Who We Are
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Brian Townsend - Principal & Founder
Brian Townsend is an international speaker, trainer, and consultant with extensive experience in a variety of settings. Most recently, he was a Special Agent with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). For 28 years, Brian has served in law enforcement roles at both the local and federal levels. First, he served as a police officer in Joplin, Missouri. After five years in Joplin, he earned a position with the DEA where he spent 23 years and held a variety of roles with increasing responsibility. At DEA, Brian served in three different formal leadership roles managing multiple people, programs, and resources. Brian took pride in developing high-performing teams to combat the drug trade in the United States. He worked in Corpus Christi, Texas, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Springfield, Missouri, to reduce drug-related crime in those communities. During those assignments, Brian handled hundreds of highly stressful and life-threatening situations and was adept at identifying and mitigating risk. His management experience allowed him to carefully deal with risk, manage crisis situations and facilitate favorable outcomes. During his 28-year career, none of his team members were ever harmed in the line of duty, a fact he is very proud of. In addition to serving in enforcement operations, Brian was assigned to a national position at the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. In this position, Brian managed most in-service and specialized training programs as well as developed and managed DEA’s leadership and development training unit. This unit still serves as the primary resource for leadership development throughout DEA and its 10,000+ person workforce. Brian was instrumental creating curriculum and building a needs assessment that drove the content and was intimately involved in its success. Brian is experienced in developing and delivering training and has collaborated with other people, schools, and organizations to implement leadership and other training programs to foster growth and communication tools that improve successful education programs. Utilizing his background and experience as a law enforcement officer and educator, Brian founded Eagle 6 Training to deliver speaking, training, and consulting services around the world. |
I believe that people are the lifeblood of any organization and I am committed to helping individuals and organizations find and reach their potential." |
Jesse Gonzalez - Associate
Jesse Gonzalez retired from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in September 2021 after serving 25 years as a Special Agent (SA).
Jesse’s last assignment was a SA Instructor/Course Curriculum Developer at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia. During his tenure in the Specialized Training Unit, Jesse was DEA’s nationwide Field Training Agent Coordinator, Financial Investigations Coordinator, and served as the class coordinator for Basic Agent Class #226.
As the Field Training Agent Coordinator, Jesse instructed and developed leadership and mentoring training to experienced agents who were selected to train newly assigned agents.
As the Financial Investigations Coordinator, Jesse developed the Asset Forfeiture, Money Laundering and Advanced Money Laundering training programs. Jesse instructed topics to include Tracing Assets, Identifying Assets, Seizure Procedures and Policy, Identifying Money Laundering Schemes, Investigating Illegal Financial Organizations, Organizing a Money Laundering Investigation, International Money Laundering, Case Management, Undercover Operations, Treaties, and other related topics. Jesse also coordinated with other instructing agencies to include the Internal Revenue Service, US Marshals Service, Financial Investigation Enforcement Network, and the US Attorney’s Office.
Jesse began his DEA career in 1996. He held assignments in the Houston and Dallas divisions, and the Office of Training in Quantico, Virginia. Jesse was assigned to various groups to include the Mobile Enforcement Team, Money Laundering group, and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Enforcement group. Jesse has lead conspiracy and financial investigations, worked a considerable amount of domestic and international undercover operations, established confidential sources, and completed four field training agent assignments. Jesse always supported DEA training and was assigned as a counselor for Basic Agent Class #159 and Basic Agent Class #211. Jesse completed numerous in-service training courses to include a Speaker’s Bureau Seminar, and the DEA Instructor Development Course. Jesse has been a Spanish instructor for local and state police agencies and developed the course, “Survival Spanish for Narcotic Investigators.”
Prior to DEA, in November 1988, SA Gonzalez graduated from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, Georgia. Jesse was assigned to the INS Houston Field District.
Jesse has always had a passion to teach and to pass along to others his experience and what he has learned from his mentors. Jesse is a strong believer that “results are based on learning from your accomplishments and failures.” Jesse considers his career highlights his undercover work and that of a special agent instructor.
Jesse follows world political/economic news, traveling and music. He lives with his wife of over 30 years and his children in North Texas.
Jesse Gonzalez retired from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in September 2021 after serving 25 years as a Special Agent (SA).
Jesse’s last assignment was a SA Instructor/Course Curriculum Developer at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia. During his tenure in the Specialized Training Unit, Jesse was DEA’s nationwide Field Training Agent Coordinator, Financial Investigations Coordinator, and served as the class coordinator for Basic Agent Class #226.
As the Field Training Agent Coordinator, Jesse instructed and developed leadership and mentoring training to experienced agents who were selected to train newly assigned agents.
As the Financial Investigations Coordinator, Jesse developed the Asset Forfeiture, Money Laundering and Advanced Money Laundering training programs. Jesse instructed topics to include Tracing Assets, Identifying Assets, Seizure Procedures and Policy, Identifying Money Laundering Schemes, Investigating Illegal Financial Organizations, Organizing a Money Laundering Investigation, International Money Laundering, Case Management, Undercover Operations, Treaties, and other related topics. Jesse also coordinated with other instructing agencies to include the Internal Revenue Service, US Marshals Service, Financial Investigation Enforcement Network, and the US Attorney’s Office.
Jesse began his DEA career in 1996. He held assignments in the Houston and Dallas divisions, and the Office of Training in Quantico, Virginia. Jesse was assigned to various groups to include the Mobile Enforcement Team, Money Laundering group, and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Enforcement group. Jesse has lead conspiracy and financial investigations, worked a considerable amount of domestic and international undercover operations, established confidential sources, and completed four field training agent assignments. Jesse always supported DEA training and was assigned as a counselor for Basic Agent Class #159 and Basic Agent Class #211. Jesse completed numerous in-service training courses to include a Speaker’s Bureau Seminar, and the DEA Instructor Development Course. Jesse has been a Spanish instructor for local and state police agencies and developed the course, “Survival Spanish for Narcotic Investigators.”
Prior to DEA, in November 1988, SA Gonzalez graduated from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, Georgia. Jesse was assigned to the INS Houston Field District.
Jesse has always had a passion to teach and to pass along to others his experience and what he has learned from his mentors. Jesse is a strong believer that “results are based on learning from your accomplishments and failures.” Jesse considers his career highlights his undercover work and that of a special agent instructor.
Jesse follows world political/economic news, traveling and music. He lives with his wife of over 30 years and his children in North Texas.
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Dan Mehdi - Associate
Dan Mehdi retired from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in February 2017 after serving 21 years as a Special Agent (SA). His last assignment was as a SA Instructor/ Curriculum Developer at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia where the focus of his instruction to Basic Agent Trainees was on self-awareness, adaptation, resiliency, critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making abilities and models. He was also the DEA’s nationwide Field Training Agent Coordinator wherein he instructed on the power of influence and everyday leadership to experienced agents responsible for mentoring, developing, and evaluating newly minted Special Agents. As such, Dan was tasked with revamping the DEA’s Field Training Agent Training which had not been updated since 1994, and he developed a program to ensure a higher level of accountability for both the Field Training Agents and the recently graduated Special Agents. He created a narrative based system as opposed to the traditional Likert Model (“Check in the Box”) model which was more in line with Problem-Based Learning. Dan began his career with DEA in August 1996 in San Diego, California and subsequently served in multiple divisions including San Juan, Puerto Rico, Phoenix, Arizona, and the Special Operations Division. He also served in Kabul, Afghanistan with DEA from December 2004 until June 2005. Dan considers his crowning achievement with the agency to be his leadership role as the coordinator and primary instructor to 30 students, aged 15-21, on a variety of life and career enhancement skills during the 2015 National Law Enforcement Exploring Leadership Academy held in Quantico, VA. Prior to joining the DEA, Dan was a Patrol Agent with the U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego, CA, and an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps during which time he participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Dan is known for his passion, high personal expectations, as well as his commitment to service and belief that the leader/educator is a servant. “Give, not get” is a defining theme that Dan wove through his leadership and training opportunities. He also firmly believes in and practices the mantra of everyday leadership and that the leader is not always the person in positional authority. Dan loves living in the mountains of Western North Carolina and is an avid runner, backpacker and guitar player. Dan also teaches Purpose Workshops to all ages and is a member of the Transylvania County Youth Crime Prevention Council. |
My role model and father was a Deputy Inspector with the New York Police Department for 30 years and he was the Chief of Detectives and head of their academy. My father's compass pointed to "true north" and he considered law enforcement to be a noble profession, as do I. My father was a servant leader who dealt with everyone he encountered with the utmost of respect, fairness, and kindness. It seemed like a natural fit for me to move into law enforcement after I left the Marines following the first Gulf War." |