UBC Security Forum

Sam Stephens is the Director of Campus Security at the University of British Columbia, overseeing public safety, operational service delivery, and security risk management for a large, diverse campus and its community. With 18 years in the industry, he has built a well-rounded career in security and risk management, developing compliance, security, and risk programs for complex organizations.

His expertise spans enterprise compliance, security, business continuity, project management, and risk management. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from Simon Fraser University, a Master of Enterprise Risk Management from Boston University, and multiple industry designations.

Passionate about creating exceptional customer experiences and continuous learning, Sam is particularly interested in how risk can be leveraged to support and influence decision-making.

Learn more about Sam.

Catherine Wilson is the Senior Manager of Threat Assessment Programs, Campus Security at the University of British Columbia. She holds a Ph.D. in Law & Forensic Psychology (Experimental) from Simon Fraser University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia.

Her expertise lies in threat and violence risk assessment and management, with a focus on adults, youth, vulnerable populations—including individuals with mental illness or criminal histories—and those involved in gangs or organized crime. Catherine’s research has been supported by institutional, provincial, and national fellowships and grants, and she has authored numerous publications, including articles, book chapters, conference presentations, and government reports.

Catherine is an active member of professional organizations such as the Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, and has also been recognized with several awards, including the Chris Webster Young Scholar Award from the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services and Civilian Member of the Year from the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia.

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Bob Rich has dedicated his career to law enforcement, leadership, and legal advocacy. After earning his law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1979, he joined the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in 1980, where he served in a variety of key roles, including Detective, Internal Affairs Investigator, and Patrol Sergeant in the Downtown Eastside. He went on to hold leadership positions as President of the Vancouver Police Union, Head of Training and Recruiting, Head of Human Resources, Commander of District 2, and ultimately, Deputy Chief of Operations.

In 2008, Bob was appointed Chief of the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), a role he held for a decade. His tenure focused on combatting gang violence and prioritizing mental health support for officers. Following his retirement from policing, Bob returned to law, serving as associate counsel at Wilson Butcher from 2021 to 2024, where he provided legal defense for police officers.

In recognition of his service and contributions to law enforcement in Canada, Bob was awarded the Officer of the Order of Merit for the Police Forces (O.O.M.).

Laura is a forensic clinical psychologist whose area of focus is threat and violence risk assessment and management, and system-level implementation of associated practices. She has worked in, provided consultation to, and delivered training on threat assessment and management in corporate workplace, school, hospital, and correctional settings in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions.

She has won research grants; authored and co-authored peer reviewed articles and chapters; and given presentations at academic and professional meetings on these topics. Laura previously was Editor of the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Threat Assessment and Management and has held leadership positions with the Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (Business Secretary, Vice President). Laura was on faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) from 2009 to 2015 and is an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University (SFU).Laura obtained her PhD from SFU and completed a two-year combined clinical and research post-doctoral fellowship at UMMS. She is a licensed psychologist in British Columbia, has board certification in forensic psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology, and is designated as a Certified Threat Assessment Professional by the Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

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David Jones, O.O.M., began his policing career in 1982 with the New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) as a volunteer reserve police Officer and worked through the ranks becoming the Chief Constable for the NWPD in 2011. In 2019 Chief Jones was selected as the new Chief Officer of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, and in 2023, he was contracted to Co-Lead the Vancouver Integrated Safety and Security Unit in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup event.

During his career, Dave worked in a variety of sections including Patrol, Major Crimes Section, Special Operations Unit, Drug Section, Community Services Section, and Street Crimes Unit. In addition, he has worked on a variety of joint policing initiatives including a secondment with the RCMP Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit. He has received recognition in the form of Chief Constable Commendation, Sr. Officer’s Commendation, Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013, the Governor General of Canada presented the Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, and he was later promoted within the Order to “Officer” level.

In 2016 Dave was recognized by Douglas College with their prestigious Honorary Fellowship Designation, and holds a Master of Law Degree – Osgoode Hall Law School, a Bachelor of General Studies degree from Simon Fraser University on Leadership, Senior Executive leadership and Strategic Planning certification from Queens University – Smith School of Business. He has held key leadership positions including, Chairperson PRIME BC, Co-Chair National Police Services Advisory Committee, Executive Board, Chair of BC Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Executive, board member Organized Crime Agency BC and has served as the Judicial Chair for the BC Soccer Association.

In his leadership role, Dave has worked with and presented to local communities, educational institutions, and other justice system partners, including working in partnership with all levels of government and has presented at international symposiums on leadership. He is actively involved in local community soccer and sports programs and currently chairs the Coquitlam Field Sports Association.

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Carolyn formed her company, Strategic Business Risks Inc. (SBRI) 26 years ago, and currently resides and works on the traditional, unceded homeland of the Kwikwetlem, Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Katzie, Kwantlen and Sto: lo Peoples. One of the services SBRI delivers is customized operational emergency planning, preparedness and response tools for training and response. She had the pleasure of working with communities and businesses nationally and internationally to build internal critical incident stress management (CISM) peer support teams. Her efforts are dedicated to coaching and guiding the work around emergency planning and responding to critical incidents, disaster response and community recovery.

For the past 25 years Carolyn has been an instructor at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) teaching in the Emergency Management Division, Centre for Counselling and Community Safety as well as Law Enforcement Studies. In addition to her professional endeavors, she is committed to ongoing education and research in the field of public safety and emergency management.

Learn more about Carolyn and Strategic Business Risks Inc.

Justin Hanson is the CEO of SpecVIP Protection Group Inc., a company he founded in 2017. He has worked in multiple areas of Public Safety for over 27 years, including in the Military, Law Enforcement, and the Private Sector. Justin has held multiple leadership positions, including as a senior manager for a major Law Enforcement Agency. He has also spent over a decade in the field of Executive Protection, with over eight years working full time on a Dignitary Close Protection Team.

In addition to his operational and leadership experience, Justin has spent over two decades as a professional public safety trainer, in multiple disciplines. These include, but are not limited to Defensive Tactics, CBRN, First Aid, Driving, Firearms, and Executive Protection. In his various roles, Justin advises leaders, boards, and others on many aspects of protection, operational readiness, leadership, and program development.

Throughout his career, Justin has spent a lot of time coaching, mentoring, and otherwise helping develop professionals in public safety. He is both process and results-focused while always emphasizing the value of focused deliberate effort. Justin works diligently to identify gaps to help individuals and teams improve their abilities. Several years ago, after identifying deficiencies in many Executive Protection programs, he launched the Close Protection Development Group, a virtual training and coaching program for industry professionals looking to improve their abilities and success potential. He has also built many custom courses and programs that enhance the efforts of protection teams.

Justin is passionate about continuous growth and using what he’s learned to help others. He is looking forward to speaking at the UBC Security Forum and helping public safety professionals improve their personal protection.

Learn more about Justin and SpecVIP.

Tyler Moore has extensive public safety experience, and his role as Director of Operations Relationship Management at E-Comm 9-1-1 is a key conduit between E-Comm’s operations and the 70+ police and fire agencies that E-Comm serves. As Director, Tyler liaises with the E-Comm first responder partners and stakeholders with a focus on building relationships, collaborating on strategies to improving operational efficiency, and effective contract management.

Tyler is an experienced first responder who served for over thirty years as a firefighter with Vancouver Fire Rescue Service, and most recently held the position of Deputy Chief. He has also served on many of E-Comm’s committees including Fire Dispatch, Fire Service Committee and the Transformation Oversight Task Force.

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Rob Angco has over 32 years of policing experience with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia. He has led numerous specialized units, serving as Team Commander for the Surrey RCMP Special Project Intelligence and Enforcement Section, which oversaw the Unsolved Homicide Unit, Legal Applications Support Team, Tactical Surveillance Unit, Criminal Intelligence Section, and Uniformed Gang Enforcement Team.

Rob has also been a member of the Provincial Unsolved Homicide Unit, the Provincial Interview Team, the RCMP Polygraph Unit, and various Detachment Major Crime Units. Since 2014, he has served as Team Commander for both the Lower Mainland Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, leading over 100 homicide and major organized crime investigations.

A Certified Polygraph Examiner since 2005, Rob also brings over a decade of experience with the Emergency Response Team. As a seasoned instructor, he has provided training to police agencies across Canada and internationally.

Jad began his criminal justice career with B.C. Sheriff Services in 2007. He achieved a solid understanding of the justice system and the many nuances of court testimony through his role and involvement with numerous high-profile trials. This foundational experience prepared him well for a policing career in 2009 when he joined the Port Moody Police Department in British Columbia.

Jad’s skills and talent were recognized early which afforded him the opportunity to specialize as a gang and violent offences detective/investigator. Jad’s experience and successes resulted in further recognition and a recruitment to the Integrated Drug Suppression Team, followed by a position with the Vancouver region Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).

Jad’s roles on major police investigations quickly developed further into an expertise in several related areas including police interviewing of suspects, witnesses and victims. His demonstrated understanding of the law and best practices within this particular field proved very valuable especially when managing the challenge of reluctant police interview subjects in all three categories. Jad’s passion for interviewing and obtaining accurate and truthful accounts led him to his recruitment to the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia (OCABC) where he led Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) Interview Team for the Province, spending 5 years in this leadership position.

As of January 2025, Jad’s recognized work and experience led him to a newly developed position, as the Staff Sergeant in charge of the Investigative Support Unit, the Digital Forensic Section, and the Legal Application Support Team within the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

In addition to being an accredited Use of Force Instructor in BC, Jad is an experienced instructor of basic and advanced levels of investigative interviewing and the principles of Major Case Management. Jad has taught and presented this subject matter within the Province of BC, nationally and internationally and continues to remain current and active as a leader in his field.

Jessica Bowering is a Partner at Southern Butler Price, a law firm specializing in neutral services for resolving workplace issues and conflicts. She earned her law degree from Dalhousie University in 2002 and has over a decade of experience as a labour and employment lawyer and negotiator.

Before joining Southern Butler Price in 2019, Jessica served as a Deputy Minister in the Government of Alberta. She has since conducted hundreds of workplace investigations across various sectors, including education, health care, retail, tourism, energy, transportation, government, and non-profits.

Recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada since 2022 for labour and employment law, Jessica is also a member of the Government of Canada’s national roster of workplace harassment and violence prevention investigators.

Learn more about Jessica.

Mary Carmichael is a technology risk management consultant with over 15 years of experience specializing in cybersecurity. She has worked across diverse sectors, including higher education, government, and energy.

As the Canadian representative for the ISACA Global CRISC Committee and the Emerging Trends Working Group, Mary explores how AI can enhance governance, risk, and compliance functions. A published author and speaker, she regularly addresses the transformative impact of emerging technologies, particularly AI, on business strategy and cybersecurity operations.

Mary currently serves as President of ISACA's Vancouver Chapter, an industry association representing over 1,000 technology and cybersecurity professionals in the Lower Mainland. The chapter provides mentorship, networking opportunities, and credentialing training while proudly running the SheLeadsTech program, which encourages women to pursue senior roles in IT.

Learn more about Mary and the ISACA Vancouver Chapter.