Staff Directory

Bradley Campbell, Ph.D., Director

bradley.campbell@louisville.edu | 502-852-6509
Faculty Profile

Brad’s work focuses on police investigations, decision-making, training, and how trauma affects police officers and those they respond to. He is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisville and a Faculty Member with the Southern Police Institute (SPI), where he directs the SPI Center for Training, Research, and Innovative Simulation (SPI TRAINS). In these roles, he works directly with police agencies to test new ideas, evaluate programs, improve training, and develop realistic, scenario-based exercises that prepare officers for the challenges they face in the field. His research is policy- and solution-oriented, designed to help agencies address real problems and adopt more effective practices. This work has been supported by funding from the National Institute of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Rachel Carter, MSA, Associate Director

rachel.hillmer@louisville.edu 
Faculty Profile

Rachel focuses on interdisciplinary and collaborative work. She uses applied drama to explore how voice, acting, and theatre interact with each other, and other disciplines such as criminal justice, voice therapy, medicine, or urban public affairs. Her research examines and uses theatre techniques and skills outside of traditional theatrical spaces, such as simulation, community presentations, and storytelling. 

Rachel is the Associate Director of the Southern Police Institute’s Center for Training, Research, and Innovative Simulation (SPI TRAINS), an effort to enhance law enforcement training by coupling evidence-based training practices with realistic human-based simulations. SPI TRAINS creates a formal partnership between the UofL Department of Theatre Arts and Department of Criminal Justice. Her work has been published in The Voice and Speech Review, The Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies, and Theatre, Dance and Performance Training.

Jim Root, MS

Jim Root is an instructor for the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training, teaching Investigations, Victim Interviews, and Forensic Genetic Genealogy. Root currently provides case consultations and specific training on investigative techniques to various law enforcement agencies around the state. He has taught and written statewide programs on sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse investigations.

Previously, Root worked with the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General for two years, and at the Lexington Police Department from January 1996 until his retirement in February 2014. While employed at the Lexington Police Department, he spent 13 years in the Special Victim Section, which focused on crimes against children.

Root holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University as well as a Master of Justice Administration from the University of the Cumberlands. Mr. Root teaches criminal justice topics as an adjunct professor at Eastern Kentucky University.

Ted Carter, PhD, MFA

Ted Carter is a multidisciplinary simulation educator and operations specialist with more than fifteen years of experience developing and directing simulation and standardized patient programs across healthcare, law enforcement, and academic settings. He currently serves as Director of Simulation for the nurse anesthesia program at Bellarmine University, where he leads the strategic development and daily operations of a new simulation program supporting advanced clinical training. His work focuses on integrating simulation, standardized performance, and communication training to improve professional education. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication with a specialization in health communication from the University of Kentucky and an M.F.A. in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University.
 

David Lapsey Jr., PhD

David S. Lapsey Jr., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Indiana University Southeast. His research focuses on policing, victimology, and the evaluation of criminal justice policies and technology. Dr. Lapsey regularly partners with criminal justice agencies to conduct applied research and incorporate findings into practical training and strategies aimed to strengthen public safety and improve the criminal justice system’s response to victims.
 

Katelyn McMahon, MS

Katelyn McMahon, M.S., is a doctoral candidate in the Criminal Justice program at the University of Louisville. Her research primarily focuses on practitioner training, police decision-making and responses to sexual assault, victimology, and mental health. She has taught and assisted courses centered on victimology, statistics, and policing.