Hand Me the Remote…Learning! Debunking Online Training Myths

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Kristi Davidson received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 2000. Upon receiving her degree, she began working as an adult probation officer in Lavaca County, Texas. In 2006 Mrs. Davidson became a Trainer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice–Community Justice Assistance Division (TDCJ-CJAD). In 2012, she became a Curriculum Developer at TDCJ-CJAD, which gave her the opportunity to assist with the statewide implementation of new training programs, including the Texas Risk Assessment System (TRAS). In 2016, she became a Training and Education Coordinator at Travis County Community Justice Services (TCCJS) where she was certified by George Mason University to train on core correctional practices. In 2017, Mrs. Davidson became a certified TRAS Master Trainer by the University of Cincinnati and has used her knowledge of the TRAS to collaborate with other trainers in Texas to develop TRAS Scoring Boosters and Case Planning training for probation officers. In 2019, she became the Manager of Training for Community Supervision at TDCJ-Training and Leader Development Division, which serves as a central resource for community supervision training in Texas. In 2020 she led her team as they transformed in-person classroom training into online training experiences.

Jeff Gildon graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. After graduation, he earned his Texas Real Estate Commission License while working for a property management company in Huntsville, Texas. In 1999, Mr. Gildon received his Texas Real Estate Commission Broker License. In 2007, Mr. Gildon started his career with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the Correctional Training Department. During his 9 years with the Correctional Training Department, he gained experience in human resources, information management, and curriculum department. In 2016, Mr. Gildon became the Curriculum Developer for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Community Justice Assistance Division. In 2019, he became a Curriculum Developer for the newly created TDCJ-Training and Leader Development Division where he has played an instrumental role in transitioning in-person learning to remote learning.

Roberta Schmitz received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 2003 from New Mexico State University. She began her career as an administrative assistant at the adult probation and parole office in New Mexico. Ms. Schmitz worked for the New Mexico Judicial system, and as an intern at the New Mexico Department of Corrections Adult Probation and Parole Office. She then promoted to an adult probation and parole officer position that supervised felony offenders, high risk offenders, and sex offenders. After 10 years with the New Mexico Corrections Department Probation and Parole Division, Ms. Schmitz relocated to Austin, TX and worked as a community supervision officer in Bastrop County, TX. She then started her employment with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Community Justice Assistance Division where she worked as an Auditor and Training Specialist. In 2019, she transitioned to the Training and Leader Development Division of TDCJ as a Training Specialist. In addition to creating and coordinating distance learning for community supervision officers in Texas, she has been integral with making live, online training engaging and interactive for her audience.