ABOUT
Conservationists for Persons with Disabilities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with the mission of providing therapeutic outdoor recreational activities for disabled persons and their families with an emphasis on Law Enforcement Officers (LEO). The primary goals are to better the daily lives of LEOs and other members of society dealing with disabilities, strengthen bonds within disabled families, relieve the stress within their families and provide therapeutic outdoor recreational activities that would otherwise not be possible. These activities include hunting, fishing, trail riding, ATV riding, outdoor living, nature walks and boat tours. Conservationists for Persons with Disabilities utilizes tax deductible charitable contributions to purchase land and acquire recreational leases for outdoor activities. These contributions are also used to purchase outdoor recreational equipment and to develop tailored access and equipment for use by disabled persons.
According to the United States Census Bureau, 48 million people and their families live every day with a disability. About 3.8 million are veterans and other countless millions are law enforcement and first responders who all put their lives on the line to serve and protect others.
Often these heroes and families pay a grave cost for their service to our country and communities. It is a priority for Conservationist for Persons with Disabilities to provide our Nation’s heroes and their families the therapeutic experience only outdoor recreational activities can provide.
According to the United States Census Bureau, 48 million people and their families live every day with a disability. About 3.8 million are veterans and other countless millions are law enforcement and first responders who all put their lives on the line to serve and protect others.
Often these heroes and families pay a grave cost for their service to our country and communities. It is a priority for Conservationist for Persons with Disabilities to provide our Nation’s heroes and their families the therapeutic experience only outdoor recreational activities can provide.
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Bill Messina is a 25 year law enforcement professional with a broad range of diverse law enforcement leadership and deployment experience that spans across the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East. He began in 1997 as a Patrol Deputy with the Warren County Mississippi Sheriff’s Department. Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attack he joined the U.S. Air Marshal’s Service. Seeking to fight terrorism at it’s source, in 2003 he joined the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations as a Special Agent criminal investigator specializing in counter-terrorism and counterintelligence operations. Bill spent the next 10 years as a Special Agent with U.S. Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Horn of Africa, Malaysia, and Colombia. Later he served in multiple Special Agent in Charge positions at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana; U.S. Embassy Kampala, Uganda and the U.S. Embassy Paris, France. Bill currently serves as the OSI Special Access Programs Mission Integrator bringing whole of government criminal investigative and counterintelligence capabilities to protect our Nation’s 6th generation nuclear arsenal.
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Bill conducted or supervised over 250 felony level criminal investigations leading to hundreds of years of incarceration including two life sentences for the crimes of murder, aggravated assault, sexual assault, possession of child pornography, theft and fraud.
Bill has conducted over 100 and supervised over 1,500 interrogations of high level Al Qaeda terrorist. He operated as a tactical interrogator attached to Tier 1 SOCOM Teams executing numerous direct-action kill/capture missions for top level Al Quaida leadership and to rescue U.S. hostages in Iraq. He was part of the Roy Hallums and Jill Carrol hostage rescues in Iraq and led point on gaining the intelligence providing the location of Mr. Hallums. During these operations Bill suffered several close proximity explosions and was later diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In 2016 after receiving a diagnosis and treatment for TBI and PTSD, Bill and his wife, Ericka, started two companies The Messina Investment Group (MIG) and Conservationist for Persons with Disabilities (CPD). MIG was born out of a fear Bill had that a PTSD diagnosis would jeopardize his law enforcement career, the only way he’d fed his family for 20 years and seeing the need to build new knowledge and skills applicable to the private sector. CPD, a not for profit corporation, rose from Bill realizing while being treated for PTSD that he’d been conducting “self-therapy” for many years with his family by using hunting, fishing and outdoor activities to cope with many years of trauma exposure while conducting law enforcement duties. Ericka quickly coined the term “Outdoor Therapeutic Recreation” (OTR) because that’s exactly what it was. Once Bill realized how much OTR had helped him, likely saving his marriage and relationship with his children, he had a deep desire to help other law enforcement professionals in need. Bill intends to fully focus on CPD once retiring from law enforcement.
Bill lives in Benton, Louisiana with his wife Ericka and six children and two grandchildren; Tommy (Temika and Taylynn), Tate (Morgan and Payton), Brooklynn, Mason, Lakelynn and Colt.
Bill has conducted over 100 and supervised over 1,500 interrogations of high level Al Qaeda terrorist. He operated as a tactical interrogator attached to Tier 1 SOCOM Teams executing numerous direct-action kill/capture missions for top level Al Quaida leadership and to rescue U.S. hostages in Iraq. He was part of the Roy Hallums and Jill Carrol hostage rescues in Iraq and led point on gaining the intelligence providing the location of Mr. Hallums. During these operations Bill suffered several close proximity explosions and was later diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In 2016 after receiving a diagnosis and treatment for TBI and PTSD, Bill and his wife, Ericka, started two companies The Messina Investment Group (MIG) and Conservationist for Persons with Disabilities (CPD). MIG was born out of a fear Bill had that a PTSD diagnosis would jeopardize his law enforcement career, the only way he’d fed his family for 20 years and seeing the need to build new knowledge and skills applicable to the private sector. CPD, a not for profit corporation, rose from Bill realizing while being treated for PTSD that he’d been conducting “self-therapy” for many years with his family by using hunting, fishing and outdoor activities to cope with many years of trauma exposure while conducting law enforcement duties. Ericka quickly coined the term “Outdoor Therapeutic Recreation” (OTR) because that’s exactly what it was. Once Bill realized how much OTR had helped him, likely saving his marriage and relationship with his children, he had a deep desire to help other law enforcement professionals in need. Bill intends to fully focus on CPD once retiring from law enforcement.
Bill lives in Benton, Louisiana with his wife Ericka and six children and two grandchildren; Tommy (Temika and Taylynn), Tate (Morgan and Payton), Brooklynn, Mason, Lakelynn and Colt.
