Mid-West TTA Team
TTA LIAISON: CHIEF (RET.) Terry Gainer
Mr. Terrance W. Gainer is a 23-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department and
rose through the ranks, spending many years as an experienced homicide
detective. An accomplished attorney, Mr. Gainer served as Chief Legal Officer of
that department before he entered the Illinois State Government as Deputy
Inspector General and Deputy Director of the Illinois State Police. He served at the
U.S. Department of Transportation as Special Assistant to the Secretary before
being appointed Director of the Illinois State Police in 1991.
In 1998 Mr. Gainer was appointed Executive Assistant Chief of Police for the
Metropolitan Police Department and four years later was selected to be the Chief
of the U.S. Capitol Police. He then entered the private sector as a chief executive
officer responsible for a multimillion-dollar innovative law enforcement program
supporting military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From January 2007 to May 2014, Mr. Gainer served as the 38th United States
Senate Sergeant at Arms. While serving as Sergeant at Arms, Mr. Gainer was
appointed a commissioner on the Independent Commission on the Security Forces
of Iraq, charged with conducting an independent assessment of the Iraqi Security
Forces and reporting the findings to Congress. He also served with the Special
Envoy for Middle East Regional Security, which was created to advance the
resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute by assisting in strengthening security
institutions.
Mr. Gainer is a decorated veteran who served in Vietnam and retired as a Captain
in the United States Navy Reserve. He has a juris Doctor and a Master of Science
in management from DePaul University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
from St. Benedict’s College. The degree Doctor of Humane Letters was conferred
on him by Benedictine College. He is a graduate of the FBI’s National Executive
Institute.
Contact Mr. Gainer at: Gainertw@gmail.com or 202-355-5897
Melissa Gutierrez
Melissa A. Gutierrez is an expert in criminal justice research with a focus on gang networks and gun violence including gun markets. At CNA, her work includes providing training and technical assistance on violent crime reduction programs and researching technology in law enforcement.
Prior to joining CNA, Gutierrez worked at the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety, where she participated in projects related to program evaluation, violent death surveillance and unintentional overdose death surveillance.
Gutierrez holds a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in criminology and criminal justice with two minors in justice studies and statistics from Arizona State University.