November 18, 2025 @ 8:45 am – 2:30 pm
Registration: 8:15 – 8:45 am
Conference: 8:45 am – 2:30 pm
Attend In Person or Via Zoom
Minuteman High School
758 Marrett Rd.
Lexington, MA 02421
To receive PDPs, participants must attend this conference and the conference, Threat Assessment Teams: Best Practices in School Safety, on December 9, 2025. Members can participate in-person, virtually or by viewing the recording.
SpeakerS
Description
This conference provides a comprehensive interdisciplinary overview of how schools can create a more resilient and secure environment through a unified, collaborative approach. Presentations will emphasize the critical importance of working in partnership with local police, fire, EMS, and emergency management agencies to build a cohesive safety and security program. Participants will learn practical, low-cost, high return ways to transform their approach to school safety from reactive to proactive. Key topics to be covered include developing memorandums of agreement for evacuation and transportation, Incident Command System (ICS) planning, relationship mapping and de-escalation and retribution against schools in the digital age.
About the Speakers
Dan Bell (he/him) became a full-time officer for the Town of Topsfield in 2014 after graduating from the 22nd ROC in Reading. Since joining the department, he has attained numerous instructor certifications, including CPR/First Responder, DARE, Stress in Policing, Law Enforcement Advanced Casualty Care, Applied Patrol Procedures, Firearms, ALICE, Dynamics of Addiction, Police Interactions with People with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and Procedural Justice/Police Legitimacy. In recognition of his expertise, he was promoted to Sergeant in 2019 and oversaw training within the agency. He also holds certifications as a Designated Infection Control Officer, Glock and Rifle Armorer, Drone/UAV and Aircraft Drug Investigation for Law Enforcement, Field Training Officer, and School Resource Officer, and serves as Assistant Statewide Coordinator for First Responder/CPR.
In 2020, Captain Bell was promoted to oversee the Training Division, Detectives Unit, and day-to-day operations of the department. He also serves as Accreditation Manager, ensuring Topsfield Police meets the 300+ standards set by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Committee. In collaboration with the Chief of Police, he is responsible for reviewing policy, reports, yearly reviews, and officer performance.
Michael Cassidy (he/him) has not forgotten the importance of his early years as a fire and life safety educator. After being promoted to Chief of the Holliston (MA) Fire Department in 2000, he has used that position to consistently advocate for community risk reduction (CRR), focusing much of his efforts on school safety and security. He was trained by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education in the use of the Threat Assessment in Schools model in 2002, and trained as an NFPA 3000: Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response Program Specialist in 2019. Although privileged to present at numerous local, state and national conferences, he believes he is achieving his full potential when delivering lessons in the schools and at the senior center. When not on duty, he can often be found serving his community and region as a board member for several nonprofits, including Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Chief of Police Neal S. Hovey (he/him) has served the Town of Topsfield since 1999, becoming Chief in 2020 after roles as Administrative Sergeant, Patrol Sergeant, and patrol officer. He earned a B.A. in Sociology/Criminal Justice from Purdue University and serves as the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Committee’s Statewide Program Coordinator for CPR/First Responder. Chief Hovey is the Immediate Past President of the Essex County Chiefs of Police Association, a member of state, regional, and national chiefs’ associations, and actively contributes to multiple committees, including chairing the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Medical Advisory Committee and serving as Police Advisory Board Chair for the North Shore Regional 911 Center. He also serves as Control Chief for NEMLEC’s Training Division and holds extensive instructor certifications in areas ranging from firearms and patrol procedures to procedural justice, wellness, and suicide prevention.
Lisa Maccario, M.Ed., MHC, (she/her) is the Clinical Director of Training for Northeast Essex County law enforcement bringing over 25 years of experience in trauma-focused, client-centered crisis intervention, stabilization, and treatment. She holds a Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling from Cambridge College and has designed, developed, and implemented innovative community-based behavioral health programs. In 2018, when the City of Beverly received funding from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health to strengthen behavioral health support across six North Shore communities, Lisa led the development and launch of a collaborative response model pairing behavioral health clinicians with law enforcement. Currently embedded within the Beverly Police Department’s Community Impact Unit, Lisa manages training and provides technical assistance to 29 police departments throughout the North Shore, advancing behavioral health integration and crisis response across law enforcement agencies. In addition to her primary role, she serves as a certified Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Clinician with the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, a Trauma Response Clinician with the Massachusetts Crisis Response Team via Riverside Trauma Center, and a Behavioral Health Consultant and Trainer for MindWise Innovations.
Todd McGhee (he/him) is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and international speaker on counterterrorism and violent extremism. He is the author and developer of the Behavior Observation Skills (BOS) Course and the Airport Physical Screening (APS) Course, created for the Department of State’s Office of Antiterrorism Assistance. These programs are currently taught worldwide to U.S. Partner Nations to combat global terrorism and strengthen international security partnerships.
Mr. McGhee began his law enforcement career in 1987 and retired after twenty-four years with the Massachusetts State Police, where he served as a lead trainer for the Anti-Terrorism Unit at Logan International Airport. He holds degrees in criminal justice from Northeastern University and Anna Maria College. He also authored the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Training System®, the S.A.V.E.™ curriculum, and the DHS-approved Active Shooter Awareness course, which he has delivered nationwide to prepare civilians and security professionals for critical incidents.
Scott Morrison, Ed.D., (he/him) is the Superintendent of the Tri-Town School Union, a PreK-6th grade school district serving the towns of Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield. As a former teacher, principal, and Director of Curriculum and Technology, this coming academic year is Scott’s 32nd year in the field of public education. Scott holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, an M.Ed in Educational Leadership and a doctoral degree from Northeastern University where he focused his research on School Crisis Leadership.
Michelle Muffett-Lipinski, M.Ed., (she/her) is the Founder/Principal of Northshore Recovery High School located in Beverly, Massachusetts. She is licensed as a Science Teacher, Principal/Director, Special Education Director, and Superintendent. She has served as a School Board Member and is currently a City Councilor in Dover, NH. She has over 25 years of experience as a Principal/Director in alternative school settings. Michelle also serves as a Recovery Advocate and will continue to search for ways to help ease, and eventually solve the addiction and opioid epidemic. She speaks across the country about the philosophy and mission of creating adolescent substance use and mental health recovery support in academic settings. Michelle strongly advocates for combining a supportive therapeutic milieu with rigorous academic standards for students with significant risk factors. Given her unique perspective on these issues, Michelle has been featured on ABC, CNN, NBC, NECN, Anderson Cooper, and Current TV as well as other media outlets across the country, including TEDx and, most recently, MTV’s 16 and Recovering (https://www.mtv.com/shows/16-and-recovering).
Michelle started the icanhelp program (www.icanhelp.me), operated through her non-profit, Potential Connections. Icanhelp trains engaged community members to be resources for adolescents struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders. She created this in response to the number of students who are unable to connect with a trusted adult and consequently never receive the essential services they need to live productive and healthy lives. Most recently, Michelle worked with her local school districts, Northshore YMCA, and behavioral health provider to found the PASS program. PASS was recently awarded a multi-year grant from DPH/DESE School/Community Based Target Intervention Services Grant under the State Opioid Response (SOR). This program offers a non-punitive, restorative approach to student discipline for 10 districts on Boston’s North Shore.
Membership Information
Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.
PDPs and CEUs
MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.
To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must pass the quiz. The PDP quiz will be made available only to participants who have registered for and attended both conferences.
Event Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.
For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.
Registration: 8:15 – 8:45 am
Conference: 8:45 am – 2:30 pm