CEO, educator, and distinguished author, Kathryn Hamel, Ph.D. specializes in trauma and resiliency.

Kathryn is the Co-Principal for the Hamel Consulting Group, LLC and the CEO of the Hecht Trauma Institute. Before transitioning into the non-profit sector, she served her community for nearly 25 years as a law-enforcement professional for two mid-sized municipal police departments. She has worked as a police lieutenant, police sergeant, special victim’s unit detective, public information officer, and task force officer.

After retiring from law enforcement, she served as the Dean of Criminology and the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at California Southern University, before tranisitioning to the role of CEO at the Hecht Trauma Institute.

Dr. Hamel is a certified facilitator, trauma and resiliency professional, and a seasoned educator. She is also the best-selling author of Body Mind & Badge: Strategies for Navigating Trauma & Resilience in Law Enforcement, and co-author of A Trauma Informed Approach to Labor and Sex Trafficking.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Dr. Hamel is the 2022 recipient of the Mental Health Association of Orange County’s professional of the year.

She holds two professional certifications in trauma and resilience from Florida State University, a Doctoral Degree in Public Safety Leadership from Capella University, a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Studies from California State University, Long Beach. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Psychology from California Southern University, with an expected graduation date of January 2024.

She has almost three decades of experience guiding non-profit and charitable organizations as a committed community volunteer. She is currently a Board Member of KinderVision, a nonprofit co-founded by her late mother, Ashby Sebastian, dedicated to addressing the exploitation of children.