Learning Zone Safety Team

Mike McCarty

Mike McCarty is Founder & CEO of one of the fastest growing, industry-leading integrated security firms in the U.S.- Safe Hiring Solutions– with thousands of clients representing a diverse sector of society.  Whether it’s huge corporations, public school districts, national non-profit organizations, small business, or churches and other places of worship, Mike’s passion is crime prevention and his vision is to help organizations and their people stay safe so they can focus on their mission and be successful.

With more than 25 years of violence prevention experience that includes being a violent crime detective with the Metro Nashville Police Department, Mike was instrumental in developing and implementing the largest law enforcement-based family violence program in the U.S.  He routinely appears as a violence prevention expert on CNN, HLN, CBN and FOX. Mike has graduated from numerous law enforcement training programs including the Police Executive Leadership Academy (PELA) and developed training curriculum on violence prevention for the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Academy and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA. 

Mike consults with thousands of schools, businesses, non-profits, and faith-based organizations and churches across the U.S. and helps them develop violence prevention programs, focus on connecting red flags and mitigating risk of violence as well as helping them prepare and react to an event. He is the author of “Choking in Fear: a Memoir of the Hollandsburg Murders,” which was the basis for a documentary on the Discovery Channel titled “Very Bad Men.” Mike also leads the podcast, The Safety Zone, where he and other violence prevention experts discuss topics relevant to keeping families, places of worship, communities, states, and the nation safe and secure.

Besides facilitating violence prevention training, Mike also provides consultation nationally and internationally to organizations such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Sheriff's Association, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. 

An active member in his community, Mike serves on numerous boards including Domestic Violence Network of Indianapolis, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, and with his family, attends Calvary Chapel Crawfordsville.

Paul dvorak

Director of Security, Anthem, U.S. Secret Service, retired  

Paul Dvorak is the Director of Security for Anthem and the retired U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) of the Indianapolis Field Office. While at the Indianapolis Secret Service Office, Mr. Dvorak was responsible for managing protective responsibilities for our nation’s leaders, as well as investigations impacting the financial infrastructure and payment system in the State of Indiana. In fact, Mr. Dvorak was appointed the Indianapolis 500 Federal Coordinator by the Secretary of Homeland Security for several years. 

Prior to his assignment in Indiana, Mr. Dvorak was assigned to the Secret Service Headquarters where he oversaw the travel logistics for more than 6,000 employees in support of the President and Vice President’s domestic and international travel. As a supervisor in the Dignitary Protective Division, Mr. Dvorak coordinated the overall security plan for two United Nations General Assemblies attended by over 350 world leaders. He also managed logistics for visits of foreign dignitaries to the United States, including Pope Benedict XVI and Queen Elizabeth II. 

Mr. Dvorak served on the Presidential Protective Division during the George W. Bush Administration where he conducted protective advances and physical security. He began his career in the Birmingham Field Office as a criminal investigator. Mr. Dvorak is certified as Senior Executive Service by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Dottie davis

Davis Corporate Training, Retired Director of Security, Fort Wayne Community Schools 

Dottie Davis is the Owner of Davis Corporate Training, Inc., a private training, and consulting business. She began her career in law enforcement in 1981 with the Fort Wayne (IN) Police Department (FWPD) where she served for nearly 32 years. Ms. Davis held the rank of patrol officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and last served as the Director of Training at the Academy, holding the rank of Deputy Chief. Her career spans multiple roles, such as serving as a hostage negotiator, implementing the Crisis Intervention Team with the Fort Wayne Police Department to better serve individuals in a mental health crisis, as well as bringing the Lethality Assessment Program to assist first responders in determining whether a victim of domestic violence was at risk of homicide. In 2003, Ms. Davis was the first female officer of the FWPD selected to attend the National FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. During her career she received numerous commendations, including two Meritorious Service Citations. 

After retiring in 2013, she was selected as the Director of Security for Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS), the largest school corporation in the State of Indiana with over 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees. Ms. Davis was responsible for supervising approximately 100 law enforcement officers and other security personnel in the schools.  During her employment with FWCS, she developed and implemented safety protocols for 63 buildings, which included emergency plans utilizing plain talk, mass push notifications in the event of a lockout or lockdown, and creating a visitor/vendor/volunteer management system that was installed in all schools within the district to identify sex offenders and excluded parties, as well as to know who was on premise in the event of a critical incident.  

Ms. Davis serves as a Board member for the YWCA Northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Center, Mental Health America of Northeast Indiana, and the Euell Wilson Center.