About the Authors
Wesley B. Maier, Ph.D.
Dr. Maier earned his doctorate in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Washington State University, where he received both the Outstanding Criminal Justice Instructor Award and the Outstanding Master’s Student Award. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Maier has significantly contributed to the field by founding the criminal justice department at Walla Walla Community College and instructing criminal justice and sociology courses at various campuses, including Washington State University and Coyote Ridge Corrections Center. His dedication to education and research has been recognized through the awarding of numerous grants and being a two-time recipient of the Exceptional Faculty Award.
Dr. Maier is deeply committed to community service, as evidenced by his receiving the Public Service Award from Washington State University, his past service as a volunteer firefighter, and his roles as an organizer, facilitator, and member of several committees. Currently, Dr. Maier is on sabbatical, conducting research and co-producing a biographical film on the Washington State Penitentiary. He aims to continue teaching college courses, co-author educational reading materials, including books, articles, encyclopedia entries, and textbooks, and produce knowledge-enhancing biographical films.
Kadence C. Maier
Mrs. Maier is an anthropologist who earned her master’s degree from Washington State University. With additional degrees in sociology and communications, she possesses a broad range of specializations and research interests. Mrs. Maier is actively engaged in a wide array of social justice projects, having spearheaded over $300,000 in grant awards for humanitarian research projects and education programs. As the CEO of Discover Knowledge, LLC., Mrs. Maier utilizes her versatile skillset to produce and disseminate education-based materials across various platforms. She has a strong track record of success in serving varied and historically marginalized communities, including Hispanic, Black, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, East African, Middle Eastern minorities, immigrants, children, elderly, veterans, incarcerated individuals, and members of the physically and mentally disabled and LGBTQI+ communities. Mrs. Maier has also served as a college educator, teaching anthropology, sociology, and mathematics at various institutions, including universities, colleges, and correctional centers. She is particularly focused on writing, developing visual media, and plans to continue authoring fiction and non-fiction books, textbooks, and co-producing educational biographical films.
William M. “Bill” Overby, MCJ
William M. “Bill” Overby was born in Spokane, Washington, and is a lifelong resident of the state. Bill’s educational background involves a Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreation and Park Administration from Washington State University, a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University, and associated studies in Incident Command from the National Fire Academy, Terrorism at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Bill’s career encompassed 32 years as a sworn Park Ranger for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, with an overlapping twenty years of service with Skagit Valley College. In that role he served as the Director of Public Safety Academies (which included the federally-accredited Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy, one of only six of its type in the nation, and a state-certified Basic Law Enforcement Reserve Academy) and as Chair of the Criminal Justice Program at the college. Bill is the instructor for the legal curriculum for the Park Ranger Academy annually. He spent seven years as the Director of Security Services for the college district. Presently, Bill owns and operates a private consulting business, aiding all levels of government and industry in risk/threat/ vulnerability assessment, policy development, review and implementation, serving as a litigation consultant, and providing staff training in de-escalation techniques and workplace violence response. His specialty involves assistance to limited authority jurisdictional issues and practices relating to law and regulatory enforcement. In 2019 Bill completed three years as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO for the National Partnership for Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security, based out of Austin, TX. Most recently, Bill has been appointed (after confirmation by the Washington State Supreme Court) as a Citizen Member of the Disciplinary Committee for the Washington State Bar Association. He has also served as a Senior Fellow for the Pierce College Center of Excellence-Homeland Security Emergency Management, and served five years as Chair of the Washington State Board of Community and Technical College’s Safety, Security and Emergency Management Council.
Terry D. Edwards, J.D.
Professor Edwards was born and raised in Kentucky. He most recently held the position of Instructor/Department Chair in the Criminal Justice Department at Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon, Washington (2013-2019). He retired from the University of Louisville in 2013 after 23 years of service as a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice. While there, Professor Edwards taught various law-related courses, including Criminal Law and Evidence, Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, and Legal Aspects of Criminal Justice Management. Additionally, he taught several police-related legal topics at the Southern Police Institute, including Legal Issues in Police Administration in the Administrative Officers’ Course. He served as Senior Legal Counsel/Advisor for the Kentucky State Police (2002-2004) while on leave from UL. He currently teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate online criminal justice courses for UL.
His research interests include police civil liability, environmental crime, and Constitutional Law. Professor Edwards has authored or co-authored a textbook on Criminal Law, various book chapters on criminal and environmental law, and several articles on police legal issues. During 1998-2001, as the Director of the Evaluation and Research Unit for the Appalachia High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), Professor Edwards was responsible for overseeing the program evaluation component of this multi-million-dollar, tri-state drug task force. Professor Edwards is a lifetime member of the Southern Criminal Justice Association (Past President), the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the American Society of Criminology. In 2001, he received the Southern Criminal Justice Association’s Educator of the Year Award. He is also an active member of the Kentucky Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association.
Before accepting an appointment with the University of Louisville in 1990, Professor Edwards was an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Kentucky Wesleyan College (1988-1990). Prior to that, he worked as a military attorney with the United States Air Force (1983-1988) and as a Trooper with the Kentucky State Police (1974-80). Professor Edwards holds a law degree (J.D.) from the University of Louisville and a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) from Golden Gate University.
