Instructors

Biography

Linda owns Training & Beyond, LLC and is a contract instructor for MO-LTAP. She trains city and county employees to become more efficient and effective in their daily job tasks with safety being a top priority. She knows how important formal training is for the safety of the highway maintenance employee and emphasizes that on-the-job training should reinforce safety awareness. Linda retired from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) with 27 years of experience. She spent 14 years as a maintenance worker operating heavy equipment such as dump trucks, front-end loaders, skid steers, etc. She spent three years in the highway construction field overseeing highway projects around heavy equipment.

Her last 10 years, Linda developed and delivered training programs state-wide which included Flagger/Work Zone; Dump Truck; Roller; Pull Paver and Chip Seal training. Linda is currently a certified ATSSA (American Traffic Safety Service Association) Flagger Instructor, IMSA (International Municipal Signal Association) Moderator for the Work Zone course as well as the Signs and Pavement Markings Courses in Level I and Level II, an OSHA Authorized Construction Industry Trainer for the 10-and 30-hour courses and Kirkpatrick Four Levels Gold Level Certified (There are only 41 in the world).

Linda believes in continuously educating herself so she can provide the most accurate and up-to-date training information available. She utilizes the "Work Smarter not Harder" philosophy in all her training programs as many agencies are doing more with less. Linda holds the following college degrees: Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management, Master of Business Administration and Specialist in Safety and Health for the Construction Industry Certificate.

Biography

Robin Shepard has worked as an LTAP instructor for over 10 years. She teaches a wide variety of courses from Worker Safety to Drug and Alcohol Awareness in the workplace to Preparing for - or - Responding to Natural Disasters. She has worked in higher education teaching chemical engineering, design, and safety at Washington University and Missouri S&T and coaching engineering students as a Career Consultant at the Career Center.

She is the owner of Shepard Safety, a company that specializes in safety education where she conducts OSHA classes and other safety training. Robin enjoys using her engineering skills in the humanitarian field and has served as an engineering consultant for Dignity Period and Engineers Without Borders (EWB), specializing in water and sanitation improvements.

Biography

John Rice has a long history of instructing classes for the Missouri RTAP program. In fact, he began his career with MoDOT at the inception of the National RTAP program in 1988. He was employed as a driver trainer and vehicle procurement specialist for transit agencies throughout the state.

Prior to MoDOT, Rice, a graduate of Truman State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education, Psychology, taught social studies from 1978-1982 in the public school system at the high school and junior high level. From 1982-1988, he worked as a school bus transportation supervisor until joining MoDOT. Upon his retirement in 2012, he became a contract instructor for Missouri RTAP at Missouri University of Science and Technology for whom he continues instructing transit driver training throughout Missouri.

Biography

John is currently the Corporate Safety Manager for OATS Transit. John began his career in the United States Air Force. He was a Security Police Supervisor and Training Instructor. John has trained countless Security Police and other military members in Air Base Ground Defense/Terrorist Threat Training. John was also a member of the Elite Emergency Services Team. He was the Field Coordinator in charge of five 4-man teams. He received an Outstanding Performance from the United States Secret Service for providing tactical support for Vice President Walter Mondale.

John left the Air Force and became a Boone County Sheriff's Deputy. John was a Field Training Officer, a D.A.R.E. Instructor and the county's first Accident Reconstructionist. He reconstructed several fatal and serious injury accidents during his career. He retired from the Sheriff's Office. John was a Senior Loss Prevention Manager for the JC Penney Company; the Senior Public Safety Director for the Columbia and Capital Malls; one of the co-founders of the Stealing Offenders Program, that's a court mandated program for people who are arrested for stealing.

John is also the current Board President of the Boone County Crimestoppers and a Board Member of the Missouri Public Risk Management Association. He's a Terrorist Liaison Officer with Missouri Information Analyst Center and a Certified Safety & Security Officer through the Community Transit Association of America. In John spare time he likes to fish with his family and teaching his grandchildren how to fish. John instructs Dealing with Difficult Passengers Training and Active Shooter Prevention and Response Training for MO-RTAP