Our Team

Frank Trammer

Founder and CEO

Frank Trammer is a dynamic and influential speaker, trainer, and coach in the areas of leadership and personal development. In 2018, Frank founded Guardian Leadership whose mission is to inspire, challenge and equip others to lead with purpose, achieve their fullest potential, and enrich the lives of those they serve.

Frank has a passion for leadership and building a world of great leaders who are committed to improving themselves, their organizations, and the lives of those they lead. He has helped hundreds of public safety agencies and thousands of leaders at all levels, transform their lives, their careers, and their organizations through his motivational style of leadership training.

Frank serves as an Executive Director for the John Maxwell Team, one of the largest and most trusted training and development organizations in the world. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Columbus State University where he taught leadership. In addition to his leadership experience, Frank has a diverse public-safety background, having worked more than 20 years in state, county, and municipal law enforcement. Currently Frank serves as the Chief of Police for the newly created Stockbridge Police Department.

David T. Snively, Ph.D.

Instructor and COO

Dr. David T. Snively has dedicated his career to public safety since 2007, starting as a 911 dispatcher and rising through the ranks to serve as Interim Chief of Police.  He has served in diverse roles including Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Traffic and DUI Enforcement, Recruiting, Accreditation, Media Relations, and Training.  His extensive certifications include Internal Affairs Investigator, Master Public Information Officer, Use of Force Analyst, and Master Instructor. Since 2023, Dr. Snively has worked for a Washington, D.C. area nonprofit where he oversees a portfolio of policing research that supports the development of evidence-based practices and model policies.

In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Snively is an Affiliate Instructor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.  His research focuses on police training and education requirements, as well as diversity, representation, and equity in policing.  He is a National Institute of Justice LEADS Scholar and a Doctoral Fellow of the Academy of Justice Sciences, and he was named the 2016 Master’s Scholar of the Year by Kennesaw State University.

Dr. Snively is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command, the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police, and Georgia’s Chief Executives Training course.  He has completed over 3,500 hours of professional development and continues to serve as a sworn reserve officer in metro-Atlanta.

Trent Lindgren

Lead Instructor

Trent Lindgren is a trainer and facilitator with the John Maxwell Team and a lead instructor with Guardian Leadership. Trent has over 25 years of combined military and law enforcement experience, having served 8 years in the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout and 17 years in law enforcement. He became a police officer after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, beginning his law enforcement career with the Atlanta Police Department. Trent worked his way through the ranks of Uniform Patrol, K-9, and Traffic Enforcement before being promoted to his current role as Major of Operations with the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety. Trent earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Kennesaw State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He is also a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College Professional Management Program. Trent is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP), and is a Georgia P.O.S.T. certified instructor. When he’s not reading about leadership, Trent spends his free time volunteering as a baseball, basketball, and softball coach and training Jiu Jitsu.

Mary Leftridge Byrd

Instructor

Mary Leftridge Byrd serves as Regional Security Director of the Surface Operations Division for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration. Mary has responsibility for all modes of surface transportation for thirteen states and Puerto Rico. For 11 years prior to her current position, Director Leftridge Byrd served as the Federal Security Director (FSD) at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, GA. In April 2019, she became the senior field executive with responsibility for all federalized airports across the state of Georgia. During her tenure, she led significant improvements in administration, screening, regulatory compliance, passenger, and baggage operations.

Director Leftridge Byrd previously served as Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary with the State of Washington, Department of Corrections, where she directed staff responsible for supervision of 27,000 criminal offenders and directed the implementation of evidence-based programs. Prior to that appointment, she served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Corrections as Deputy Secretary. Ms. Leftridge Byrd was responsible for leading personnel and managing resources in the administration of correctional state institutions housing all convicted inmates committed to the state correctional system and has served as Superintendent of maximum-security prisons incarcerating male and female inmates.

Director Leftridge Byrd holds a Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University and has completed master’s studies in Public Policy with the University of Maryland. Director Leftridge Byrd is a recipient of the inaugural Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award, and was honored to have been selected by the Atlanta Tribune as one of the metropolitan area “Superwomen”. She has also been recognized as Criminal Justice Professional of the Year by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. She was honored by the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Foundation (WIFLE), as a recipient of their highest honor, the President’s Award. She is also the recipient of the American Correctional Association’s annual award as the Best in the Business and received the Woman of Achievement award by the Delaware County Commission for Women. She has also received the Department of Homeland Security, TSA People First Award, recognizing a strong commitment to people.

Director Leftridge Byrd enjoys writing and speaking, focusing on diversity, inclusion and affirming action, leadership development, creating effective teams in large organizations and the role, responsibility, and impact of leaders in shaping organizational culture.

Mike Register

Instructor

Mike Register is the Assistant Chief Deputy for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office. Formerly, Mike was the Director of Public Safety for Cobb County where he managed over 1200 personnel and a $170 million dollar budget. Mike has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. He has served as the Chief of Police for the Cobb County Police Department and the Clayton County Police Department. During his tenure as Police Chief, he introduced many innovative community-oriented policing concepts and initiatives which helped to strengthen community partnerships and enhance public safety. Before his tenure as Chief with Cobb and Clayton Counties, Mike managed an operational, intelligence and law enforcement centric program at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The program was responsible for locating and identifying individuals, as well as criminal and terrorist organizations globally that facilitated, funded, or used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to threaten the security and stability of the United States and its partners. He has assisted in advising U.S. government, partner nation military units, and law enforcement organizations, such as the Canadian military and the New York Police Department in counter-IED and terrorism related subjects. Mike also served 22 years in the U.S. Army Special Operations community, where he was a member of the 11th and 20th Special Forces Group and deployed to numerous countries, to include combat operations in Afghanistan, where he served on a Special Forces mobile recon element.

Mike holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University and is also a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College, where he is currently an adjunct instructor. He is currently seeking a Doctorate in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Terrorism and Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Mike is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He has attended Northwestern University’s prestigious Command and Staff program for Law Enforcement executives, and has also served as a member of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Executive Board and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Legislative Committee as Co-Chair, and is also a Safe America Board member.

Billy Grogan

Instructor

Billy Grogan has over 38 years of law enforcement experience and has served the last 11 years as the Chief of Police for the Dunwoody, Georgia Police Department. Previously, Chief Grogan served as Deputy Chief of Police for the Marietta Police Department where he was employed from 1981 until becoming Dunwoody’s Chief in 2008. He was promoted through the ranks of the Marietta Police Department and served in many challenging, yet rewarding positions. Chief Grogan has lectured locally, nationally and internationally on the value of law enforcement’s use of social media and about the important role leadership plays in delivering effective police services. He has led Senior Leadership Workshops to Police Leaders in Egypt, Hungary and Georgia. Chief Grogan is a member of numerous professional organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP), Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA). He serves as an active board member for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP), Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Advisory Board (GILEE), the IACP Civil Rights Committee, and the Atlanta FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Executive Board. Chief Grogan is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (FBINAA), the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Seminar (LEEDS), the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) program with the Israeli Police, and a graduate of the Georgia Command College. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. Chief Grogan is also the founder of Top Cop Leadership, an organization designed to inspire and equip today’s leaders for tomorrow’s opportunities.

Dwayne Orrick

Instructor

Dwayne Orrick has over 38 years law enforcement experience. He is currently the Assistant Executive Director for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. Previously, he commanded the Training and Support Services Division of the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office. Before joining Gwinnett County he served as the police chief in Roswell Georgia and the Police Chief/Public Safety Director in Cordele for a combined 23 years. Prior to becoming a police chief, Orrick was employed with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs as a Criminal Justice Management Consultant. He has also worked as a police officer, field training officer, and deputy sheriff. He is a graduate of the 186th Session of the FBI National Academy and the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILLEA) to Israel. Orrick has served as Chair of the CIT Advisory Committee for the Georgia Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a Board Member on the Georgia FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS), Board Member on the Governor’s Commission on Family Violence, Board Member on the State Board of Public Safety, the governing authority for the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, as well as a member of the Georgia POST Council and the POST Council Probable Cause Committee. He has also served as a Past-President and Board Member with the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Masters of Public Administration from the University of Georgia. Orrick is the author of more than 40 articles on police leadership and management as well as the book Recruitment, Retention and Turnover of Police Personnel.