About Paul D. Laney

Paul D. Laney brings more than three decades of law enforcement, executive leadership, and instructional experience to Drive the Road Leadership. His training is grounded in real-world experience, from patrol through elected sheriff, and in years of teaching public safety professionals at the local, state, and national levels.

Paul served as Sheriff of Cass County, North Dakota, from 2007 to 2018 after nearly two decades with the Fargo Police Department. He is also a United States Marine Corps veteran. Throughout his career, Paul has instructed public safety professionals for numerous organizations, including the National Staff and Command College and the National Sheriffs’ Association.

Paul has completed more than 2,000 hours of law enforcement training and is a graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command and FBI National Academy Class 255. He has also taught courses for Rasmussen College and the University of Mary.

Paul has received numerous leadership and public safety honors, including the E911 Institute’s Government Leader of the Year, the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Ferris E. Lucas Sheriff of the Year Award, and the North Dakota Peace Officers Association Lone Eagle Award. He also received the National Sheriffs’ Association President’s Award for his leadership and service during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

Paul holds a master’s degree in management with an emphasis in Human Resources from the University of Mary.

Mary Phillippi brings more than 35 years of public safety communications, leadership, curriculum development, and instructional experience to Drive the Road Leadership. Having worked her way from communications operator to director, Mary brings firsthand experience from every level of a 911 organization into the classroom and uses that experience to develop practical, scenario-based leadership training.

Mary is the retired Director of the Red River Regional Dispatch Center, a consolidated 911 center serving public safety agencies across North Dakota and Minnesota. She began her career as a communications operator in 1988 and progressed through roles as shift supervisor, assistant director, and director, serving in that role from 2015 to 2024.

Throughout her career, Mary was active in both the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). She was recognized by the North Dakota Chapter of APCO as Supervisor/Manager of the Year and holds the Emergency Number Professional (ENP) (retired) designation from NENA. Mary earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary with a concentration in management.