Be a Presenter

Jason J. Deal was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia by Governor Sonny Perdue effective June 22, 2005 and ran unopposed for re-election to the post in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. Deal became the presiding Judge of the Hall County Drug Court in January, 2006 and started the Dawson County Treatment Court (Drug/DUI) in July of 2006. The Dawson County Treatment Court now includes DUI, Drug and Mental Health tracks. In 2013 Deal started the Hall County Probation Drug Court. Today Deal shares duties with Judge Clint Bearden in the Hall County Drug Court. Deal presides over Alpha Track and Bearden presides over Bravo, and Charlie Tracks. Deal also served as the first chairman of the Georgia Council of Accountability Court Judges from 2015 to 2017. He was a member of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Reform Council from 2012 to 2018 and the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council from 2015 to 2017. In 2017 Deal received the Emory Findley Award from the Georgia Council of Superior Court Judges. He formerly served as Chair of the Accountability Courts Committee of the Council of Superior Court Judges and on the Supreme Court’s Justice for Children and Families Committee.

Prior to becoming a Superior Court Judge, Deal served as District Attorney of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit from May 1, 2002, until June of 2005. While serving as District Attorney he was involved in the planning and implementation of the Hall County H.E.L.P. court and served on the Georgia Crime Information Center Advisory Council. He also previously served as a Magistrate Judge in Hall County, and as an Assistant District Attorney for Hall and Dawson Counties. As an ADA, Deal received the 1999 Workhorse of the Year award. Deal also worked as an associate in the Dawsonville branch office of the firm Fox, Chandler, Homans, Hicks & McKinnon and served as County Attorney for Dawson County.

Deal is a long time resident of Hall County, having graduated from North Hall High School. Deal obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Furman University and his law degree from the University of Georgia. Deal also served honorably as an active duty infantry officer in the United States Army. Deal is the son of former Governor Nathan and Sandra Deal. He is married and has three children. He is a member and past deacon of the First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Georgia.

Jennifer Storm is an international public speaker with over twenty years of experience in nonprofit management and governmental relations, combined with a powerful personal story of survival from victimization and addiction. Today with over twenty-six years of active recovery, she has spent her life advocating for victims of crime, having worked on many high-profile cases, including helping victims/survivors of Jerry Sandusky, Bill Cosby, Catholic Clergy victims, and thousands of other cases in her twenty-year-long career as a victim advocate.

​

Ms. Storm served over seven years as the Victim Advocate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2013-2021 under the leadership and appointments of Governors Wolf and Corbett after being unanimously confirmed by the state Senate. She was responsible for representing the rights and interests of crime victims within the Commonwealth. She has appeared on; The Today Show, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CBS 48 Hours Live to Tell, The New York Times, People, Parents, Business Week, The Washington Post, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Curve Magazine, The Advocate, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, and E! News online.  She is the author of six critically acclaimed books on addiction, recovery, and victimization. These include: Awakening Blackout Girl: A Survivors Guide for Healing from Addiction and Sexual Trauma, Blackout Girl: Tracing my Scars from Addiction and Sexual Assault, Second Edition, Echoes of Penn State: Facing Sexual Trauma, Picking Up the Pieces Without Picking Up: A Guidebook Through Victimization for People in Recovery, Leave the Light On: A Memoir of Recovery and Self-Discovery  and Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America.

Dave Thomas is a Senior Law Enforcement Consultant primarily providing training and technical assistance in areas pertaining to intimate partner violence.  Additionally, he addresses use of force, community/law enforcement engagement, the coordinated community response and multidisciplinary teams, and hate crimes recognition and response.

Most recently Dave served as a Program Manager at the Internation Association of the Chiefs of Police (IACP) primarily focusing on projects pertaining to the National Law Enforcement Leadership Initiative on Violence Against Women (funded by OVW), the Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Victims Demonstration Initiative (funded by OVC) Action, and Justice: Strengthening Law Enforcement Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence National Demonstration Initiative (funded by OVC), and Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve: Supporting Collective Healing in the Wake of Harm Demonstration Initiative (funded by OVC) .

Dave retired from the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) in December of 2000 on full disability after 15 years of service.  He received his bachelors’ degree from Towson University, his masters’ degree from the University of Maryland, and a Certificate in Advanced Trauma Treatment from the Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Education.  During his law enforcement career Dave taught at the Training Academy, served on the S.W.A.T. team, was a Hostage Negotiator, and a member of the Domestic Violence Unit.  In addition to helping create the Domestic Violence Unit, he was responsible for the department’s curriculum development in domestic violence training, as well as the policy development on domestic violence related issues.  At the time of his retirement, he was honored to have been the 2nd highest decorated officer in the department’s history receiving numerous awards including the silver medal of valor, the bronze medal of valor, policeman of the year, and the Women’s Alliance of MD Domestic Violence Advocacy Award to name a few.  Upon leaving the police department he served as a Senior Advisor to the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention Victim Services Unit as a Domestic Violence Specialist.  In January of 2002 he signed on with the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Division of Public Safety Leadership where he served as the Program Administrator for Domestic Violence Education as well as teaching courses related to violence against women crimes in the Divisions Police Executive Leadership Program. 

In addition to his teaching duties, Dave worked with community stakeholders in the spirit of the coordinated community response to deliver training and technical assistance on issues pertaining to intimate partner violence.  These services were provided at the local, state, and national levels. Dave has taught in the US Virgin Islands, and internationally in the Ukraine and Bulgaria. Mr. Thomas received the 21st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in January 2004, was honored at the White House as a 2012 Champion of Change and appointed by the White House to serve as a Public Delegate to the 2013 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women meetings held in New York City. Just prior to joining the staff of the IACP, Mr. Thomas served as the Senior Advisor, Highly Qualified Expert Law Enforcement, SES, to the U.S. Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office out of the Pentagon. Dave continues to challenge himself in his quest to achieve excellence in the field and considers addressing violence against women his calling in life.

Sharrod Campbell is the Special agent in charge of the Georgia Department of Corrections Intelligence Division. The Division includes the Organized Crime and Gang Unit, Criminal Intelligence Unit, and Digital Forensics Lab. He began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections in March of 2000 as a Probation Officer I in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit. As a probation Officer he worked as a Court Officer, Drug Court Officer and served on the Special Enforcement Unit which worked in conjunction with the Atlanta Police Department and ATF Project Safe Neighborhood program. In 2006, he was promoted to Criminal Investigator/ Security Threat Group (STG) Coordinator in the newly formed Intelligence Unit. As the STG Coordinator the program underwent a transition from a paper platform to a digital module in SCRIBE and the monthly sharing of STG Intelligence with outside agencies.

​

In 2009, he was transferred to the United States Marshals Southeast Regional Taskforce in Atlanta Georgia. In that capacity he was selected as a founding member of the Counter Gang Unit. In 2012, he was transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Safe Streets Task Force in Atlanta, Ga where he served as a task force officer and participated in several large gang investigations. In 2014 he was promoted to Director of Audits and Compliance overseeing the Audit process for all state prisons and probation offices. During his tenure as the Director of Audits and Compliance he was active in facilitating the Georgia Department of Corrections transition to ACA Accreditation.

​

In 2017, he was reassigned to the Criminal Intelligence Unit as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge. As ASAC he supervises the STG program which includes the hiring, training, and oversight of 31 full time STG Sgts. Also, in this role he supervises the Organized and Crime and Gang Unit composed of ten Task Force Agents and Analysts assigned to the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI). He also serves as a Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Corrections Peer Support Team.   Sharrod Campbell is a graduate of Alabama State University (Montgomery, Alabama) where he received a BA in English Literature and has received his Master’s in Divinity from the Interdenominational Center (Atlanta, Georgia). He holds a Probation Officer and Basic Law Enforcement Post Certifications, has completed the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Basic Agent Course and is a Georgia POST Instructor.

Jamelle Washington is the Public Relations Manager for the Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS).  In this role he is  dedicated to cultivating and preserving a positive public image for the department through proactive branding and transparent communication.  Additionally, he is responsible for the management and oversight of the District Public Information Officer (DPIO) Program. Prior to his current role, he served as the Public Information Officer for DCS with a strong focus on media relations and law enforcement communication strategies. Jamelle has served the state of Georgia since 2006 and leverages his experience as a law enforcement and communications strategist to elevate DCS’ image through impactful branding and communication initiatives. 

Among his professional accomplishments, he is a member of the Georgia Professional Association of Community Supervision, Public Relations Society of America and the National Information Officer Association. 

Jamelle holds  a  Master’s in Public Safety Administration from Columbus State University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Georgia Southwestern State University.  He is a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College,  a POST-Certified senior training Instructor and Defensive Tactics Instructor.

Andrew Houser is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS). As PIO, Andrew is committed  to showcasing the mission-focused work of DCS employees through strategic and innovative communication strategies. Prior to his current role, he  worked in various community facing roles within the department such as Recruitment Officer and has served as a District Public Information Officer. In these roles, he engaged with external stakeholders including the media and higher education institutions to deliver the department's mission, vision, and strategic goals through presentations, panel discussions, and interviews.

Andrew has worked in state government since 2017 and leverages his background in law enforcement and his passion for effective and strategic communication to enhance the visibility of DCS’ work and mission throughout the state of Georgia. 

Andrew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University and has certifications as a POST General Instructor and Firearms Instructor.

Dr. Merrill Norton is a Clinical Associate Professor Emeritus of the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy with his specialty areas to include psychopharmacology and addiction pharmacy. He has also been a faculty member of the Fairleigh-Dickinson University Postdoctoral Training Program in the Masters of Psychopharmacology, Alliant International University of San Francisco College of Psychology, University of Georgia School of Continuing Education, and Berry College in the areas of Psychopharmacology and Addiction Pharmacy. His area of specialty in addiction pharmacy is the management of chronic pain in the addicted patient.

In 2017, Dr. Norton received an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; Southeastern Chapter for his work on the Spanish language documentary Prescription Drugs, Legally Dangerous. Another of Dr. Norton’s distinctions is he became one of the first of four inductees into the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association’s (GACA) Hall of Fame by being presented with the Addiction Counselor Emeritus Award. The award honors Dr. Norton’s outstanding contributions over and above the call of duty in furthering the mission of GACA, advocating for clients suffering from substance use disorder, fostering relationships with professional organizations, providing quality care for clients, and upholding with integrity the highest standards of this organization. Dr. Norton’s national reputation as a counselor, pharmacist, educator, and author qualifies him uniquely for this prestigious distinction and that is why the GACA Board of Directors unanimously voted for Dr. Norton to be the first GACA counselor to be inducted to the GACA Hall of Fame. “Congratulations to one of the most respected individuals working with substance use disorder clients-we are very grateful that you have provided the leadership and knowledge of how to manage a very difficult treatment population.” He was most recently honored by the Georgia Addiction

Counselors Association’s Board of Directors and Certification Board with being bestowed the first Certified Master Addiction Counselor (CMAC) credential in the state. His book, The Pharmacology of Psychoactive Chemical Use, Abuse, and Dependence, and his DVD series, “The Hijacking of the Brain” have been used to train thousands of mental health professionals nationally; they have become the standards of teaching excellence in the addiction treatment profession. His new books, The Pharmacology of Substance Use Disorders and The Practitioners’ Guide to Opioid Use Disorders were released in December 2018 and June 2020.

Since his recent retirement from UGA, Dr. Norton’s primary focus is to provide the latest scientific information to communities, educators, healthcare professionals, prevention specialists, treatment providers, and especially families, on the diseases of substance use disorders.

Charles Prescott is a distinguished leader in public safety in Georgia, known for his impactful leadership and sought-after speaking engagements featuring his profound biblical approach. With a career that began at The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, Prescott advanced to lead investigator roles, successfully eliminating illegal drugs from the streets through initiatives like Operation Clean Sweep. At Paine College, he made history by becoming Assistant Chief of Police at the age of 29, marking him as one of Georgia's youngest law enforcement administrators. Serving as Assistant Chief Investigator in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, Prescott skillfully managed a team of over 60 investigators, specializing in major cases and leading the Gang Unit. In 2019, he further distinguished himself as the youngest and first black Chief Investigator in the Cobb District Attorney’s Office. During his tenure in Cobb County, Prescott's leadership was evident as he handled lead investigator duties and oversaw the

security detail of the Ahmaud Arbery Murder Trial. In 2021, Governor Brian Kemp appointed him to the State Child Fatality Review Board.

As of April 18, 2022, Prescott holds the distinguished roles of Chief of Police and Associate Vice President of Campus Safety at Morehouse College, making him the youngest Chief of Police and the first alumni to hold this position in the college's history. Prescott holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Morehouse College, a Master's degree in Emergency Management from Walden University, and a Master's degree in Biblical Counseling from the Apex School of Theology. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Prescott is a man of deep spirituality, a proud Morehouse College alumnus, and a genuinely compassionate individual. His leadership style, fusing technical expertise with spiritual insight, sets him apart in the realm of public safety and beyond. Married to Adrian Prescott, they have one son, Charles Prescott III, currently a student at Morehouse.