2024 Guest Speaker's

      Jennifer Schuett

This survivor plenary will detail the case of the presenter, Jennifer Schuett, who was kidnapped as an eight-year-old, brutally raped, had her throat cut and was left in a field for dead. Jennifer will detail her experience, becoming the survivor she is today, and her desire to motivate other survivors and professionals who work within the system. Advances in technology will be discussed, and eventually how DNA identified a possible suspect and the steps taken to connect him to the crime. Jennifer is a proud victim advocate and survivor and has shared her journey for justice on the Today Show, America’s Most Wanted, CNN & Investigation Discovery, among many other places. Jennifer is a co-recipient of TAASA’s 2010 “Champions For Social Change” Award, was named a "Galveston County Champion" in 2012, and was also named Girl ExtraOrdinaire 2012 by Girl ExtraOrdinaire in California

         Tim Cromie

Chief of Police Tim Cromie began his service with Nassau Bay in 2018. With over 33 years of service, Chief Cromie worked through the ranks of Patrolman, Patrol Sergeant, Community Policing Officer, DARE Instructor, School Resource Officer, Detective, Public Information Officer, Detective Sergeant and nowChief of Police. Cromie holds a Master Peace Officer License and a Police Officer Instructor License through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and has over 2,600 hours of continuing education and training in law enforcement.He has conductedtrainingsand presentations across the United States and Canada, including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, National District Attorney’s Association, Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Toronto Police Services, and the International Symposium on Human Identification. Chief Cromie will speak on his role in the Jennifer Schuett case.

          Tim Miller

Tim Miller founded Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team in August 2000 with the purpose of providing support to families of lost and missing persons. The organization is dedicated to the memory of Tim’s daughter, Laura, who was abducted and murdered in north Galveston County in 1984.Once a successful general contractor, Tim now spends his time coordinating with families, various law enforcement agencies, and his volunteer search teams to bring home the missing. Tim has testified in several murder trials throughout the years helping bring justice to victims and their families. Tim Miller often appears on local media to bring awareness to missing persons cases and has been featured on numerous national shows such as CourtTV’s Crime Library, Geraldo At Large, Larry King Live, Fox News National, Greta Van Susteren, CNN, HLN, Nancy Grace, Glenn Beck, People Magazine, News Week, Evidence Technology, Dateline, 20/20, and Texas Horse Talk. Tim Miller’s dedication to the organization’s mission has garnered him many local and national awards. He is the recipient of George H. W. Bush “Point of Light” Award, The Jefferson Award from the City of Houston, The Director’s Community Leadership Award from the FBI, and most recently named Rotarian of the Year, and a “Houston Treasure” by The Social Book. He has been recognized by Crime Stoppers of Houston and received countless other awards throughout the years, from all over the nation. Mr. Miller was invited by George W. Bush to attend the first conference for the National Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, D.C. and was also present at the signing of the National Amber Alert. He has been the keynote speaker for the National Conference for Parents of Murdered Children, and the keynote speaker at many law enforcement conferences across the country. But most importantly, you’ll find Tim Miller at almost every search conducted by Texas EquuSearch, providing guidance, expertise, and a God given ability to bring home the missing

      Mark Yarbrough

Mark Yarbrough was elected as the Lamb County & District Attorney, and served for 20 years, prosecuting everything from death penalty cases to DWIs. During his tenure, in 2002, he was awarded the M.A.D.D. regional prosecutor of the year. He served on the board of directors for the Texas District & County Attorney’s Association, and is a member of the National District Attorney’s Association. He also is one of the founding fellows of the Texas Prosecutor’s Society. Mark is listed by the Lawyers of Distinction as one of the top 10% of lawyers in the United States, and by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys as one of the “10 Best Attorneys” for Texas. Mark graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1984. Following that, he worked as a loan officer for Dallas Federal Savings. In 1987, Mark went back to law school at Texas Tech School of Law where he graduated in 1989. At the end of 2012, Mark retired as District Attorney and travels the country giving motivational speeches regarding Burnout. He has also written and been published on the subject of Burnout. Mark’s interests include – golf, basketball, karaoke, and tropical vacations.

       John Wayne Walding

John Wayne Walding spent 12 years in the United States Army, including seven years in the Special Forces Group at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and during his career at 3rd SFG, he served on ODA 396/3336 as a Special Forces Communications Sergeant and the Sniper Detachment as a Sniper Instructor.

It was during the harrowing battle of Shok Valley on April 6, 2008, that John would lose his leg to a sniper, and yet returned fire for four more hours with his severed lower limb tied to his thigh. The incredible story of that six-hour fight is detailed in the book No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan by Mitch Weiss and Kevin Maurer.

Post-injury, John attended Special Forces Sniper School and upon graduation became the first amputee ever to become a Green Beret Sniper. Using a hand crank, he went on to compete in the 2009 Boston Marathon, in which he finished 4th, finished in the top 10 in the 2009 New York Marathon, and ran the Army 10 Miler.

John holds the Silver Star as well as the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat
Infantry badge, Airborne Air Assault and the Special Forces Tab. In 2014, John was named the recipient of Crown Royals annual “Your Hero Name Here” program for the Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400, making the races official name the John Wayne Walding 400. John and his wife, Amy, reside in Frisco, Texas, with their four children: Emma, Sam, Andie and Hannah.