Roundtable Series
What is the Roundtable Series?
Bring together subpopulations of whistleblowers in a forum to share information and focus on their unique issues and identify ways to work together to address challenges. Attendee participation is invited and encouraged but feel free to watch and listen.
When? 4th Tuesday of every month at 7pm EST
Where? Google Meet.
January Volume.
Law Enforcement Officers Overcoming Obstacles
January 24th 2023
Breaking the Blue Wall of Silence has been deadly for some and life-altering for others while crimes go under-reported or covered up in an area of growing police suspicions. How can law enforcement officers help each other heal and address major issues in their profession and live healthy, safe lives.
Mike Zummer
After graduating from Duke University in 1993, Mike Zummer served for four years as a Marine Corps infantry officer, then investigated white collar crime as a FBI Special Agent. He served in Iraq with the Marines in 2004-2005 and graduated from Stanford Law School in 2007. Mike clerked for a U.S. Court of Appeals Judge before returning to the FBI to investigate corruption for eight years. Mike was forced out of the FBI in 2016 for reporting prosecutorial misconduct. He is currently fighting for his and other federal employees’ constitutional rights to report government wrongdoing.
Bobby Ledogar
U.S. Navy Veteran (Military Police Investigator & Instructor) and ex-Supervisory Deputy US Marshal defended his subordinate, a female Deputy US Marshal, from being sexually harassed, assaulted, and bullied. He then was targeted by federal and local law enforcement officers and is now involved with the Merit System Protection Board and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But For doing his job.
Tim Petoskey
Major Timothy Francis Petoskey (Retired) Special Agent Officer in Charge Intelligence, Security, and Information Operations.
Tim Petoskey earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law and Justice, and a terminus Masters Degree in Resource Management from Central Washington University in Ellensburg Washington. He is currently continuing his education at the University of Washington in Civil Investigations.
February Volume.
Retaliation in Healthcare
February 28th 2023
When health care providers fail to disclose wrongdoing, patients die or are injured without anyone knowing the cause. Yet, fear of being investigated, loss of credentials, and insurance hikes keep many providers quiet about what they see and hear. The brave few become whistleblowers but risk everything to do so. How can healthcare workers improve their agencies and work together to form a circle of support.
Dr. Kernan Manion
Experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the health wellness and fitness industry. With diverse clinical background and board certification in Adult Psychiatry, extensive experience in executive and career coaching, organizational consulting and program development. BA from St. Joseph Seminary College, MD from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Certification by American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Concurrently founder and executive director CPR - The Center for Physician Rights.
Dr. Ekta Srinivasa
She obtained her Nursing Ph.D. in Health Policy and Population Health at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 2020. Dr. Srinivasa has spent over a decade in the healthcare setting in various capacities as a nurse, an educator, and a researcher offering her a unique insight into the widespread issue of workplace violence in the healthcare setting. Her ongoing commitment to make a substantive difference with sustainable impact for people facing these issues lead her to founding Improving Healthcare Culture, Inc. (IHC).
Her goal is for the IHC to be a conduit for advocacy, information, and programs that assist people and organizations to form a more psychologically safe and sound workplace within the healthcare sector.
LTCOL Ted Blickwedel
Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and combat veteran who became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker after he retired from the military. He worked as a counselor at the VA VET Center in Warwick, RI from 2009 to 2018 where he provided mental health care for fellow veterans. In 2017, during his tenure at the VET Center, he began to ‘speak truth to power’ in an effort to have VA VET Center Management revise their clinical productivity policies that were harmful to counselors and compromising quality care for veterans. His subsequent whistleblowing campaign came at great price, personally, professionally, financially and health wise. A federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation he helped instigate substantiated his allegations. This resulted in Congressional legislation being passed and signed into law that ensures VA leadership is accountable for protecting the quality of services to our veterans and their families, as well as safeguarding the welfare of counselors who care for them at over 300 VET Centers nationwide. Blickwedel’s crusade to rectify compromised mental health care and counselor well-being within the VA VET Center program has been featured on NBC and NPR, to include the Military Times, other publications and local news broadcasts.
June Volume.
The Intergenerational transmission of Trauma to the Children of Whistleblowers
June 27th 2023 @ 1PM EST
When health care providers fail to disclose wrongdoing, patients die or are injured without anyone knowing the cause. Yet, fear of being investigated, loss of credentials, and insurance hikes keep many providers quiet about what they see and hear. The brave few become whistleblowers but risk everything to do so. How can healthcare workers improve their agencies and work together to form a circle of support.
Catherine Phillips
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta.
Worked as Consultant Psychiatrist for Department of National Defense, providing General Mental Health & Operational Trauma & Stress Support Centre assessments and treatment of CAF members for 17 years.
Three main themes over my career have been:
1.Understanding, assessment & treatment of trauma throughout the life span, including combat-based trauma.
2.Exploration of the practice & benefits of mindfulness meditation & pioneering the integration of this into western medicine & for health care professionals' wellbeing and resilience.
3.Understanding and treatment of intrapsychic, interpersonal and systems dynamics, including prevention, identification and management of workplace bullying and harassment.
Zachary Noble
Zachary Noble is a whistleblower, an advocate for truth and justice within the workspace, and has been fighting for the rights of their fellow peers; in his father’s case, David Noble, for nearly 30 years. Although it is not his fight, Zachary Noble does not hesitate to support his father in his mission, going as far as pitching the man’s whistleblower case at the Hollywood Pitch Lab in developing a docu-series that reflects the misdeeds and inadequacies of the U.S. court system. He also reached out to Whistleblowers of America in hopes that they could provide social media engagement for their plight.
Yael Danieli
Dr. Yael Danieli, a clinical psychologist, victimologist, pioneer traumatologist: www.dryaeldanieli.com most recently founded the International Center for the Study, Treatment and Prevention of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma (ICMGLT) Founder/Director of the Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children since the mid1970s, published, consulted, awarded and worked worldwide, including in South Africa, Rwanda, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, on life-long and multigenerational post-trauma adaptation, optimal care and training for working with massively traumatized victim/survivor populations, and expert on reparative justice. The Danieli Inventory for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma allows scientifically valid assessment and comparative international study. She participated in creating all international instruments on behalf on victims’ rights and optimal care. In 2008 she was appointed Advisor on Victims of Terrorism for the office of the UN Secretary-General.
Massive Trauma and the Healing Role of Reparative Justice
Jennifer Foster
With many years of experience in the field of various sectors including Human Resource Management, Marketing, Banking, Project Management and Hospitality.
Anti-bullying advocate leading to the formation of the Better Working Lives for All Committee which was formed in April 2022, growing from strength to strength. Engaging Government on legislative change to introduce an anti-bullying law which has been presented to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Minister Neale Richmond. Working with a multi-disciplinary group of individuals ranging from Academia, Senators, Defence Forces, HSE, Private Enterprise.
Attending the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) submitting a report to the joint committee for health on bullying which lead to meeting with the CEO of the country’s largest employer, Bernard Gloster, CEO of the Health Service Executive and the deputy head of Forsa, Eamonn Donnelly, the second largest Trade Union in Ireland. Working tirelessly attending conferences in the relevant fields and using every opportunity to address the audiences. Recently meeting and speaking with Michael Martin, Tanaiste of Ireland, Minister Eamonn Ryan – Department of Environment, Climate and Communication and Rossa Fanning, Attorney General of Ireland.
Dr. Brian Richardson
Dr. Richardson joined the UNT faculty in 2001 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2008. He received his doctorate in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin (2001), his master’s degree from Louisiana Tech University in Human Relations and Supervision (1992), and his bachelor’s degree in Communication from Lamar University (1991). He specializes in crisis communication, whistleblowing, and sports communication.