Lt. Colonel Joshua Downing began his career with the Colorado State Patrol in July 1998. His first duty station was in Golden, Colo. He later served as a Trooper and Corporal in Weld County, was promoted to Sergeant and then Captain both in the Hazardous Materials Section. Downing was promoted to Major of the Staff Services Branch, and then transferred to the Training Services Branch. On February 1, 2018, Downing was promoted to Lt. Colonel and assigned Region 1 which included field operations, Executive Security Unit and the Communications Branch. On Jan 1, 2022 Lt. Colonel was assigned as the Commander of Region 3 which oversees most of the Specialty units within the Patrol.

Lt. Colonel Downing has played a critical role in the advancement of technology, policy, training and accreditation for the Colorado State Patrol. Lt. Colonel Downing has held many leadership roles throughout the organization, providing him an advantage to understanding the many intricacies of business processes across the Patrol.

Lt. Colonel Downing has served as an instructor for the Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) program, a chairman for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Level VI program and held numerous other positions on committees that have a national impact on the law enforcement community. Lt. Colonel Downing was recognized with the Citizens Appreciate State Troopers (C.A.S.T.) Award in 2002. Downing is a graduate of the 140 th Southern Police Institute Administrative Officer Course at the University of Louisville, and is an alum of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo.

Lt. Colonel Downing is a Colorado native and married with two children. He enjoys spending time with his family, friends and coaching.

Senior Director Phibbs holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from the University of Colorado – Boulder, a Master’s Degree Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Executive Leadership from the University of Colorado – Denver, and is a graduate of the 241st Session of the FBI National Academy.

Phibbs began his law enforcement career in Silverthorne, Colo. 1992.  He was then recruited by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office where he served in a variety of positions including as the Detentions Division Commander/ Undersheriff.

Phibbs briefly served with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office before being appointed the Chief of Police for Elizabeth, Colorado in 2006.  After eight years in Elizabeth, Phibbs was appointed as the Chief of Police for the Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado in 2014.

In February of 2022 Phibbs was appointed as the Senior Director of the Specialized Business Group for the Colorado Department of Revenue.  The Specialized Business Group regulates limited stakes gaming, enforces the State’s liquor and tobacco laws through licensing and compliance checks, regulates the horse racing industry, and regulates and licenses the motor vehicle dealer industry.

Mike Phibbs is a third generation Colorado native.

Rich Smith is the sheriff in Custer County Colorado. He began his career in 1988 as a volunteer EMT in Oklahoma City. It was his lifelong dream to be an emergency responder. After he responded to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, he changed his focus to prevention. He served as a consultant in emergency management and business continuity. In 2002 He joined the Colorado State Patrol and served until he retired as a Troop Commander in 2022. His assignments included the newly opened Colorado Information Analysis Center CIAC and he was one of three co-creators of the Rubicon Critical Infrastructure protection team. He became an advocate for collecting, analyzing, and sharing law enforcement data to solve large crimes and community problems. He then served as a CSP sergeant in El Paso and Teller counties before transferring back to the CIAC and the criminal investigations branch as a sergeant and supervisor. He was a co-creator of the Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center which was able to collect data for auto theft from agencies across the state using the existing CCIC infrastructure. His analysts used data to help auto theft dedicated task forces interrupt auto theft rings and to target auto theft gang leadership with Colorado Organized Crime Control Act charges. Rich served his final seven years as a CSP Troop Commander serving the rural mountain 11th Judicial District. Upon retirement Smith ran for and was elected sheriff of Custer County. He has implemented a first ever, in the county, mobile tablet computing and data collection solution and has heavily invested in training, tools, and technology for the small law enforcement agency. Smith is a member of the County Sheriff’s Of Colorado (CSOC) and serves as the CSOC representative for the Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC) and the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority Board (CATPA). His goal is to continue to provide a voice for rural Colorado communities. Smith also serves on the 11th Judicial District VALE board and the Board for the Fremont County Regional 911 Communications Center.

David Cardella is the CEO of the Colorado Independent Automobile Dealers Association whose 1133 members relay on to provide education, training and guidance in adhering to the Colorado Statues and Regulations. Prior to becoming the CEO of CIADA and serving in the Navy his career has been in the automobile industry first as washing vehicles to most recently owning a Wholesale Dealers License. He has relinquished his Dealers License to concentrate solely on improving his industry.

Marty Trujillo is a goals driven professional with more than 32 years experience in the insurance industry with a solid track record of achievement as a Special Investigations Case Manager, Special Investigations Investigator, Government and Industry Affairs Manager and multiple claims handling positions.