Unlocking the Power of Identity & Design

Toby J. Akers Jr., CMCP Bio:
Toby is a galvanizer, gaining energy from empowering individuals to follow their passions and discover new skills and abilities. He has the honor of serving as the 911 Training Coordinator for the City of Roanoke. The department is dedicated to excellence, being both CALEA-accredited and having an APCO P33-certified training program.
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Before his time at the City of Roanoke, Toby served the New River Valley Emergency Communications Regional Authority (NRV 911) as a Communications Officer. During this time, he took many opportunities to follow his passion and expand his knowledge by completing several courses on his own, including NENA's Center Manager Certification Program (CMCP), 911 Center Supervisor, and the Excellence in Dispatch Certification. These accomplishments prepared him to take the next step in his career and be selected as a Training Coordinator.
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Beyond his service at the city, Toby is the Founder of The Tenacious Telecommunicator, an organization focused on training and recognizing public safety telecommunicators. This role has allowed him to develop and deliver nationwide training courses at public safety communications conferences.
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Toby’s public safety experience extends beyond his time under the headset. He began his journey by volunteering with Christiansburg Rescue, where he later served as the Membership Lieutenant. In that role, he led a high-performing team tasked with overseeing new member orientation and probation clearance. The team experienced significant successes due to non-conventional recruitment efforts and an overhaul of the orientation process, resulting in a 14% increase in volunteer membership in just one year.
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He has also served in various leadership positions for the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads. Most notably, he served as the State Training Officer, managing and coordinating a statewide education program with 30 certification courses and over 100 volunteer instructors. His most significant contribution in this role was leading the program through the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a training policy manual to enhance program effectiveness.
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During his time as a Security Center Representative at the Virginia Tech Police Department, one of Toby’s highlights was being tasked by Chief Foust to assist his supervisor in redeveloping the employee training manual and materials for new employees.

Outside of public safety, Toby enjoys traveling, gardening, rollerblading, and time with friends.

Valerie D'Intino, ENP, RPL Bio:
Serving in the public safety sector since 1998, Valerie started as a Public Safety Telecommunicator.  It wasn’t long before she became a CTO, and then later a supervisor while working with the Christiansburg Police Department.  Valerie joined the New River Valley Emergency Communications Regional Authority (NRV 911) in 2015 as the first Training Coordinator for this newly formed agency.

Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia Tech Police are some of the agencies with which NRV 911 partners.  NRV 911 is currently the only 911 Authority operating autonomously in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  In 2010, the Virginia General Assembly formed this agency, and operations went live in the summer of 2016.

Valerie is an APCO PST1 and CTO Instructor. As Training Coordinator for NRV 911, Valerie onboards each new staff member, and provides classroom training to prepare the new telecommunicator for the live environment. Along with PST1, additional classroom training has been developed specifically for NRV 911 by Valerie and others on her training team. The classroom experience is further enhanced by inviting SMEs from partnering agencies on topics such as officer safety, narcotics, campus life, human trafficking, questioning callers in crisis, including callers on the spectrum, along with fire and EMS operations.

Valerie became a DCJS General Instructor in 2011. She teaches at the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy. In 2022 Valerie spearheaded a project to provide additional training, beyond the required DCJS Objectives, for the 40-hour course.  She now schedules supplemental training for the new recruits at the academy enhancing their professional development.

The designations of ENP, and RPL are a great source of pride to Valerie.  She completed her Emergency Number Professional (ENP) Certification in October 2022 and APCO's RPL program in 2023.  Her “project” for RPL was to obtain the ATPC (Agency Training Program Certification) for NRV 911.  She remains passionate in helping to develop staff to their fullest potential through opportunities for education, as well as empowerment through encouragement and affirmations.

Valerie is an active team member of The Tenacious Telecommunicator. The Tenacious Telecommunicator held it’s first conference last spring, with attendees and speakers, from across the country.

In the wild, you might find Valerie teaching Zumba® fitness, playing with her grandchildren, traveling, or doing all three.