911 Authority Staff

El Paso-Teller County E-911 Staff Members

James M. Anderson, System Manager

Jim Anderson has been the System Manager for the El Paso - Teller County Enhanced 911 Authority since the original contract was issued January 1995. Starting as a single person running the 911 system, JKA Consulting, LLC now employs numerous people to take care of all the programs that have been added by the Authority Board.

Jim is no stranger to emergency services. He started out driving an ambulance in Los Angeles, California. After moving to Peyton, Colorado, Jim participated with a number of volunteer fire departments in eastern El Paso County. Jim retired from the Fountain Police Department after twelve years of service, advancing through the ranks from patrolman to Deputy Chief of Police.

During 1999, while working for 911, Jim completed a Bachelor of Science in Business Management at the University of Phoenix, Colorado Springs Campus.

Jim works closely with the Board of Directors in the creation of policies and budget for the 911 system. Research and development of the new 911 technologies fills many hours. Unfortunately, as the system responsibilities have increased, Jim spends more time on management and less time in the PSAP's where he loves to be.

You can email Jim at jim.anderson@elpasoteller911.org.

John Norman, Deputy System/Regional CAD Manager

John had his first experience working in the emergency services field in 1984 as a volunteer fire fighter for the North East Teller Fire Department. He was certified as an emergency medical technician in 1986 and began volunteering with the Woodland Park Ambulance Service. In 1989, John began working as an EMT for the Penrose/St Francis Ambulance. While working for Penrose/St Francis Ambulance John was hired as a part-time dispatcher at the Woodland Park Police Department. In 1991, he became a full-time dispatcher at Woodland Park. John was promoted to Dispatch Supervisor and PSAP Manager in 1994. John served as the Teller County representative on the El Paso/Teller County E-911 Authority Board from 1996 through 1998. In 1998, he began working as the information services manager for the City of Woodland Park. John became a part of the El Paso/Teller County E-911 staff in 2002 when he was hired as the Regional CAD Manager. In 2005, he was promoted to Deputy E-911 System Manager. John is a graduate of Colorado Technical University with a BS in Information Technology Management. He is also a MCSE/MCSA:Security, Security+ and A+ Certified.

You can email John at john.norman@elpasoteller911.org.

Christy Davis, Executive Administrative Assistant

Christy Davis is our Executive Administrative Assistant. She assists the system manager with special projects and events. Among other things, Christy's responsibilities include assistance with student tracking and record keeping, assistance with the coordination of special 911 community projects, accounts payable, web-site maintenance, inventory control, procurement of goods and services and direct assistance to the system manager. Christy enjoys her job and has been with El-Paso Teller County 911 for 12 years and is looking forward to many more years of service.

You can email Christy at christy.davis@elpasoteller911.org.

Troy Pring, 911 Training Coordinator

Troy is our 9-1-1 Training Coordinator. This includes Police, Fire and Medical certifications through the National Academy of Emergency Dispatch as well as the Regional EMD Instructor and Universal Quality Assurance Analyst. In addition to this, he oversees our Public Safety Communications Training Academy for new 9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers hired in the two counties. Having worked in local EMS and Public Safety as a Paramedic and in a Regional Communications Center since 1987, Troy is a perfect fit to our 9-1-1 system.

Please feel free to contact him at troy.pring@elpasoteller911.org or (719) 785-1965 with any of your questions or educational needs on our 9-1-1 system.

Ben Bills, Public Information/Education Officer

Ben has been the Public Information Officer/Public Education Specialist since April 2008. He is responsible for providing education to members of the community regarding the 9-1-1 system in El Paso and Teller Counties as well as teaching children basic fire safety and staying safe during an emergency with the help of the Life Safety Classroom. Ben has been a part of the El Paso-Teller County 9-1-1 system since 2000.

If you have questions regarding the 9-1-1 system, or would like to schedule the Life Safety Classroom you can email me at ben.bills@elpasoteller911.org.

Ben Sloboda, Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst

Ben received his Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Earth Science from UNC Greeley in 2005, and pursued a Masters Degree in Geospatial Science from CSU Fort Collins in 2007.

He has worked as a Park Ranger, Pizza Delivery Man, Image Analyst, Chinese Delivery Boy, Aerial Photographer, and is now a GIS Analyst at El Paso/Teller 9-1-1.

He owns and runs his own Non Profit Organization called Bikes for Becky. This organization rebuilds bicycles for redistribution to underprivileged children and adults. If you would like to donate bicycles or bicycle parts or regarding volunteer work towards community service, please contact him at bikesforbecky@hotmail.com.

You can e-mail Ben at ben.sloboda@elpasoteller911.org.

Connie Chavez, Quality Assurance Analyst/Street Naming Contact

Connie Chavez is a Quality Assurance Analyst as well as the contact for developers in the 2 county area to get street names approved for their plats. Connie has lived in Colorado Springs for over 20 years and worked at Colorado Springs Police Dept. dispatch as a 911 call taker, fire dispatcher, and trainer for over 4 years. Connie is married and has 2 children.

Please feel free to contact Connie with any of your questions at 719-785-1962 or by email at connie.chavez@elpasoteller911.org.

John Lofgren, Quality Assurance Analyst

John Lofgren is the newest addition to El Paso-Teller 9-1-1. John is a Quality Assurance Specialist working with call takers and dispatchers, helping them give 9-1-1 caller’s the calm reassurance the public expects.

After being a Police Officer in Manitou Springs for 5 years, John worked as a dispatcher there for 3 years. In 2001, John became a dispatcher with Colorado Springs Police Department. During his tenure there, he became an instructor for the National Academy of Emergency Dispatcher, NAED, Police Protocol. That certification led him to become an Emergency Medical, Fire, and Police Quality Assurance Instructor. John is looking forward to working with all 10 9-1-1 centers in their quest to provide the best service to the people of El Paso and Teller counties.

You can email John at john.lofgren@elpasoteller911.org.

Michelle Hess, Quality Assurance Analyst

Michelle Hess has been a Quality Assurance Analyst with the El Paso Teller 911 Authority since July 2010. She has 10 years experience with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office as a dispatcher/assistant supervisor. Her free time is spent with her husband and 2 dogs. She enjoys hiking, traveling and football (GO BRONCOS!)

You can email Michelle at michelle.hess@elpasoteller911.org.

Meridith Jensen, Quality Assurance Analyst

Meridith Jensen joined the El Paso Teller 911 Authority in July 2010 as a Quality Assurance Analyst. After many years working as the Health Assistant for an Elementary School, she felt compelled to begin her career in public safety (as many of her family had also done.)

Meridith was hired by the Colorado Springs Police Department as an Emergency Response Technician in 2008, where she quickly found her niche with 9-1-1 calls, becoming known as the resident “magnet” for processing unusual and dynamic emergency calls quite frequently. During her time with CSPD she became a trainer for newly hired call takers and was also very involved in community outreach projects. She co-created a project called CSPD C.A.R.E.S which strives to teach students and school staff about how 9-1-1 works.

Meridith is very passionate about 9-1-1 services and is honored to collaborate with call takers and dispatchers to ensure that our callers receive the highest levels of care and customer service.

You can email Meridith at meridith.jensen@elpasoteller911.org.

Julius Torralba, Information Systems Technician

In Hawaii, Julius completed an Associates of Science Degree in Data Processing which included courses in structured programming and system design. Concurrently, he attained an Associates of Science Degree in Accounting.

Before he re-located to Colorado, he worked for a company called DataCraft, Inc. The three major banks in Hawaii consistently used DataCraft's data processing and programming services for direct marketing projects. His other responsibilities included maintaining in-house systems and the local area network. He moved to Colorado to support his wife in attaining a nursing degree.

After moving to Colorado Springs, Julius realized it would be difficult to attain a programming career without a Bachelor's degree. He modified his resume to highlight his hardware/software/networking/people skills which landed him a technician position for a local company called A Byte Above who specialized in computer sales and repair. While working as a technician, he continued his education taking additional C++ programming classes and Cisco CCNA training at the Pikes Peak Community College.

After A Byte Above, he went on to do software support (call base environment) for ENS, Inc. in which he was enlightened with HIPPA compliance. He comes to El Paso - Teller County E911 from The Gazette in which he attended to 200+ users and systems (Windows and Macintosh) as an IT Client Support Specialist.

You can email Julius at julius.torralba@elpasoteller911.org.

Chris Bragg, Information Systems Technician

Not a Colorado native, Chris relocated to Colorado Springs in March 2004. He has been working in the Information Technology field since leaving the US Air Force after 9 years as a Security Policeman, back in 1995. Since he's been hacking away at computers in some form or another since the age of 12, it's fairly safe to say that computers and technology have always been a big part of his life, and that a career in technology was inevitable.

During his technology career, Chris has worked for companies such as Compaq, HP, Nextel, and Sprint, supporting a wide range of computing and networking environments. Chris attended the University of Maryland while living in Germany, and Colorado Technical University upon moving to Colorado, majoring in both Computer Science and Information Systems Management. He has earned several technical certifications, to include A+ Professional, Network +, Cisco Core, Linux Certified Professional, and has completed courses such as Nortel PBX Administration, Windows Server 2003 Administration, and Windows Terminal Server 2003 Administration.

Chris' personal computing interests are on the Macintosh and Linux platforms. When not on vacation back home on the beaches of Southern California, Chris enjoys skateboarding, going to the gym, swimming, watching baseball (GO DODGERS!), and spending time with his family.

You can email Chris at chris.bragg@elpasoteller911.org.

Matt Towell, Information Systems Technician

Matt came to the E911 Authority from El Paso County IT where he was a network analyst. He has an Associate’s degree in Computer/Network Systems Management as well as several professional IT certificates including A+ Professional, Network +, and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

Before joining the IT world Matt was a car salesman at Heuberger Motors, and worked at Ent Credit Union as a Senior Loan Officer. When he is not working he enjoys golfing, boating, and spending time with his family.

You can email Matt at matt.towell@elpasoteller911.org.

Janet Bowerman, Receptionist

Janet currently works as an Office Assistant. In the past Janet has worked for Digital Equipment Corporation. She has been a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of America for 20 years and worked actively with Boy Scouts of America for 10 years while her children were growing up. She earned a certificate of Electronics from Colorado Technical College in 1980 through the CETA program and attended courses at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. She recently completed a BSIT with the University of Phoenix and continues to enjoy learning new things.

At this time her most time consuming hobbies include swimming, reading, sewing, computer photo editing, and hanging out with her grandchildren whenever possible.

Janet works in the lobby answering phones and greeting guests and vendors. The other tasks include mailing and receiving parts, copying, filing and faxing.

You can email Janet at janet.bowerman@elpasoteller911.org.