2026 Conference Speakers

Karine Descormiers, PhD
University of the Fraser Valley

Dr. Karine Descormiers is an Assistant Professor for the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley. She has a PhD in Criminology from Simon Fraser University and over 10 years of experience in public safety and policing as a professional researcher. Her academic and applied work bridges the gap between theory and practice, offering students a grounded understanding of contemporary criminal justice issues. Dr. Descormiers’s research interests include gang involvement and disengagement, organized crime, program evaluation and police accountability.

Carlos Ponce, PhD
University of the Fraser Valley

Dr. Carlos Ponce is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley and a Research Associate with the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research. His research focuses on extortion, criminal governance, gangs, and organized crime, concentrating primarily on Latin America. Much of his work has been conducted within criminal justice agencies and through partnerships with law enforcement and non-profit organizations.

Amanda McCormick, PhD
University of the Fraser Valley

Dr. Amanda McCormick is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, a Research Associate with the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research, and a Commitment Leader for the Reducing Domestic Violence Community of Practice for the Peace and Reconciliation Centre at the University of the Fraser Valley. Her research focuses on intimate partner violence with an emphasis on enhancing police knowledge and responses to strangulation as a form of violence against women. Dr. McCormick has over 10 years of experience working on various policing and public safety issues, including intimate partner violence, elder abuse, gambling, and mental health.

Kevin Burk, PhD (ABD)
University of the Fraser Valley

Kevin Burk is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley and a Research Associate with the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research. He is a PhD candidate in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University and has over 10 years of experience in public safety and criminal justice research. Kevin’s research interests include policing and public safety, as well as terrorism and violent extremism.

Kim Rossmo, PhD
Texas State University

Dr. Kim Rossmo is a full professor and the Director of the Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Texas State University. He has researched and published in the areas of environmental criminology, the geography of crime, and criminal investigations. Dr. Rossmo was formerly the Director of Research for the Police Foundation in Washington, DC.

Prior to that, he was the Detective Inspector in charge of the Vancouver Police Department’s Geographic Profiling Section, which provided investigative support for the international law enforcement community. Dr. Rossmo is a member of the Police Investigative Operations Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and was a commissioner and chair for the Austin Public Safety Commission for 10 years. He is an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University, sits on the editorial board for Homicide Studies, and is a full fellow of the International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship.

Recently, Dr. Rossmo completed projects studying the geospatial structure of terrorist cells, geographic profiling applications in counter-insurgency, and patterns of illegal border crossings. He is currently the principal investigator for two National Institute of Justice research grants, one on offender decision-making and the other on the systemic causes of wrongful convictions. He has published books on geographic profiling and criminal investigative failures, and a crime atlas for Texas. Dr. Rossmo has been awarded the Governor General of Canada Police Exemplary Service Medal.