The Academy Advisory Board

Charles Sampson has been a police officer for the last 30 years and brings with him over 40 years of computer networking and programming experience. Over the course of his career, Charles has been involved in the planning, implementation, and operation of several Public Safety departments. This experience has allowed him to build several Department’s state-of-the-art facilities and computer systems. With Charles’ computer network and programming background in the public sector, prior to moving to the Public Safety sector, he has worked on computer technology within the nuclear industry, insurance industry, manufacturing industry, and for IBM building networks.

At his first police department, Charles was appointed to manage the day-to-day operations of the Information Services Division where he completed a major overhaul of the network backbone to include fiber optic connections throughout the department, new routers, servers, and the implementation of the Department’s new Computer Aided Dispatch, Records Management, and Mobile Computer system. He was also responsible for building a new dispatch center within the department, which incorporated the latest technology, and a new radio system. Charles founded and operated the Department’s Computer Crimes Unit, which was responsible for all aspects of a computer crimes investigation.

Currently, at his second police department, Charles is the Information Services Officer in charge of the Department’s computer systems, video systems, and is responsible for the implementation of a new Computer Aided Dispatch, Records Management, and Mobile Computer system. He has also written several programs that are utilized by the department, which assist in the day-to-day operations of the Records Division. As the Department’s liaison to the Fairfield-Westport Combined Dispatch Center, he is responsible for all the technology and the new radio system planned to be implemented in this state-of-the-art facility that will initially serve the two Town’s Public Safety Sectors.

Charles has consulted on several technology upgrades for multijurisdictional Public Safety Sector dispatch centers within the State of Connecticut and operates a computer programming company that serves several states throughout the US. Charles has also served on the Connecticut Capitol Region Council of Governments Technology group, the State of Connecticut’s On-Line Law Enforcement Communications Teleprocessing Technology Board, and currently is a certified trainer with the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council.

John F. Flynn is Chief of Fire & EMS for the Ocean Reef Community Association in Key Largo, Florida.

Previously, John Served as an Assistant Chief with the Yonkers, New York Fire Department, where he began service as a Firefighter in 1998. Chief Flynn has served in a wide variety of operational, executive and administrative positions with the YFD, as well as an adjunct instructor with the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

John has presented at the National Fire Protection Association annual conference, authored several articles for international fire and emergency management journals, and has worked as a consultant / subject matter expert for both private sector and government organizations in public safety and homeland security policy and curriculum development. Chief Flynn has been credentialed with the Chief Fire Officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence and the Certified Emergency Manager designation from the International Association of Emergency Managers. He is a Principal Member of the National Fire Protection Association 1026 Committee: Standard for incident management professional qualifications, a member of the Westchester County Executive’s Fire Advisory Board, and a Director of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security Association at the Naval Postgraduate School. John holds an Associates Degree in Fire Protection Technology, a Bachelor of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management (Summa Cum Laude), a Master of Arts Degree in Homeland Defense and Security from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Masters Certificate in Executive Leadership from the Center of Homeland Defense and Security.

Ioannis "Gianni" Koskinas is a retired special operations military officer, published author, highly effective leader, coach, and mentor. Prior to retirement, Gianni focused on national security matters as senior advisor to General Stan McChrystal (twice), General Nordy Schwartz (Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force), and the Honorable Mike Vickers (Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict).

In commercial life, he has focused on extractive industries, capacity development, aviation, risk mitigation strategies, and bespoke consulting for Fortune 500 company initiatives.

Michael Amarosa is currently the Managing Director of MICHAEL AMAROSA , LLC. He was also the Senior Vice, President for Public Affairs, TKC Consulting Group until 2016, and was a Vice President, Public Affairs, Intrado, Inc in 2015. Michael was the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at TruePosition, Inc. until 2014.

He has 24 years of law enforcement and communications experience. Mr. Amarosa joined TruePosition from the New York City Police Department, where he served for 24 years in various managerial capacities. For the last three years, he was Deputy Commissioner of Technological Development for NYPD where he was directly responsible for the design and implementation of the city's E911 system. He headed the largest 911 public safety answering center, the largest police radio system, and the largest management information system in the country, serving the city's 38,000 member police force. In addition, he served as the city's liaison to the Federal Communications Commission, and was appointed to the FCC's federal Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee.

He was awarded a Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from the New York Law School in 1981. He also earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in 1976 and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from St. Peter's College in 1973. He graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business Police Management Institute in 1989.