any introvert though, he needs time to recharge as well. He enjoys cooking, especially with fresh, local ingredients grown by his friends. Being largely self-educated, he is also a voracious reader across many topics and genres. If you somehow haven’t met Aur, or even if you have, come by our Educational Showroom sometime and pay him a visit! He’ll be glad you came.