Don Novey
  State of California 

     Don Novey is the former president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), a statewide organization representing the men and women who walk "the toughest beat in the state," supervising state prison inmates and wards of the California Youth Authority.

     A lieutenant with the California Department of Corrections, Mr. Novey began his law enforcement career in 1971 as a correctional officer at Folsom State Prison where his father also worked as a correctional officer until his retirement.

     Mr. Novey is CCPOA's first president elected to the post in 1980. Since then, CCPOA has grown from a starting membership of 2,600 to over 33,000 members today, making it one of the largest and most influential law enforcement associations in the state.

     Under his leadership, CCPOA has won important safety benefits for its members, including enhanced training, side-handled batons and stab-proof vests, which have saved at least 42 officers from death or serious harm. In addition, CCPOA has increased salary and benefits for its members, bringing their compensation in line with other law enforcement professionals in California.

     A leader in the victim's rights movement in California, Mr. Novey was a driving force behind creation of Crime Victims United,

    California's first ever victims political action committee, and the Doris Tate crime Victims Bureau, a service center dedicated to helping victims of violent crime.

    He also established MILE PAC, the first ever political action committee for minorities in law enforcement, and initiated the Peacekeeper Magazine, a monthly publication for the state's correctional peace officers.

     Mr. Novey currently serves as Peace Officer Liaison for law enforcement groups throughout California. He is a past member of the national Intelligence Agents Association and the Narcotics Officer Officers Association. He also is a member of the National Drug Task Force. In 1988 Don Novey was appointed to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Prisons by Governor Deukmejian. In 1992, he was appointed to the California Industrial Welfare Commission by Governor Wilson. Also, in 1999 Governor Davis appointed Mr. Novey to the State Athletic Commission. Don Novey then served on the California unemployment insurance Appeals Board until 2005, appointed by the Pro Tem of the State Senate.

    Mr. Novey served as Special Agent in Charge with a Counter Intelligence Unit overseas from 1969 to 1971. He is a graduate of American River College, the Defense Language Institute and the Counter Intelligence School in Washington, D.C.

    Presently Novey serves as Executive Director of the California Peace Officers Memorial Foundation. In addition, he is the Secretary of the Veterans Families Relief Foundation (Fisher house at Travis AFB). Also Don Novey is currently working on the statewide issue for the defense of California Peace Officers retirement program. Historically (since 1985) he has been a part of a consortium to enhance the First Americans status in our society.

Brian Dawe
State of Wyoming

Brian Dawe has been in corrections for over 24 years. He served as a state Correctional Officer in Massachusetts from 1982 until 1998 when he took a position as the Executive Director for a national nonprofit organization. Brian received his Bachelors of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts with a minor in Labor Studies. 

     He is considered to be one of the leading experts on private prisons in the nation. He has spoken before the Canadian Parliament in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the Minnesota School of Law and at Yale University in Connecticut on the topic. Brian was the co-founder of the Massachusetts Correctional Officers Federated Union where he served on the statewide Executive Board for nine years. He held the positions of Grievance Coordinator, Executive Secretary and Vice President.

     He is also a former partner in United Law Enforcement and has trained over 500 union stewards. He has been a featured speaker at rallies, protests and conventions throughout the country supporting correctional officers everywhere.

Eric Spierer
  State of New Jersey

    Eric Spierer is a Correction Lieutenant from New Jersey.  He serves as the ACO Sergeant-At-Arms and is a founding member of the organization.  He has been working in Juvenile Corrections since 1997.  Eric is a New Jersey Police Training Commission certified instructor, serving as an adjunct instructor at the Juvenile Correction Officer Academy since 1999.  

    Eric is, also, a New Jersey State Certified Emergency Medical Technician, having served both volunteer and part-time paid, in the Emergency Medical Services from June of 1991 until December 2008.  In his spare time, Eric enjoys volunteering as a Youth Mentor/Big Brother in the Middlesex County, New Jersey “Supportive Parent Aide Network/SPAN”.

Correctional Peace Officer's Foundation Inc.
  State of California

     The Correctional Peace Officers (CPO) Foundation is a national, non-profit charitable organization created in 1984. Its primary function is to preserve and support the surviving families of Correctional Officers who lose their lives in pursuit of their chosen profession of protecting the public from those remanded to correctional custody and supervision in the nation's prisons and jails.