Our Team

Our Selection Committee is comprised of parents of victims of school shootings and shooting victims, school safety and security thought leaders, scholastic experts, educators, members of law enforcement, elected officials and school safety advocates. They all share the same mission: to make school buildings, classrooms, hallways and campuses safer.

Andrew Pollack

Chair, School Safety Grant Selection Committee

After his daughter Meadow was murdered, Andrew Pollack dedicated his life to promoting school safety. As the author of Why Meadow Died: The People and Policies that Created the Parkland Shooter and Endanger America’s Students and founder of Americans for Children’s Lives and School Safety, Andrew aims to ensure that parents across America learn the lessons taught by the Parkland shooting. It took the police 43 minutes to get a visual on Andrew's daughter that day. Andrew wants to guarantee that law enforcement can fully scope out any active shooter situation within seconds. To that end, he now serves as chair of the School Safety Grant Selection Committee, a new group of survivors, educators, law enforcement and others that awards much-needed security software to school districts across the country.

Michael Balboni

Former NY State Senator

Having served as a member of the New York State Assembly as well as the State Senate, Michael is also a former Deputy Secretary for Public Safety of the State of New York. Following September 11, 2001, Michael was appointed as the first Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. During his tenure, he wrote nearly all of the major laws relating to Homeland Security for New York State, many of which became models for national legislation.

Kyle Belokopitsky

Executive Director, NYS PTA

Since 2016, Kyle has served as the Executive Director of the New York State PTA. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Hudson Valley Community College for more than 14 years. Other previous positions include Assistant Director of Government Relations at the New York State Council of School Superintendents, Director of Government Relations at the NYS Catholic Conference.

Jeremy Gulley

Superintendent, Jay School Corporation

Jeremy is the Superintendent of Jay School Corporation in Portland, Indiana. He also previously served as Director of Teacher Effectiveness for the same school system. A former principal at Huntington North High School and Jay County High School, Jeremy is a retired Battalion Commander for the Indiana Army National Guard where he led the 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment.

Scarlett Lewis

Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement & Sandy Hook Parent

Scarlett Lewis founded the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, a nonprofit organization, after her son was murdered during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in December 2012. She travels across the United States and internationally to promote the Choose Love Enrichment Program, a no-cost, comprehensive character development and social and emotional learning program empowering educators and students to choose love.

Patrick Neville

Colorado House Representative & Columbine Survivor

A survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado, Patrick is now a member of the Colorado House of Representatives. Representing the 45th District, he currently serves as the Minority Leader of the House and stands as a consistent advocate for school safety programs.

Rudy Perez

Adjutant to the Chief of Police Police Chief, LA School Police

Currently serving as Adjutant to the Chief of Police at Los Angeles School Police Department, Rudy has held numerous law enforcement positions, including Sergeant, Public Information Officer, and Detective. Additionally, he serves as a vice president at the National Association of School Resource Officers, vice president of the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Association, and co-founder of Friends of Safe Schools USA.

Dr. Megan Ranney

Chief Research Officer - AFFIRM

Megan Ranney MD MPH is a practicing emergency physician and researcher, focusing on the intersection between digital health and violence prevention. She serves as Chief Research Officer for the American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine (AFFIRM), the country's only non-profit committed to reducing firearm injury through the public health approach. Megan is also the Director and founder of the Brown Emergency Digital Health Innovation (EDHI) program.

Flo Rice

Teacher & Santa Fe Survivor

A former substitute teacher and survivor of the Santa Fe High School tragedy in Santa Fe, Texas, Flo has worked tirelessly as an advocate for the now mandatory safety training for educators in the state of Texas.

Steven Skrynecki

Police Chief, Southampton Town

Steven currently serves as the Police Chief of the Southampton Police Department. He previously served as the Chief of Department, Nassau County Police. Steven has worked in law enforcement for over 45 years and has served as a detective, sergeant

Chris Baker

Former NFL Player

Chris Baker is an active advocate for school safety and resident of south Florida. He previously played in the National Football League for teams including the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Aaron Vanatta

Chief of Police, Quaker Valley School District

Serving as the Chief of Police as well as the Safety and Security Coordinator for the Quaker Valley School District, Aaron also serves as the Region 3 Director for the National Association of School Resource Officers and Director of Friends of Safe Schools USA – Pennsylvania. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania School Resource Officers’ Association and previously served as Safety Coordinator for the Keystone Oaks School District