AG & AG National Conference

Speakers & Instructors

Aaron Hayes is the owner of Hayes Custom Guns in addition to being an outdoorsman from Austin, Texas. He is a member of the Benelli 3-Gun Team and he enjoys teaching new shooters to enjoy the sport. When he’s away from the range, Aaron enjoys snowboarding and wake-surfing with his friends and family.

Alexandra Nikolov, 27 Close Calls, is a firearms and martial arts instructor. She is a Nevada Concealed Weapons instructor, NRA Certified Chief Range Safety Officer, and NRA Certified instructor for Pistol, Rifle, and Inside/Outside the Home, and competes in IDPA, GSSF & USPSA. She is a graduate of the Silver State Law Enforcement Academy- Category II Peace Officer Program. She also is a 4th Degree Black Belt/Instructor in Tae Kwon Do, Krav Maga Global Level 5 Practitioner, and ASP Tactical Weapons Instructor. She is also a 27 Close Call Academy Instructor with Strider Lab and the Las Vegas, NV, Chapter Facilitator for A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League.

Allison Launius, IDPA, began working for IDPA in 2011 and since then has also become a competitor and friendly face at matches. Her love for the sport has grown from a curious interest to a sport she truly loves and competes in as often as possible. Her official title is Advertising Coordinator but like all the IDPA employees wears many different hats including her passion for introducing IDPA to women around the country.

Annemarie Garrett is a pro shooter for Syren USA. She competes on the Professional Sporting Clay tour and is an All-American. She is the reigning California State Ladies champion as well as the World Super Sporting Ladies champion. When not shooting, Annemarie enjoys surfing and traveling.

Amy Dillon, CCWstyle, is a former Marine Corps Drill Instructor and Combat Marksmanship Instructor. Amy served 12 years active-duty and is now committed to pursuing her goals in the Firearms Industry and Legal Community. In addition to her military certifications, Amy is certified as a Concealed Weapons Permit Instructor by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, State of Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, and Georgia Carry Organization. She is also a firearms instructor and Chief Range Safety Officer certified by the National Rifle Association, as well as a Personal Safety Academy Instructor for the SABRE Civilian Safety Awareness Program.

Annette Aysen, Team Smith & Wesson, is the First Lady of revolver shooting, capturing more titles in USPSA (8) and ICORE (8) revolver divisions than any other woman in history. Aside from her wheel guns skills, Annette is also a certified pistol instructor.

Annette Evans, Race Street Range, picked up her first gun almost ten years ago “because every girl should know how to shoot.” She started as a defensive shooter, became an instructor, then fell in love with competitive shooting. Her passion is the craft of marksmanship, which she pursues as a representative of King Shooters Supply, Grayguns, PHLster, and Brilliant Backstraps. She is also owner and operator of the Race Street Range near Philadelphia. And yes, she finally cleans and maintains her own guns. You can find more of her thoughts at her blog, Beauty Behind the Blast (www.blastingbeauty.com), and its accompanying Facebook page (www.facebook.com/blastingbeauty).

April Strong, Holding Strong, is an NRA Instructor, NRA Training Counselor, and archery instructor. She has dedicated many years as a youth leader in Girl Scouts, 4-H, NRA, and the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. She serves as the Cheyenne, WY, Facilitator and Regional Director for A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League. April is also an IDPA competitor and Match Director.

Brian Quick is a U.S. Army Veteran, who has been in law enforcement since 1999 and currently is assigned to Special Operations and is a full-time firearms instructor. Brian became a SWAT Team member in 2003 and has been part of planning and operating high-risk warrants as well as other special operations. He has completed advanced firearms instructor training with Surefire, Safariland Training Group, Thunder Ranch, Massad Ayoob, The Practical Shooting Academy, Trident Concepts, Haley Strategic, Robert Vogel, Ben Steger, Rob Letham and Texas Tactical Officers Association. He is a certified armor for GLOCK, AR15 platform from Weapon Systems Training Council and 1911 pistol.

Caleb Causey, Lone Star Medics, is the owner and Director of Training for Lone Star Medics, a field and tactical medicine training company. He served as a U.S. Army Combat Medic with the 82nd Airborne and in the ER of the 212 MASH. He also experience as a civilian Firefighter/EMT as well as a tactical medic with rescue dive teams and SWAT teams.

Caroline Couch, CZ-USA, is passionate about shooting sports and teaching others about them. She found her passion in shooting sports at Clemson University, where she was on the shotgun team. She has been a contracted Pro-Staff member with CZ-USA since April 2014 and works full-time to help with sales and events.

Darryl Bolke, Hardwired Tactical, retired from law enforcement as a Sr. Corporal after 19.5 years due to injuries sustained during a violent on-duty confrontation. He was the lead firearms instructor and Armorer for the Special Weapons and Tactics Team, and the primary instructor for his agency as well as the fire department Bomb Squad and Arson investigators. He assisted on the investigations of over 75 officer-involved shootings and provided expert testimony in regards to firearms usage and police tactics in numerous court cases. He is also the Unconventional Weapons editor for Surefire’s Combat Tactics magazine and has published numerous articles in both the U.S. and Japan on firearms, edged weapons, and related equipment. He has also authored numerous California P.O.S.T. certified classes.

Dave Miller, CZ-USA, is the Shotgun Product Manager & Pro-Shooter for premium gun manufacturer CZ-USA. He has over 20 years of experience in the competitive shooting community and has lived to see the sport evolve into the world’s fastest growing shotgun sport. He is respected as one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the sporting clays community with a Master class title, and one of the best shooters in the United States. He is also the main star on the Outdoors TV show CZ-USA American Gun Dog TV. Dave recently accomplished setting a new Guinness World Record for the most sporting clays targets shot in 1 hour.

David Maglio is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and retired Deputy Sheriff with 30 years of law enforcement experience. He is a Senior Staff Instructor for the Massad Ayoob Group, where he is certified to instruct in Handgun, Shotgun, Rifle, Handgun Retention, and Kubotan, and holds the quad Speed record set in 2004. He is also a Certified Firearms Instructor for the Wisconsin DOJ and the NRA. He is a Charter Life Member of IDPA, a State and Regional IDPA Champion, and one of a few 5-Gun Masters.

Don Stahlnecker, Cornered Cat, is a firearms and defensive tactics instructor with Norpoint, the Firearms Academy of Seattle and the Cornered Cat. Don has spent his career highlighting the importance for the need of realistic and relevant training that prepares the student for the dynamics of real life encounters.

Dorcia Meador is the President of the Texas State Rifle Association, the first woman to hold the position. She is a retired Ft Worth police officer with 31 years of service at FWPD. The last 14 years she served as the department’s range master. Her expertise is called upon during the investigations of all officer-involved shootings, department weapon and equipment selection, and evaluation. Dorcia holds many state and national shooting titles to include the 5-time women’s NRA’s champion honors. She also holds 10 national records for policy pistol combat competitions. She is considered by the industry as one of the best female police shooters in the U.S., respected not only for her shooting abilities, but also for her knowledge of ballistics, ammunition characteristics, weapon systems, and teaching abilities.

Emily Taylor, U.S. Law Shield, received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law and later served as an Assistant District Attorney for Galveston County, Texas. She provides an insider’s perspective into the Texas criminal justice system, particularly into cases involving gun owners and claims of self-defense. Emily prides herself on providing attentive, aggressive criminal defense for clients in misdemeanor and felony cases. She believes the best defense requires an intimate understanding of the law, and since joining Walker & Byington, Emily has been a frequent lecturer and instructor to both law enforcement officials and civilians on firearms-carry laws and the use of force and deadly force. She is a frequent contributor to Fox news affiliates and other media outlets on issues of firearms law, and has been cited as an authority on firearms law in national publications.

Heather Eckert, E4Defense, has been involved in Law Enforcement since 2010. She is a member of ILEETA, Texas DPS Level III Combined Instructor, Texas LTC Instructor, Licensed Personal Protection Officer, Level II and III Commissioned Security Officer, Licensed Private Investigator, Certified Force on Force Instructor and in addition, holds multiple Law Enforcement and Civilian Training Certifications.

Jennifer Seymour is a co-host of a You-Tube podcast called The Shooter’s Mindset. She interviews competitive shooters as well as business owners from the gun industry live on Wednesday nights at 9pm EST. In 2013 she found herself in a vulnerable position with her daughter with no way to defend herself. She asked a friend to teach her to shoot, solely for protection, but she fell in love with shooting. She began competing in 3 gun in March 2014 and was instantly hooked. Jennifer is also an Assistant Nurse Manager in an Emergency Room in a level I trauma center and a mother to three teenagers.

John Johnston, Ballistic Radio, is the owner of Citizens Defense Research and host of Ballistic Radio. He is a RangeMaster certified Advanced Handgun Instructor, VCQB Instructor, CQB instructor, and has logged over 1,200+ hours of private instruction with many of the top instructors in the industry. John also works as an industry consultant, helping to test and develop products for several large manufacturers. Additionally he contributes on a freelance basis to various industry publications, including Breach-Bang-Clear, American Shooting Journal, Bearing Arms, and others.

John Kochan is the literal son of a nuclear family. His father was a USAF command pilot flying B-52s on nuclear alert. “We weren’t preppers; we just bought stuff in bulk, had a big pantry, and went camping a lot.” He earned his Emergency Care Attendant certification while a senior in high school and his Emergency Medical Technician shortly after graduation. He has been a Volunteer Firefighter / EMT / Industrial HazMat Technician in one form or another since 1980, recently retiring as Assistant Chief of his local VFD. He has also been an assistant instructor at KR Training teaching firearms safety and self-defense classes since 1997, teaching everything from NRA basic classes to full-speed force-on-force role-playing scenarios. He also teaches on preparedness topics from Alternate Lighting and Power Sources to Chainsaw 101.

Jordan Blake, Valkyrie Training, is a proud Veteran of 12 years’ service with the Army. Her accomplishments include 3 military tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan during which she drove heavy engineer convoys, operated as a machine gunner and team leader for a convoy security company, and ran a civil-military operation interacting with Afghan school children and their families. She was also a firearms and deployment skills instructor. Additionally, Jordan led Diplomatic Security teams out of the Embassies in Baghdad and Kabul on two more assignments overseas. Today she is an avid competitive shooter, firearms instructor, supporter of the 2nd Amendment, and champion for her fellow Veterans.

Jordan Smothermon, Atomic Athlete, is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and has certifications from Athlete’s Performance. He is a Military Athlete certified coach and spent 3 years coaching and designing training programs for U.S. military members the world over, many preparing for selections and/or assessments of every kind. He has coached and instructed certifications for multiple Army and Air Force units. Additionally, he’s worked with multiple law enforcement units including DEA, U.S. Marshall’s, BORSTAR and BORTAC, and FBI. Jordan has had the privilege to work with multiple world-class endurance athletes and sports, including coaching one to a U.S. National Ski Mountaineering Championship, and another to a podium. He has coached world champion alpine skiers, professional ultra-runners, top-level professional mountain guides (Exum, JHMG), high-level sport and trad climbers.

Josh Crosby, Virtual Tactical Academy, has 18 years in law enforcement training and hand to hand combat instruction in four different countries to military and law enforcement. He offers a unique curriculum that offers result-driven, reality based form of self-preservation.

Julie Fredlund, Diversified Defense, is a certified NRA Pistol Instructor, CHL Instructor, NRA Range Safety Officer, an IDPA Safety Officer, and a certified Patriot Apache Knife Instructor. Julie served as A Girl & A Gun National Secretary as well as Austin-area Facilitator. She also has a strong background in Martial Arts including Tae Kwon Do, Modern Arnis (sticks/canes), HaganaH (Isreali reality-based self-defense fighting), and others. She is the co-owner and staff instructor of Diversified Defense.

Karl Rehn, KR Training, has been a firearms instructor since 1991. He’s attended over 2000 hours of training from a diverse mix of the best tactical, competition, military and law enforcement instructors. He’s an IPSC Grand Master in Production and Carry Optics divisions, an NRA Training Counselor, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, graduate of the Rangemaster Advanced Instructor course, and certified as an instructor by Texas DPS, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. He and his staff of male and female instructors teach weekly classes and private lessons at his 88 acre private range near Giddings, Texas, and other area ranges.

Kathy Jackson, Cornered Cat, is a Certified Rangemaster Instructor, Judicious Use of Deadly Force Instructor, and student of the industry’s best. She is an instructor at The Firearms Academy of Seattle and adjunct instructor for the Massad Ayoob Group. She is the author of The Cornered Cat: A Woman’s Guide to Concealed Carry. Kathy is the AG & AG Director of Training.

Kelley Moore, See Your Possibilities, is a Courage and Performance Coach. Jack Canfield (one of the creators of Chicken Soup for the Soul) deemed her “America’s Courage Coach.” She is also a United States Marine Corps veteran, who served during the Gulf War. Kelley attends all AG & AG national events to arm members with the intel needed to recognize, understand and appreciate human behaviors, communication styles, and emotions, and to equip participants with Courageous Communication(c) strategies and tactics.

Larry St. Clair, Martial Way, is the owner and lead instructor at Martial Way Academy. He is a competitor and instructor on a number of skills, including American Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, and Filipino Martial Arts known as Kali, Escrima, and Arnis. Guro Larry also serves as an accountability coach and helps people set and achieve personal and fitness goals.

Lynne Green is the Brand Manager of the Syren brand of Caesar Guerini. She is an avid sporting clays shooter, competitor, and instructor. She is also an avid photographer and has taken over 1 million pictures of people shooting sporting clays, although she also enjoys photographing outdoors, wildlife, hunting, and dogs.

Matthew Kinney, 911 Tactical Medicine, serves as a Critical Care Flight Paramedic. He has over 19 years of experience of practicing medicine in both air and ground roles, in the military or civilian sector, and specializes in trauma. First Sergeant Kinney’s deployment experience includes five combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of his awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and Air Medal with Valor. His other awards are Flight Medic of the Year, Air and Sea Rescue of the Year, and S.A.F.E. Association Award. Kinney is also credited with saving the life of the SSG Pitt’s Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Wanat. Since 2003 Matthew Kinney has been instructing Soldiers, and Civilians, Law Enforcement, and Fire/EMS.

Melissa Gilliland competes throughout the USA as a member of the Precision Rifle Series. She finished both 2015 and 2016 PRS seasons by qualifying as one of the Top 3 Females in the Series. Her talents also include the firearms media as a writer, blogger, public speaker and television personality. She co-hosted Seasons 2-9 of “Trigger Time TV” which aired on the Pursuit Channel. In addition to working full time as the VP of Operations for Armageddon Gear and shooting PRS matches, her entrepreneurial business interests also include co-ownership of Shadow 6 Consulting with her Husband, Jim Gilliland. They conduct marksmanship training with pistols, carbines and precision rifles. Melissa is a proud NRA Certified Firearms Instructor. Melissa is sponsored by G.A. Precision, Berger Bullets, Armageddon Gear and XGO. She is a Brand Ambassador for the Vista Outdoor brands Bushnell Tactical and Hoppe’s 9.

Michelle Cerino, Cerino Training Group, aka Princess Gunslinger, is the managing and social media editor at Women’s Outdoor News. She also is the author of the column “Princess Gunslinger,” sponsored by Trijicon. A mother of 2 adult boys, Michelle has been right there beside them hunting youth deer seasons, plinking pop cans with .22s and being involved in Boy Scouts since 2004. Michelle is the president of Cerino Consulting and Training Group, LLC, a firearms training company she built with her husband Chris in 2011. Her path in the firearms and outdoors industries is ever progressing. She is writing, hunting, competing and doing contract work for major manufacturers. When not working, Michelle enjoys shooting sporting clays and competes in prestigious shooting events, such as the Bianchi Cup in Missouri, and major 3-Gun matches nationwide.

Chief Deputy Mike Pendley, HEX Tactical, has had the privilege of collaborating with multiple county, state, and federal task forces as well as the opportunity to serve as team leader on high-risk entry teams. After years of acting as the department Range Master and Training Coordinator, it was only natural that Mike’s passion for teaching law enforcement led to his founding of Hex Tactical Resources. Hex proudly provides training that is crucial to personal protection & survival for first responders, military, & civilians. Hex offers an engaging, ego-free training environment with an emphasis on safety & goal oriented performance improvement. Mike is dedicated to enhancing shooting skills as well as improving confidence in high pressure situations.

Rebecca McCoy, IWI US, served as a part-time police officer for both Steelton and Highspire Police Departments, and full-time police officer at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Police Department. She was the lead firearms instructor, armorer and the department Firearms Training Unit Coordinator. She also served on the Pennsylvania State Capitol Police Special Response Team as an entry member. She developed and instituted numerous firearms training programs as well as department firearms policies and procedures. Rebecca is currently still serving the community of Highspire Police Department as a part-time police officer and maintains her firearms instructor certifications.

Rick Staples, CZ-USA, has over 35 years’ experience as patrol officer and investigator with mid-sized Midwestern city with additional duties as firearms and tactical team instructor in multiple weapon systems. He served as precision rifleman and entry team member on the SWAT team and the Fugitive Apprehension Unit. He is a Chapman Academy Adjunct Instructor, Police Academy Instructor, and Thunder Ranch Adjunct Instructor.

Rob Campbell, Eye on the Target Radio, in addition to being a Machinist and Gunsmith, is an NRA-certified instructor in a variety of disciplines including Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Home firearms safety, Personal Protection, and all of the reloading disciplines. Along with his sister Amanda Suffecool, he co-hosts Eye On The Target Radio. Rob fields questions over 5 hours on the call-in show, where people describe guns or ask questions to stump the expert. Rob is a gun person through and through – spending his spare time training or building bullets for guns that are so antique that they no longer make commercial ammo for them.

Rob Walker,IWI US, retired as a Police officer working for Kansas City, Mo and Lenexa, Ks PDs. Rob served as a Tactical Response Officer and sniper for both agencies for 15 years. Rob also served as a department firearms instructor and field training officer. Rob left law enforcement to manage the Law Enforcement sales for one of the largest police equipment distributors in the Midwest. Rob continued to teach by instructing citizens in conceal carry and defensive tactics. Rob currently is a law enforcement sales representative for IWI, US and helps to support their distributor and dealer network across the U.S.

Ryan Hey served 16 years in the US Army with three deployments to Iraq (OIF) as a Cavalry Scout until he was medically retired. He served as a Reconnaissance team and Section Leader. He conducted multiple RSTA (Recon, surveillance, target Acquisition) missions in Baghdad, on the Iran-Iraq border, Mosul, and Sadr City. He also served as a Bradley Master Gunner and Small Arms Master Gunner establishing ranges for both small arms (rifle, pistol, Shotgun, CQB/MOUT) and combat fighting vehicles such as Tanks, Bradleys, Humvees, and MRAPs. His post-military firearms career has included working for two AR companies; assembling and testing rifles and cerakoting parts. He has appeared on Trigger Time TV on episodes with Jim and Melissa Gilliland and Michael Lamb. He is currently working at Magnetospeed LLC; the makers of the Barrel mounted Ballistic Chronograph. Ryan just started his third full season of competition in Precision Rifle matches. Last year he qualified for the Texas Precision Rifle Club (TXPRC) state finale. He also placed 32nd out of 118 at the 2016 GAP Grind Pro/AM match. He represents Magnetospeed, TRIARC Systems, JAE, Fire 4 Effect Weapons Systems, Short Action Customs, Crux Suppressors, PRIME ammunition, Rifles Only, Sidewinder Industries, and Warrior Shoot Event Group.

Sgt. Sal Armendariz, Texas Office of the Attorney General, is the statewide firearms instructor for the Office of the Texas Attorney General Law Enforcement Division. He retired from the El Paso Police Department after 20 years of service before joining the Texas Attorney General’s office three years ago. He has served in Patrol, Gang Task Force Officer, Detective, Special Teams member, and Supervisor. He is a Certified TCOLE Firearms instructor, Range Master, and Special Team member (SWAT and Bomb Squad).

Tatiana Whitlock is a firearms instructor, hunter, fisher-woman, and outdoors enthusiast from the state of Maine. A lifelong interest in martial arts resulted in the introduction to firearms as a means of self and home protection. As a mother of two, Tatiana takes the safety of her family seriously. Tatiana is a NRA BPI, RSO and Refuse to Be a Victim instructor. She is a contributing author for industry publications and the NRA Women’s Network.

Tennille Chedester, 3Gun Nation, began shooting competitively in the USPSA ranks for nearly 25 years. She primarily enjoys 3-Gun, but also participates in several other shooting disciplines. She is an NRA Certified Instructor as well as a Utah Concealed Carry Instructor. During the day, Tennille enjoys working with 3-Gun Nation as the General Manager.

Tina Martin-Nims is a sponsored competitive shooter, instructor, 2nd Amendment advocate, Marine Corps wife, and mom to 3 children. She competes in 3 Gun, USPSA, IDPA, and Zombie Shooters Association matches. She is proudly sponsored by CK Arms, Defender Ammunition Company, Tru-Spec, Tuff Products, High Speed Shooting Stabilizers and Sportsman’s Lodge shooting range and firearms store in Jacksonville, NC. She is a Certified Concealed Carry Instructor for the State of North Carolina, is the Facilitator for the Jacksonville, NC chapter of A Girl & A Gun, and works to defend our 2nd Amendment rights as the North Carolina Representative for the D.C. Project and on Senator Tillis’ 2A Advisory Committee. As a published botanist, former ecologist for the State of Florida, and outdoorswoman, who has embarked on such adventures as hiking the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica and camping throughout the United States, Tina has developed a passion for the flora and fauna of the outdoor world and the skills required to survive in all environments.

Tom Alibrando, IWI US, served as a police officer, instructor and special investigations officer with the Prescott, Arizona Police Department for 11 years. He also toured Iraq and Afghanistan, serving with the Department of State/Blackwater in a protective detail, as well as an intelligence specialist, assistant team leader and foreign national trainer. Tom was also the program manager for training for ACADEMI Training Services. He currently works as the National Law Enforcement Sales Manager at IWI US.

Tracy Becker Thronburg, KR Training, is a staff instructor for the Massad Ayoob Group, a Rangemaster certified instructor, and an assistant instructor with KR Training. She is on the leadership team for the Austin chapter of A Girl and A Gun. Tracy holds firearms instructor certifications from the Massad Ayoob Group, the State of Texas, Rangemaster, and the NRA. Tracy enjoys shooting IDPA and is a member of the A Girl and A Gun IDPA and Team Bubba IDPA shooting teams.

Vic Fredlund, Diversified Defense, is a veteran of the US Navy and involved in self-defense and personal protection for over 13 years, as an instructor in TaeKwonDo, Modern Arnis, Haganah, and Apache Patriot Knife System. He has trained extensively in unarmed defense, improvised weapons, and knife-fighting skills. In addition, Vic has trained with several industry leaders in firearms, such as Travis Haley, Tom Givens, Craig Douglas, and Garrett Machine, among others, and is an NRA Certified Pistol instructor, CHL Instructor, and Range Safety Officer. Vic is the co-owner and lead instructor of Diversified Defense, and offers a wide variety of instruction in skills ranging from basic self-defense and knife vs knife to CHL/LTC certification, active shooter scenarios and defensive shooting.