Taking Public Safety to New Heights
MARCH 4-6, 2025
Taking Public Safety to New Heights
MARCH 4-6, 2025
Keynotes
Elizabeth Smart
The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003, after being held a prisoner for 9 grueling months.
Through this traumatic experience, Elizabeth has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and National legislation. Elizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which led to conviction.
The Founder of the “Elizabeth Smart Foundation”, Elizabeth has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions.
Elizabeth has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, "My Story." In addition, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivors guide, entitled, “You're Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment.” This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.
Elizabeth has recently released a new powerful and inspiring book about what it takes to overcome trauma, find the strength to move on, and reclaim one’s life. "Where There’s Hope" is the result of Elizabeth’s mission: It is both an up-close-and-personal glimpse into her healing process and a heartfelt how-to guide for readers to make peace with the past and embrace the future.
Elizabeth’s abduction and recovery continue to motivate parents, law enforcement and leaders worldwide to focus on children’s safety. She emphasizes vigilance by "everyday" people and the belief that hope always exists to find every missing child.
Smart attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband Matthew in 2012, and they now have two beautiful children. Elizabeth’s example is a daily demonstration that there really is life after tragedy.
Charles J. Guddemi
Charles J. Guddemi is the District of Columbia’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency’s (HSEMA) Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC). He is responsible for coordinating interoperability and communications projects involving voice, data, and video.
Charlie chairs the District’s Interoperable Communications Committee (ICC) and Cellular Industry/WiFi Provider Working Group. He serves as the secretary for the Statewide Interoperability Executives Council (SIEC). He is a member of the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC), FEMA’s Region III Regional Emergency Communications Coordinators Working Group (RECCWG), FCC’s Region 20, and White House National Security Council (NSC) Improving Wireless Broadband Infrastructure in the Nation’s Capital Working Group. He also participates on several Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) committees and working groups.
Charlie Guddemi joined HSEMA after a 25-year career with the United States Park Police (USPP). His assignments included working in Washington, D.C., New York Field Office, San Francisco Field Office, and the National Park Service Northeast Regional Headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He achieved the rank of Deputy Chief serving as the Commander of the Services Division.
During his USPP career, Charlie worked six Presidential inaugurations, including serving as the principal planner and Executive Steering Committee member for the United States Park Police 2013 Inauguration. He was responsible for overseeing the safe dedications of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial (2011) and the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial (2014). After the September 11, 2001, attacks, Charlie designed and implemented the multiplex, defense in depth, multi-jurisdictional, security plan for the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Immigration Museum located in New York Harbor. In 2008, he was awarded the first ever Department of the Interior, Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Excellence in Security Award for his efforts in safeguarding the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Complex.
Charlie’s professional memberships include: ASIS International, IACP, FLEOA, and the FBI National Academy Association.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and is a graduate of the 237th session of the FBI National Academy.