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THREAT DETECTION & ASSESSMENT

James Hamilton began his career in law enforcement with the Richland County Sheriff's Department before joining the FBI. In the FBI, James served as a Supervisory Special Agent, protecting two FBI Directors and the US Attorney General. He created the FBI's Protective Training and Active Shooter curriculum, served on the FBI Swat Team for six years, and created and led the Joint Terrorism Task Force after 911.  He also holds FBI certifications in hostage negotiations and tactical emergency vehicle operations. ​Gavin de Becker, best-selling author of The Gift of Fear, and widely regarded leading National expert on protecting high visibility, high net worth individuals, recruited James from the FBI for Gavin de Becker and Associates. James is Senior VP of GBDA's Quality Protection. 

 

James Hamilton's body of work irrefutably bolsters his standing as a trusted and revered personal protection expert.  He is the dad to a daughter in college and husband to an incredible wife which further focuses his protective drive to ensure all women can detect threats and escape them. He believes women have a strong intuitive warning system and will train warriors during the I Will Survive Women's Weekend to couple their instincts with a response and mindset to save their lives. 

ONLINE SAFETY & SECURITY

Jonathan Kyle served as a Captain in the US Army, often working alongside the CIA and NSA in cyber and intelligence spaces. In his current role as Security Practice Manager with Lockstep, he provides insight and guidance for implementing adaptive multifactor and passwordless authentication, advanced encryption, and data loss prevention.

Among his specializations are a myriad of certifications that include: Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information System Security Officer (CISSO), Certified Professional Ethical Hacker (CPEH), Certified Penetration Testing Engineer (CPTE), and Certified Dark Web Analyst.

During the I Will Survive Weekends, Jonathan trains women to understand the dangers present online, how to avoid them, and better hide personal information in order to safeguard their lives further. 

SELF DEFENSE 

SASS Go is a 501c3 nonprofit building communities that are safer from assault, abuse, and trafficking globally through prevention education and self defense training.  The leaders from SASS Go hosting and training the participants of The I Will Survive Weekends have a combined 40 years of experience in advocacy, education, and tactical defense training.  SASS Go has trained nearly 14,000 participants to use their strengths against an attacker's weaknesses to save their own lives and the lives of those they love. 

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The SASS Go Team consists of 28 instructors from coast to coast who have trained and received support from organizations and agencies including the US Olympic Ski & Snowboard Teams, the US Army Fitness School, the World Health Organization (WHO), the US State Department, the US Embassy, the Air & Army National Guard, the Human Trafficking Legal Network, Spanx, Athleta, the Conference on Crimes Against Women, the National Organization for Victims Assistance (NOVA), and Rodan & Fields.  We're excited to welcome you to the Sasster tribe during our signature I Will Survive Weekend along with the experts we carefully selected just for you!

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WEAPONS
Teena knows firsthand the dangers our world presents and the skills one needs to protect lives from them. With over 25 years of law enforcement experience both protecting citizens and training officers, Teena has mastered her ability to share the insight and wisdom she gained to ensure others become the best version of themselves. She specializes in firearms, defensive tactics, resilience training, and suicide intervention. Teena founded FOSS, the Female Officer Survival School in 2011 and has taught thousands of female officers from across the country. She is also the co-founder of Fortis Tactical Systems and serves as a Law Enforcement PEER, helping officers in crisis after such critical incidents as the Capital assault in January 2022.

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Training with Teena is always powerful, with just enough love and logic applied to give you the trust in yourself you need. Her heart is as big as her determination and she spends much of her time working for the good of others through Special Olympics, Toys for Tots, and the Law Enforcement Torch Run when she's not hanging out with her amazing husband and sweet puppy. Teena is a highly valued voice and resource in security and protection and one we have utilized time and time again to help train Sassters young and old. 

WEAPONS

Mike is the co-owner of Fortis Tactical Systems, a devoted husband, and father to two children and one sweet four-legged baby. He has over twenty years of law enforcement experience, is a United States Army veteran, and has been a competitive shooter.  Mike has extensive experience training soldiers, civilians, law enforcement officers, and foreign law enforcement officers in multiple disciplines, including
firearms, defensive tactics, less-than-lethal defensive options, and other critical law enforcement procedures. Working under a United States State Department contract, Mike has worked in Afghanistan training Afghan police officers.  Mike is a certified Glock Armorer and a former Heckler and Koch Armorer as well.  

Mike’s law enforcement experience includes patrol operations and supervision, but most of his career was spent conducting criminal investigations. As an investigator, he has investigated all types of crimes including sexual assaults, domestic violence, child death investigations, and homicides. He has also been responsible for supervising detectives and crime scene personnel during these complex investigations. He has testified multiple times in criminal courts in South Carolina and has in the past been qualified as
an expert witness. He has trained criminal investigators in investigative techniques and interviewing.

WEAPONS

Olyn Sexton is a seasoned instructor and small business owner passionate about empowering women, teaching law enforcement tactics, and promoting fitness and mental health. With over 25 years of experience in the Lexington County Sheriff's Department in South Carolina, he has honed his skills in patrol, investigations, leadership, SWAT, and sniper tactics. He has taught across the United States and has been a featured speaker at national law enforcement conferences.

Olyn is also passionate about women's empowerment and founded the Lindsey Pilkington Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization, in memory of a beloved friend who dedicated her life to serving and helping others. The Foundation provides support for women seeking to reach their full potential by offering resources related to self-defense and mental and physical health. The I Will Survive Weekend is honored to receive support and scholarships for the women we serve and in this way carry forward Lindsey's beautiful legacy. Although he recently retired, Olyn remains active as a volunteer with his old department. He believes in the value of ongoing learning and is committed to sharing his expertise and experience to empower and serve others. Olyn lives in Lexington, SC, with Bobbi, his wife of twenty-five years, and their two sons.