Meet The WASH Administrators

Dan Hensley

Dan started working with the public full time as a High School student at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as a Special Service Agent back in 1994. In this position, Dan was responsible for the safe & reliable transport of physically & mentally challenged airline passengers. Airline passengers requiring other types of assistance also fell under Dan's area of responsibility, to include VIP Escort & assistance of major Hollywood celebrities, corporate executives, and other important figures. Dan was promoted to Baggage Handler before finally making Skycap.

Dan moved on to Airport Security & Safety responsibilities in December of 1995. Rapidly mastering the tasks involved with detection of weapons & contraband, preventing terrorism, and airport security breaches, Dan was promoted several times into several sensitive areas. Other aviation titles include a stint as an airline gate agent, and Airport Ambassador for the City of Chicago with the Chicago Department of Aviation where he served as a trainer and VIP greeter / escort.

Dan moved on to work for a major Private Security & Investigation Corporation where he held the title of Public Safety Officer, Field Training Officer, Officer In Charge, Assistant Watch Commander, and Watch Commander / Assistant Director. Dan's experiences include Retail Loss Prevention & General Public Safety in major commercial environments, Physical Security, Alarm Monitoring, and Surveillance as well as Internal Investigations and Security Management.

Dan worked in a Command position at a major terrorist target in Chicago, IL on the morning of 9-11-01 and retired from the business exactly one week after.

Dan holds certifications from the U.S. Department Of Homeland Security by way of the FEMA Emergency Management Institute in several areas of Emergency Response to include Basic Response To Terrorism, Incident Command System, and National Incident Management System. Dan graduated from the Chicago Police Department Community Policing Leadership Development Institute with a Diploma on December 2nd, 2006. Dan became a Professional Writer in 2007 when he was published at Associated Content from Yahoo!, and has worked for Helium. Dan's work at Associated Content goes beyond writing as he has covered the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, and the Election of President Barack O'Bama as a Photographer.

At Helium, Dan wrote what is still a number one piece called "Airport Security, Who Is Watching?"

Dan created his own brand back in 2008 called "Shortwave America" with a focus on Radio Communications, and currently has over three thousand readers. Shortwave America has been recognized by two veteran Radio Broadcasters, Pirate Radio Weekly, two National Intelligence Professionals, and other important groups in the radio practice.

Saoirse O'Mara

Saoirse has one great passion: Language. She speaks two languages fluently, four additional languages well and learns a whole bunch more - just for fun. Yes, she is crazy. Not only a tad bit but quite a lot. After all, she is a professional freelance writer, editor, translator and language teacher. Her articles can be found on Bright Hub and Bukisa but she also writes children's books and fantasy novels and works for a whole bunch of private clients as well as agencies.

She lives in Germany but wants to move away with her sweetheart and her crazy little dwarf hamster girl. Her roots may be in Germany but her heart is like a leaf in the wind. She feels neither German nor completely belonging anywhere else.

Maybe her passion for languages or her love of writing were the reason for years of being bullied at school. She has always been one of the smartest kids in class, interested in many things and able to grasp new things with extraordinary speed - as long as they were interesting. For that, she has paid. It began in elementary school and only ended when she left vocational school after her professional training - after thirteen years of being bullied and talked about. Later at work (one of the few jobs she had), she ended up in a group of women who excluded her and made her feel bad. Again.

Now she works from her home office (rather: the spot of couch in front of her laptop) or from wherever she takes her notebooks or laptop (a bakery, a train, a café, ...) and enjoys her freedom. She doesn't miss "real life" colleagues. Instead, she takes part in several online communities where she meets like-minded people. Ok, granted, and procrastinates ...

It is her personal experience with being bullied which makes her feel so strongly about this topic.

Kathy Foust

Kathy is a professional freelance writer, substitute teacher, mother and college student. Kathy has worked with children on a variety of levels. She has a sincere interest in mental health, especially as it pertains to the development of children.

Kathy realizes there are many forms of bullying and recognizes that she has been guilty of being a bully at times, while being the victim of bullying at other times. She has a very strong personality and as a result, may be intimidating to some people, though it is rarely her intention to do so.

Kathy Foust is a fan of independent thinking, learning and teaching. She recognizes that everyone learns in their own ways and that empathy is almost surely the most direct route to understanding. It is her intention to continuously pursue the betterment of her own life. Her goals are not monetary or material. Instead she hopes to have a positive impact on the planet as well as the people on the planet.

Currently Kathy is the Founder and Administrator of Write the Weight Off.org, a site that she created along with several other wonderful writers as an effort to lose weight and encourage other writers to live healthier lifestyles. She also has two pieces scheduled to be in print from Twin Trinity Media. Kathy writes for Associated Content by Yahoo, Bright Hub and a variety of private clients.