Speakers who shape real-world K9 capability
HITS K9 speakers are selected for one purpose: to improve real deployment judgment, courtroom defensibility, and long-term performance.
They are there to teach, not to sell.
This anti-infomercial standard protects the integrity of instruction and ensures every session focuses on education that holds up in the field and in court.
Instruction focused on education, not promotion- Competing K9 methods explained through real operational tradeoffs
- Judgment that holds up in the field and in court
Featured instructors for 2026
Legal and forensic authority
Gabriele Mangold
Program Analyst
,
DEA
Gabi Mangold is a Program Analyst with four years of experience at the DEA and in the Caine Program, specializing in program management, compliance, and cross-agency coordination.
Tom Duncan
Supervisor Chemist
,
DEA
Tom Duncan is a Supervisory Chemist at the Drug Enforcement Administration Special Testing and Research Laboratory.
Michelle McGregor
Supervisory Investigator
,
DEA
Michelle McGregor is a Supervisory Investigator with Drug Enforcement Administration.
Ted Daus
Owner
,
HITS T&C
Counsel of record in U.S. Supreme Court K-9 cases and longtime Broward County prosecutor. National lecturer on canine law and search-and-seizure with decades of courtroom experience.
Dr. Kenneth Furton
Executive Director
,
Global Forensic and Justice Center
Provost Emeritus and Distinguished University Professor; Executive Director of the Global Forensic and Justice Center and a world-leading scholar in detection-dog science.
Eugene P. Ramirez
Partner
,
Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP
Trial attorney and USPCA General Counsel teaching K9 use-of-force policy, supervisor liability, and deployment documentation.
Michael Asimor
CEO
,
Dynamic International
CEO of Dynamic International teaching AI-powered grant strategies to equip and sustain K9 units.
Dr. Kelvin Frank
Forensic Science Lecturer
,
FIU
Assistant professor at FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center, leading canine detection science, standards, and the International Commission on Detector Dogs (ICODD).
Kevin Good
Engineer
,
Battelle
Battelle engineer teaching practical science-backed tactics for producing operationally relevant detection dogs.
Operational training and tactical deployment
Mike Lilley
Owner
,
MLK9
Mike Lilley is a professional K9 trainer with extensive experience in law enforcement, working dogs, and operational deployments.
Michael Nezbeth
Founder
,
Grassroots K9
Michael Nezbeth is the Founder and Training Director of Grassroots K9, an internationally recognized canine training company specializing in law enforcement and working dog development.
Zach Pfannenstiel
CEO
,
Echelon K9
Zach brings over 18 years of law enforcement experience, including more than 12 years in canine operations.
Carlos Ramirez
Founder
,
CRK9
Carlos Ramirez is a K9 trainer with experience in animal psychology and behavior.
Jeff Schettler
Owner
,
Georgia K9 NTC
Jeff Schettler is a retired police K9 handler who served with the City of Alameda and the County of Amador in California.
Garret Wing
Founder
,
American Standard Dog Training
Retired law enforcement lieutenant and founder of American Standard Dog Training and DIYK9.com, specializing in e-collar systems and working K9 training.
Fred Helfers
Owner
,
Fred Helfers Consulting
Retired detective and detection dog trainer specializing in double-blind certification exercises for narcotics, explosives, and accelerant detection teams.
Erik Good
Head K9 Trainer
,
Fort Lauderdale PD
K-9 handler and head trainer for Fort Lauderdale PD with 18+ years of specialized K-9 experience in patrol, EOD, and muzzle fighting training.
Nicholas Bonney
Instructor
,
Ace Interdiction Tactics
Nebraska State Patrol interdiction specialist teaching consensual encounter tactics and reasonable suspicion development.
Justin Rigney
Founder
,
K9 Services Unlimited
Founder of K9 Services Unlimited with 25+ years training police and pet dogs in reactivity, impulse control, and operational K9 work.
Brad Gillespie
President
,
Canadian Police Canine Association
Senior trainer and president of the Canadian Police Canine Association, specializing in operations-based K9 team development.
Don Blair
Owner
,
Canine Intelligence Academy
Veteran K9 trainer specializing in detection fieldwork, point-to-point, and quartering exercises for operational detection teams.
Heath Kuhlmann
Owner
,
FACT K9 Training
Heath Kuhlmann is the founder and lead trainer of FACT K9.
Jason Purgason
President
,
Highland Canine
President of Highland Canine Training teaching detection teams to leverage mistakes for performance gains.
Todd Wilber
President
,
Precision Explosives
Todd Wilber has worked for over 20 years in counterterrorism as a responder, researcher, policy writer and senior manager.
Ronnie Manganiello
President
,
FLECA
South Florida K-9 handler, head trainer, and president of the Florida Law Enforcement Canine Association (FLECA).
Stu Phillips
Instructor
,
Stu Phillips K9
Detection dog operator and instructor closing the gap between training success and street reality.
Shay Maimoni
Founder
,
Israeli Special Tactics K9
Founder and lead trainer at Israeli Special Tactics K9, specializing in muzzle fighting, drive engineering, and counter-terrorism K9 development.
Behavioral science and canine performance
Dr. John Waterhouse
Founder
,
Hero Canines
Veterinarian focused on working dog medicine, rehabilitation, and injury prevention for law enforcement and military K9 teams.
Dr. Melanie Uhde
Canine Researcher
Ph.D. biologist bridging neuroscience and applied K9 training, with research on motivation, stress, and resilience in working dogs.
Kathryn McConnell
President
,
NOCMG
Emergency veterinarian and president of the Nevada Operational Canine Medical Group, focused on heat injury prevention and K9 operational medical readiness.
Rob Downey
Founder
,
Annamaet Petfoods
Founder of Annamaet Pet Foods focused on nutrition science and heat stress prevention for operational K9s.
National-scale perspective that shapes defensible decisions
Because HITS brings together instructors from across agencies, regions, and training approaches, speakers create perspective that cannot exist in small local training environments.
Education protected by anti-infomercial standards
HITS enforces anti-infomercial instruction standards so education is never replaced by selling.
Attendees gain:
Credible instruction focused only on learning and performance- Perspective that improves long-term deployment judgment
- Knowledge that supports defensible testimony in court
At HITS, speakers earn trust because they teach without selling and prepare handlers for real-world scrutiny.
Learn from the speakers shaping modern K9 work
Speakers are one part of a national conference designed to deliver defensible education, operational perspective, and lasting professional capability.
Instruction protected by anti-infomercial standards
Exposure to national-scale methods and tradeoffs
Learning that strengthens deployment and testimony decisions
FAQs
What makes HITS speakers different from other conferences?
HITS enforces anti-infomercial standards and selects instructors for real-world teaching impact, not promotion.
Why is exposure to multiple training philosophies important?
Exposure to other approaches helps confirm what's working and identify where performance can improve. That clarity directly supports better deployment decisions and courtroom defensibility.
Are sessions focused on real operational outcomes?
Yes. Instruction is designed to strengthen deployment decisions, courtroom defensibility, and long-term performance.
How does HITS K9 differ from local training?
HITS provides national-scale perspective and unbiased instruction that small, local events cannot replicate.