Bios

Mr. Hoban is President of RGI. He is a speaker, writer and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the U.S. Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). He has led over 500 workshops and seminars around the world. He has addressed the FBI, NYPD, Chicago PD, Camden County Police Department, universities, and other government and private organizations on ethics and martial arts over the last two decades. His presentations are interactive, informative and entertaining. His business and military experiences, as well as an extensive 30-year background in martial arts, give him a unique and interesting perspective. He is author of the book “The Ethical Warrior” and co-author of “The Ethical Protector – Police Ethics, Tactics and Techniques.”

Margarita Tapia is RGI’s Vice President of Communications and a seasoned public affairs professional. She has worked on numerous state and national political campaigns, and served as press secretary to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary during the chairmanship of Sen. Orrin Hatch. She also taught mass communication at Lane College in Jackson, Tenn. Margarita leads the “Interacting With The Media” module at the RGI certification courses, and is also a martial artist.

Jim Challender is a United States Marine, who served 27 years with the New Jersey State Police, and later ran police and investigative operations for the Waterfront and Airport Commission of New York and New Jersey. He is the only State Police Trooper ever to earn a New Jersey State “Senate Resolution.”

In 1972 Jim uncovered a money-laundering scheme involving top state officials as well as several politicians connected to the National Watergate scandal which ultimately brought down the Governor’s administration. As a trooper assigned to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority he arrested a revolutionary, Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Chakur, who had killed a state trooper. Jim was the lead detective on this case and earned accolades from his contemporaries and NYPD.

In 1988 he was promoted to Captain and made Commandant of the two New Jersey Police Academies. He served as Commandant until his retirement in 1991.

Jim attended The College of New Jersey at night, graduating cum laude with a BS in Criminal Justice/Psychology. He continued his education at Rutgers University, completing the Certified Public Manager Program.

Alexander “Alex” S. Carney left active duty in 2017 after serving ten years in the United States Marine Corps as a decorated Special Operations Officer in the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), as well as an infantry officer and joint terminal air controller in 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Alex served as the ground force commander or joint terminal air controller for over 30 high-risk direct action raids in support of Operation Enduring Freedom across his career, led sensitive counter-terrorism missions in the southern Philippines, and served as the lead advisor to many foreign special operations units. He is the recipient of multiple awards for valor in combat, to include the Bronze Star.

Craig Gray is a businessman, speaker, trainer and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for numerous law enforcement agencies, including the West Michigan Criminal Justice Training Consortium, the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department, and many others. Craig is responsible for creating the MCOLES (Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards) approved Self Defense for Law Enforcement Training Program. He is an adjunct instructor for hand to hand combatives and warrior ethics at the Homeland Security and Protective Services Academy.

Gary T. Klugiewicz is a police and corrections subject matter expert. He is retired from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department after 25 years of service where he was promoted to the rank of captain. Gary is currently the Director of Training for Vistelar and continues to develop new training methodologies for Conflict Management.

“Dr. Kristi” is a graduate of the  University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA. She is currently a surgery resident at Cooper Medical Center in Camden, NJ and a Captain in the US Army Medical Corps. She is a black belt martial artist and has a strong personal interest in wilderness survival and primitive skills, and anything outside, such as camping, hunting, fishing, surfing, climbing, and more.

Mitchell A. Little is Chief of the Toms River New Jersey Police Department. Inspired by his father, who rose to the rank of Deputy Chief of the Toms River Police Department, Chief Little began his career with the Toms River Police Department in 1986 and was soon named Ocean County Police Chief’s and Fraternal Order of Police Officer of the Year for his actions involving a motor vehicle accident. He is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Korean Tae Kwon Do and a Black Belt in Japanese Karate and Jujitsu. He developed the department’s defensive tactics program as well as the defensive tactics program at the Ocean County Police Academy where he taught for 10 years and was a six time recipient of the “Instructor of the Year” award. He graduated from Stockton State College with a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice and successfully completed the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command. In 2005 he obtained a Master’s Degree in Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Arthur D. Mark is a retired NYPD detective with over 20 years experience. He has numerous awards and citations and served in an elite plainclothes gun unit for many of those years. Based upon his experiences, Mr. Mark has developed an effective street smart communication style that those in the protector professions can utilize to facilitate more peaceful outcomes when dealing with conflict. Mr. Mark has also been an avid student and teacher of traditional Japanese martial arts for over 30 years.

James Morganelli is a Chicago-based writer, consultant, teacher, and trainer. He has studied martial arts for more than 30 years, including Eastern and Western styles, and lived and trained in Japan for three years. A prolific writer, James’ article, “Ethical Warrior” appeared in Black Belt Magazine’s 50th anniversary issue His blog “KOSSHI” is read around the world, and he is currently working on several books. James has a Master of Arts in Social Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, with a concentration in Applied Ethics and Natural Law. James holds a certification in Verbal Defense and Influence from the Verbal Judo Institute and is a master instructor in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu.

Steve Olson is an award winning professor and author who teaches leadership, innovation, ethics, and corporate social responsibility at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business and College of Law. Steve co-founded and serves as Director of Robinson’s Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility and its Atlanta Compliance and Ethics Roundtable. Steve served as a special advisor to The Basic School, United States Marine Corps in developing Values-Based Leadership, an executive program which uses simulated combat teach the ethics of leadership. He has worked as a corporate consultant and leadership development trainer for over twenty years and has trained and coached over one thousand senior executives on leadership and value-creation. Several of his clients have appeared on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, including the #1 Best Place to Work in America in 1999. Steve holds a Masters from Yale University and a Ph.D. from Emory University, where his dissertation on the ethics of leadership received the International Leadership Association’s 2007 Frederic M. Jablin Award for “Best Dissertation.”

Brian K. Pensak is a retired 30 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. An infantry Marine with combat, Foreign Military Exchange Program, and Marine Security Guard tours in over 20 countries. He is Marine Corps Martial Arts Program Instructor Trainer and Subject Matter Expert (SME). He currently serves as the Executive Officer, Weapons Training Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. An eternal student, the Sergeant Major continues to learn from, and teach Values, Leadership, and Mentoring to Marines and others.

Joseph C. Shusko is a decorated veteran who served the United States Marine Corps for over 35 years. He is an accomplished aviator who spent the majority of his career flying helicopters. While serving as a White House Liaison Officer (WHLO) at HMX-1, he was designated a Presidential Helicopter Pilot under the Reagan Administration. In August of 2003 he assumed command of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Center of Excellence. He now leads the Corps’ Martial Arts and Force Fitness Programs. He is also a Stafford Sheriff Department volunteer Officer. Joe Shusko has taught “Values, Morals and Ethics” throughout the United States and abroad, and is the author of “Tie-Ins For Life: Stories That Teach Great Values and Inspire Moral Action.” He has been instructing and participating in martial arts and physical fitness since the early 1970’s, and is a 6th Degree Instructor Trainer in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Joe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Rider College.

Dr. Thompson (“Doc Rhino”) was the President and Founder of the Verbal Judo Institute. He passed away in 2011, but his spirit and influence lives on at RGI and many other places. Everyone in heaven is a little safer because he is there.