Lisa Gerrard is a proud alumnus of Algonquin College (Police Foundations) and holds a B.A. in Social Science from the University of Ottawa. Lisa graduated from Ontario Police College at the top of her class and went on to serve the community with York Regional Police and the Ottawa Police Service. During her tenure as a police officer, she continued to build her education and skills through various professional development opportunities. Lisa was exposed to a wide array of experiences that included emergency response, criminal investigations, crime prevention and coordinating community partnerships. She found herself drawn to helping those within vulnerable populations such as, youth at risk, those suffering from mental illness and victims/survivors of sexual violence. In 2008, Lisa began teaching in the Police Foundations program full time and was recognized for her excellence in teaching by the Algonquin College Students’ Association in 2014. Lisa brings experience, insight and currency to the courses she teaches: Criminology, Community Policing and Career Preparation and especially enjoys finding pathways for students toward active, contributory membership of their communities. Outside the classroom, Lisa leads by example by fostering student involvement in community service and volunteerism, both domestic and abroad.
Archives
Alyssa Ferns is a full-time professor with the Police and Public Safety Institute. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in forensic psychology from Carleton University, and a B.A. from the University of Guelph. Prior to working at Algonquin College, she was a full-time professor and program coordinator for the Bachelor of Social Science (Criminal Justice) at Humber College. Alyssa is an applied researcher who has had the opportunity to work with the Toronto Police Service, the RCMP, and Correctional Services Canada. She has been awarded research grants from both Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grants and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Her projects have related to police use of force decision making, neighbourhood policing, vicarious resilience of service providers, and concussion recovery for intimate partner violence survivors. She currently works with the Victimology Research Centre at Algonquin and is passionate about worker wellness for all first responders. She enjoys teaching courses related to mental health, psychology, and research methods.
Sharleen is a proud Algonquin College alumnus, as she is a graduate from the Child and Youth Worker Program. She has worked within a CYW counselling role with at risk youth for over 20 years. Sharleen has taught variety of courses within several programs since 2000, and has taught full time in the Police Foundations Program since 2009. Her training also consists of certification such as ASIST, Mental Health First Aid, Teachers and Trainers of Adults qualification, as well as a Degree in Psychology from Ottawa University. Sharleen is a tremendous fan of lifelong learning and has enjoyed pursuing a Master’s degree from Athabasca University, as well as a plethora of other learning opportunities. She currently is a member of the College Academic Counsel.
John Belisle started for his career path in the Canadian Criminal Justice System by attending the University of Ottawa where he studied Criminology and Sociology. Upon completing his undergraduate degree John proceeded to complete his Honors in Criminology and subsequently his Master of Criminology Applied Degree at the University of Ottawa where he studied youth gangs in Canada. While completing his studies at the University of Ottawa, John had the opportunity to work as a Youth Intake Officer at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Center and as a Probation and Parole Officer at the Ottawa West Probation and Parole Office. However, it was His employment as a Provincial Offences Officer with the City of Dollard des Ormeaux which fueled his passion for policing. Upon graduation John worked for the Peel Regional Police in Uniform Patrol, the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Break and Enter Unit, Gang Unit and the Central Robbery Bureau. During his tenure as a Peel Regional Police Officer John worked as a Field Training Officer, conducted mobile and static surveillance and worked in an undercover capacity. After a successful policing career John pursued his passion for teaching, training and mentoring the next generations of justice professionals. He began his teaching career at Mohawk College where he taught Police Foundations and was the lead in conceiving, developing and designing the Advanced Police Studies (APS) Post Graduate Program at Mohawk College. John subsequently had the opportunity to come back to Ottawa where he currently teaches at Algonquin College in the Police Foundations Program, teaching Criminal & Civil Law, Investigation and Evidence, as well as, Interviewing and Investigations.