2025 Annual Conference Materials

Gary Kirkman, Director of Compliance Training – US Housing consultants
Gary joined US Housing Consultants after more than 17 years of affordable housing experience as a regional property manager, award-winning community manager, training director for a property management company, and trainer covering multiple funding programs. 
Over his years in the industry, Gary has developed a style that combines the right amount of entertainment and thoughtful communication of often deeply complex information. Gary is an experienced and engaging public speaker. He conducts public and private training and speaks at housing conferences, providing training on all major affordable housing programs.  

Tara Miller, Crisis Training & Curriculum Development Specialist- VT Department of Mental Health
Tara has worked in community and state Mental Health for the last 23 years. She has experience in using trauma-informed care in various settings and across the lifespan. She holds her National Peer Specialist credential and uses her lived experience to inform her work.

Big Hartman, Executive Director & General Counsel – VT Human Rights Commission
Big Hartman has a lifelong commitment to social justice, equity, and civil rights. They have been a licensed attorney in Vermont since 2005, focusing on labor, employment, and anti-discrimination best practices. After working at a labor union from 2007 to 2013 and running a law practice called Welcoming Workplaces from 2014 until 2021, Big joined the State of Vermont Human Rights Commission as a Staff Attorney Investigator in September of 2021. They became HRC’s Executive Director and General Counsel in 2023. Big is an expert on fair housing, employment discrimination, disability rights, and harassment prevention. 

Jeff Pearson, Detective Sergeant – Montpelier Police Department
Jeff Pearson has been employed with the Montpelier Police Department for 16 years. After a four-year enlistment in the United States Navy, Jeff attended the police academy in North Carolina. Jeff is a graduate of the North Carolina Justice Academy as a Criminal Investigator. He remained in North Carolina and policed for over seven years where he was assigned as a Detective and as part of the Major Crimes Unit for over three years prior to returning to his home state of Vermont. Jeff is currently a Detective Sergeant for the Montpelier Police Department. He is trained in Crime Scene Processing, Interviewing, Sex Assault Investigation and Hostage/Crisis Negotiation. Jeff is the 2020 law enforcement recipient of the Team Two Frank Silfies Award for exemplifying collaborative response during a mental health crisis. 

Mourning Fox, Director of Mental Health Programs – VT Department of Public Safety
Mourning Fox has over 30 years of experience in the mental health field and was the Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health (DMH) for four and a half years. He is currently the first Director of Mental Health Programs for the Vermont Department of Public Safety where he implemented and coordinates the Embedded Mental Health Crisis Specialist Program. Fox also currently teaches Verbal De-escalation skills at the Vermont Police Academy for all law enforcement officers in the state of Vermont. He is also a member of the Vermont Interagency Threat Assessment Team. For six years Fox was the director of maximum security inpatient forensic units at Bridgewater State Hospital where individuals were placed when they were involved in the criminal justice system and had significant mental health needs. There he provided initial and ongoing mandatory violence prevention/de-escalation training for all the clinical and correctional staff at the hospital. He is also a 2009 graduate and Class President of the Plymouth Massachusetts Police Academy’s Basic Reserve Academy and recipient of the Brian Daley Academic Excellence Award. Fox has worked with the FBI and Special Operations Tactical International as a Hostage/Crisis Negotiator. He was the first non-correctional officer appointed as a Hostage Negotiator for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. He has been certified as a NAPPI (Non-Abusive Psychological and Physical Interventions) instructor, a CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) trainer and a Mental Health First Aid trainer. Fox created a well-received nationally used webinar training for college and university police/security personnel through the National Center for Campus Public Safety. He developed the counseling center at Earlham College, his alma mater. While at Earlham, he also started the student lead Peer Counseling Program and Peer Mediation Center. Fox has provided Violence Prevention and De-escalation training and consultation to many law enforcement agencies throughout New England, as well as to a myriad of social service providers, educators and others. He helped create the Team Two Vermont curriculum (this training brings law enforcement and mental health clinicians together) and remains a member of the Team Two Steering Committee and one of its lead trainers. He was also appointed by the Governor of Vermont to be the co-chair of the Vermont Community Violence Prevention Task Force in 2019. Fox remains a member of the Vermont Mental Health Crisis Response Commission that reviews interactions with law enforcement and persons having a mental health crisis that resulted in serious injury or death. Prior to his work in the mental health field, Fox was a special education teacher working with middle and high school students.

Angela Zaikowski, Partner & Attorney at Law – Bennett & Zaikowski, PC
Angela Zaikowski is a partner at Bennett & Zaikowski, PC where she has worked since 2003. She is admitted to practice in Vermont Courts and federal court. Angela is also the Director of the Vermont Landlord Association; a trade association for Vermont Landlords.  Angela received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon in 2000. After college she moved to the Northeast to attend Vermont Law School, where she received her J.D. degree in 2003. She also received her M.S. in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School in 2003.  Angela is a frequent presenter of Landlord/Tenant law and best management practices seminars for both attorneys and Realtors as continuing legal education and private landlords/property managers.  Angela also serves on legislative study committees and participates in the Legislative process through drafting potential legislation and testifying in legislative committees on issues impacting commercial and residential landlords.

Daniel Gamelin, Chittenden County Sheriff

Cara Cascadden, Training Coordinator – Washington County Mental Health Services
Cara Cascadden is the Training Coordinator at Washington County Mental Health Services. Cara is passionate about mental health literacy and bringing education to the community to support our loved ones and neighbors. Cara trains both employees at WCMHS and offers training to the general public most often in Central Vermont. Cara trains in a variety of topics including Mental Health First Aid, Trauma, Cultural Sensitivity, Behavior Management and Supervisory & Leadership Skills.  Cara is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked with youth and families for over 25 years. She is one of the founding members of the Social Justice committee at WCMHS and helped develop today’s training to create common language and opportunity for participants to reflect on their own life and how their interactions impact others. In her free time Cara is a runner, hiker and outdoor enthusiast. 

Mike Uthmann, Trainer – Washington County Mental Health Services
Mike has worked at Washington County Mental Health Services (WCMHS) for 12 years, and within that role he has been on WCMHS’ Zero Suicide Committee for about 7 years. Within that role, he has been one of the key trainers on Umatter for the agency, as well as helping with the creation and adoption of Suicide Prevention policies, as well as raising awareness through coordinating efforts with AFSP, and joining in various trainings and forums to increase awareness and knowledge.