Interim Program Director: Robert V. Simpson, J.D., retired as Chittenden County State’s Attorney (Burlington, Vermont) in 2006. He has been involved in the criminal justice system for the majority of the past 29 years both as a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney. As State’s Attorney, he was responsible for the prosecution of cases generated by over 300 police officers.

Simpson graduated from Colgate University in 1967 and Vermont Law School in 1978. He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and northeastern Thailand in 1969 through 1971 as an intelligence analyst and linguist (Thai). Simpson has taught as an adjunct instructor at Champlain College since 1990.

John M. Sonnick is an instructor at Champlain College. He is a graduate of Iona College in New Rochelle, New York and received his M.S. degree from the College of Staten Island, New York.

Sonnick retired from the Burlington Police Department in Burlington, Vermont having served twenty-five years. He worked with the Uniform, Detective, and Administrative Bureaus of the Department and rose to the rank of Deputy Chief. He is a certified instructor at the Vermont Police Academy where he presently teaches and consults in the area of police liability.

Sonnick is married with three children and lives in Milton, Vermont. He enjoys outdoor activities, and is an active member of the Outreach Theatre Organization in Milton.