President
JimBanish@nyleap.org
(518) 625-1899 x101
Jim Banish
Jim has served 25 years as a patrol officer, working in many different roles along the way when in 2008, his life and career took on a whole new path. Jim’s older brother, Lt. Joseph Banish of the New York State Police, took his life on April 1st. After Joseph’s death, Jim's life became very tumultuous, he was suffering from deep depression and PTSD, directly related to the trauma he had experienced as a career Law Enforcement Officer. Fortunately, Jim was able to get the help he needed but discovered that this was a problem within law enforcement ranks, nationwide. His newfound passion grew not just helping local Officers but helping Officers throughout the country and assisted the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services with educating others and assisting in teaching a class called TRAUMA all over the State of New York.
Jim is Founder and President of The New York Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NYLEAP) a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation created to educate and assist law enforcement agencies all over the state of New York and beyond. NYLEAP is working in conjunction with other states and will continue to bring assistance and awareness to prevent law enforcement suicides and provide a better quality of life to law enforcement officers and their families.
Vice President
Carpenter@nyleap.org
(518) 625-1899 x102
Matthew Carpenter, PhD
Dr. Matthew Carpenter has been a police officer for 20 years. He started his career with the NYPD at the 46th Precinct in the Bronx. Matt then transferred Upstate to the Rochester Police Department (NY) for the remainder of his career. He holds several police training certifications and multiple police service awards.
As Vice President of the New York Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NYLEAP), Matt has been helping to lead the efforts to provide confidential peer, CISM, and mental health services for all first responders, emergency service workers, and military veterans. Matt holds a Ph.D. with a concentration in Behavioral Science from Nova Southeastern University (FL), where he conducted research on the risk factors and precursors to police suicide. This topic is close to his heart and his mission. Matt earned a master's degree in criminal justice administration from Keuka College (NY) and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from SUNY Brockport.
Matt also leverages his expertise and passion for first responder mental health and wellness in various roles and capacities. Matt is the Chief Administrative Officer for Valor Station-Augusta, as well as a Care Management Team member for Serve & Protect, another nonprofit organization that offers referrals and vetting of culturally competent mental health clinicians for first responders. Additionally, the Resilience Officer at the Rochester Police Department (NY), a LivingWorks ASIST Trainer for suicide intervention, and an Assistant Professor at Monroe Community College (NY). Through these roles, Matt has contributed to developing and implementing policies, programs, and training that promote officer wellness and resilience, as well as being published and cited in peer-reviewed journals.
Clinical Director
AndyCarrier@nyleap.org
(518) 625-1899 x103
Andy Carrier, LCSW
Andrew (Andy) Carrier served with the Georgia State Patrol for 31 years, retiring as a Captain and Director of the Office of Public Safety Support at Headquarters, Atlanta. He also served as the state’s crisis/hostage negotiations commander for over ten years. Prior to his career with GSP, he began his law enforcement journey in 1987 with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, serving there for over two years. During the latter part of Andy’s career with GSP, he was awarded a graduate research assistantship at the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government by then Governor, Nathan Deal. After earning a master’s in clinical social work, he attained licensure as a licensed master social worker, then later, as a licensed clinical/independent social worker in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, and New York, where he assists members of the public safety community involved in traumatic incidents. He has assisted first responders to the school/mass shootings at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and most recently, in Uvalde, Texas in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School Shooting. In 2019, he was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to the Composite Board of Social Workers, Professional Counselors, and Marriage and Family Therapists. Andy holds a master’s in social work, a master’s in public administration, and a BS in criminal justice. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session 245, and the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College at Columbus State University. Andy has been a POST certified Firearms, Emergency Vehicle Operations, and Defensive Tactics Instructor for over 25 years. He has served as clinical director at the three day Post Critical Incident Seminar (PCIS) in Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and California. He is published in the Washington Examiner, the FBI National Academy Associates Magazine, the International Chiefs of Police (IACP) Police Chief Magazine, and other publications. He has also presented on various topics around the United States, Canada, and most recently, at the World Police Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Andy resides in Evans, Georgia.
Training Coordinator
BrianFlynn@nyleap.org
(518) 625-1899 x107
Brian Flynn, LCSW
Brian is a clinical social worker with nearly 25 years of teaching and clinical experience working with law enforcement and other first responders. He is a university lecturer and holds a certification in critical incident stress management. Brian earned his Master’s Degree in Social Work from SUNY Albany, his Master’s Degree in Social Science from Binghamton University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona.
His psychological first aid, disaster mental health and crisis intervention experience includes working with first responders at Ground Zero after the attacks on 9/11, traveling to Thailand to provide support to those impacted by tsunami of 2004, responding to the shooting at the Washington, DC Naval Yard, several 9/11 anniversary memorials in NYC, providing mental health and psychological first aid training to disaster volunteers during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well as being responsible for the coordination of support and logistics as Disaster Mental Health Co-Lead during the aftermath of the 2009 shooting at The American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY. He was an emergency room and trauma center social worker and has provided CISM support to both first responders and civilians. Brian is an approved instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and a member of the New York Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NYLEAP) where he provides instruction, peer and clinical support. He is a New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association Mental Health Medical Liaison and a Disruptive Event Management Consultant with R3 Continuum. He’s currently the NY and NJ State Coordinator for HOPE: Animal Assisted Crisis Response and a former member of the United Nations NGO subcommittee on Disaster Mental Health.
Treasurer / Store Manager
Julie@nyleap.org
(518) 625-1899 x104
Julie Carpenter
Treasurer at New York Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NYLEAP)
Julie was forced to medically retire from the Rochester Police Department (NY) after 17 years due to an on-duty knee injury. She spent her entire career in road patrol, and completed many police specialty trainings and received several police service awards. Julie attended Roberts Wesleyan University (NY) on a track & field scholarship and earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice.
Julie is a certified Personal Trainer through American Council on Exercise with specializations in sports performance and behavioral change. She also holds a national certification as a Clinical Medical Assistant and has successfully completed an accredited Clinical Medical Assistant Program. Julie is currently the treasurer and merchandise manager for the New York Law Enforcement Assistant Program (NYLEAP). She regularly attends Post Critical Incident Seminars held through NYLEAP and assists in any way possible.
JKennedy@nyleap.org
Jody Kennedy
Jody is a retired 28-year veteran of law enforcement, most recently serving as a Patrolman for Johnson City Police Department in the Southern Tier of New York State. During this tenure, Jody served as the PBA President, starting and coordinating a Peer Support Team through the Johnson City Police Union – the first of its kind for the region.
Jody began his journey with peer support and suicide awareness for law enforcement in 2008, after attending a Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) training, as well as a training assisting law enforcement officers that are involved in deadly physical force encounters. In the years to follow, Jody experienced several personal traumatic events. First, in 2013, his brother, who is also a police officer, was involved in an officer involved shooting. Then in 2014, tragedy struck when two co-workers were involved in an officer involved shooting, resulting in a line-of duty death. Following the incident, Jody served as the family liaison as well as the peer support lead for the agency (roles in which he is active in today). Tragedy continued the following year, as Jody lost both his father and sister unexpectedly just days apart. Shortly after that, a personal career-ending injury occurred while Jody was on duty. For several years, the culmination of tragedy and personal injury pushed Jody into a deep depression which affected all aspects of his life, ultimately forcing him to reach out for help.
As a Peer Support Coordinator, Jody was working on a piece of New York State legislation in 2018 when he met Jim Banish, and learned of NYLEAP and it’s mission. Since joining NYLEAP, Jody has trained police officers both locally and across New York State, educating them on suicide awareness, the exposure and impact of trauma and traumatic events, career-related cumulative stress, and offering resources for help. Jody is passionate about helping first responders to break the stigma and to realize that it’s “okay not to be okay,” and that it’s okay to ask for help.
“We’re ALL a little broken, but last time I checked, BROKEN CRAYONS STILL COLOR.” – Trent Shelton
Peer Coordinator
AVLebron@nyleap.org
(518) 625-1899 x106
