Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference



Sandy Abbott Nurse Washington State Dept. of Health Sally Abbott has been a nurse for over 30 years and doing state level healthcare emergency preparedness for 8 years. She serves as the Medical Surge Coordinator in Washington state, working with large and small hospitals, community health centers, tribal health corporations, and other partners on medical surge planning and did similar work in Alaska until 2010. One of her current projects is state-coordinated patient movement. She has been a member of incident management teams for both exercises and real life responses. Her clinical practice experience includes general medical-surgical hospital units, home care and hospice, school nursing and occupational health.

Brian Atwater Research Geologist US Geological Survey Brian Atwater uses geological traces of earthquakes and tsunamis from recent milleniums as clues to natural hazards, chiefly at subduction zones. He has been a U.S. Geological Survey scientist since 1974 and is also affiliated with the University of Washington.

David Baylor Disaster Coordinator Episcopal Diocese of Olympia Dave Baylor is the Disaster Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, comprised of 100 Episcopal congregations in western Washington, and represents the U.S. Disaster Program of Episcopal Relief and Development within the Diocese. He is a former president of Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WAVOAD) and the immediate past president of Washington Interfaith Disaster Recovery Organization (WIDRO). He played a key role developing long term recovery groups in five western Washington counties following the December 2007 storms and floods. He also provided input and technical assistance to several counties following the storms of early 2009. Most recently, representing WAVOAD, WIDRO, the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, and Episcopal Relief and Development, he helped coordinate the outreach of a number of WAVOAD partners in assisting the Yakama Nation in the recovery of the town of White Swan, which was devastated by a fire and windstorm in February 2011.

Andrew Baze Director, OSD Risk Management Microsoft Corp. Andrew Baze is certified in Business Continuity Management through DRII, and is a Director of Business Continuity in the Online Services Division at Microsoft, in the Office of Risk Management. He has spent the last few years learning about amateur radio and its use in emergency communications. He has an FCC Extra-class amateur license, and is a member of Redmond ARES, Bellevue EARS (very similar to ARES) and the American Red Cross Communications Team. In his limited spare time, he wrote the novel “The Road Home”, aimed at young adults and adults, structured spark interest them in emergency preparedness and emergency communications (available on Amazon, at Ham Radio Outlet stores, and other locations. He also works in a volunteer capacity with the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League), designing ways to show people how ham radio can be both a hobby and a practical emergency communications solution.

Matthew P Bernard NIMS Coordinator FEMA Region 10 Matthew P. Bernard - 33 years in the emergency, environmental response, safety and planning business. FEMA Region 10 NIMS Coordinator, Type 1 ICS Safety Officer, Certified Incident Command Systems (ICS) Trainer. 13 years active duty and 14 years Reserve duty (27 Years) with the US Coast Guard. Safety Officer during USCG Response to Hurricane Katrina/Rita in Louisiana, ESF1 member Hurricane Charlie, Frances, Ivan and the Nisqually earthquake USCG Regional Response Team Coordinator Region X, NW Area Spill Planner, CANUSPAC Joint Response Team Coordinator, Involved with the Ixtoc Oil Spill, Arco Anchorage Oil Spill, Port Angeles, WA. Incident Commander at ICP Homer, Alaska during Exxon Valdez oil spill,. Member of USCG Pacific Area ICS Incident Management Assist Team. Environmental/Safety Coordinator for Olin Cooperation 10 Years. Registered Environmental Manager, Safety Professional, Industrial Hygienist. BA in Marine Biology, Masters Work Environmental Management UW

Bruce Binder Chief Operating Officer Global Vision Consortium Bruce Binder, MPH, CEM is one of the founding principals in Global Vision Consortium. With over 35 years of hospital management, public health and emergency management experience he is called upon regularly to be a subject matter expert in emergency planning, public health, disaster medicine, and NIMS/SEMS, and systems approaches to complex multi facility response and recover issues. He helped establish the National Disaster Medical System, was part of the original team that developed the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (now named HICS), lead the multi-agency team that developed the Return to CONUS Medical Distribution Program for Operation Desert Storm, lead federal medical response teams into the field for various major disasters. He has worked with numerous states and counties throughout the US develop their health and medical disaster response programs. Developed COOP plans for numerous state departments and agencies. Worked with numerous hospitals develop their emergency and disaster response programs including medical surge. He has written numerous emergency operational plans, taught emergency management courses and written, conducted and evaluated HSEEP compliant exercises. He has served and serves on numerous national and regional emergency management committees including the CEM Commission, CREW and the EIIP Board. He has taught medical emergency management in several foreign counties and was the editor of the American Society of Professional Emergency Planners.

Grady Bray President Crisis Human Services, Inc. Dr. Grady P. Bray started his own company in 1984 and today serves as the President of Crisis Human Services, Inc. He is an adjunct and frequent presenter for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute and was the first behavioral scientist for the Disaster Mortuary Operations Response Team. He worked the Oklahoma City bombing; numerous domestic and international air disasters; the World Trade Center attacks of September 11th; the United Nations bombing in Baghdad; the tsunami in Thailand; and Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. Dr. Bray is a disaster psychologist with an international reputation as a lecturer, author, disaster survivor, and emergency response authority. He recently appeared on the Good Morning America program discussing the miners in Chile and has appeared as a subject matter expert on such diverse programming as the TODAY show, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, and FEMA' s Recovery Channel, and he was featured in an NBC Dateline segment that focused on surviving highrise fires. He has also appeared in numerous training videos and DVDs. In 2003, Dr. Bray resigned as the Yates County, New York, coroner and accepted a full-time position as vice president for a Texas-based disaster company, where he established the Family Assistance Program and worked until 2006. Dr. Bray is active as a consultant and provides services to such diverse groups as the Fire Department of New York, The 911 Museum and Memorial, and numerous private and government organizations. He has also provided assessment and training for the Executive Office of the President of the United States as well as international response teams for private corporations and government agencies. In response to an invitation from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York, Dr. Bray joined the faculty as an assistant professor of Preventive, Family and Rehabilitation Medicine in 1977 and remained with the medical school until 1984. A South Georgia native, Dr. Bray received his undergraduate degree in biology from David Lipscomb College in Nashville, Tennessee. While in Nashville, he also taught at the John A. Gupton School of Mortuary Science. After receiving his B.A., he returned to Georgia and worked as a pyrotechnics chemist, a high school teacher, and a special counselor for disadvantaged students and students with disabilities. Dr. Bray received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Georgia in 1974 and went on to work as a clinical psychologist with the Georgia Department of Human Resources.

Richard Brundage President and CEO Center for Advanced Media Studies Richard Brundage is the widely recognized former television correspondent, director and lecturer whose programs have appeared on national TV, and is the author of the critically acclaimed book, “The Heart In Communicating”. Recognized as one of this country’s premiere crisis communicators, his seminars on “Hi-Touch Communications in a Hi-Tech Era - Crisis Communications and Media Response Training for Today's Leaders” have been taught to packed audiences around the world. Brundage was the only crisis communicator in North America to be featured in the 60-minute television special, “Global Risk Management”, and was selected by the U.S. State Department to train new U.S. Ambassadors prior to taking their posts around the world. His seminar participants rediscover the simple art of once again becoming passionate, personal communicators.

Ted Buehner Warning Coordination Meteorologist National Weather Service Ted Buehner is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle, a key customer liaison position. He works toward enhancing the “end-to-end” forecast and warning system by more closely tying the agency's mission of protecting lives and property, and enhancing the region’s economy, with its customers, such as emergency managers, the media, and the marine community. Ted has been with the NWS since 1977, this position being his third tour of duty in Seattle. Ted also served one year in Boise as a forecaster, six years in Portland as a Lead Forecaster, and two years at the NWS Western Region Headquarters in Salt Lake City as the Western U.S. marine, public, and aviation program manager. Ted has a Bachelors of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences from Oregon State University. Go Beavs!

Alice Busch ORCEMS, EMT B START Alice Busch has a Bachelors Degree in Communications/Advertising from Northern Arizona University and has worked for the fire service for over 20 years. She teaches emergency management courses at Portland Community College, and recently founded Systems Thinking and Resiliency Training (START), an organization that builds bridges of communication and interaction between diverse organizations and individuals with the goal of creating disaster resilient communities. Alice is a life learner and continually builds upon her training and experiences as a Public Information and Education Officer, Critical Incident Stress Manager and former Investigator. She has served as the Chair of Clackamas County Citizen Corps Council and as the representative for the Urban Area Securities Initiative (UASI) region since 2005. She is a UASI Public Information Officer representative and an active member of both the state and county chapter of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Alice is a true advocate of working within the Incident Command Structure and firmly believes in the pivotal importance of citizen involvement and engagement. She strives to create an inclusive environment that allows for the whole community to play a more active role in all phases of emergency management. When not working, Alice is likely to be found digging in the dirt in one of her permaculture gardens or spending quality time with her Texan husband and their black lab and cats.

Frank Castro-Wehr Program Specialist Witt Associates Frank Castro-Wehr is a Program Specialist with Witt Associates in Sacramento, CA. His specialty is creating solutions to complex challenges, while providing emergency management services to local and state government, universities and colleges, hospitals, non-profit organizations, and private entities. Mr. Castro-Wehr builds preparedness and resiliency by developing effective and useable emergency plans, exercises and trainings, as well as continuity programs for entities. Previous to Witt Associates he served as a hazardous material responder on an EPA contract. Mr. Castro-Wehr holds a BS in Chemical Engineering, and an MA in Philosophy.

Beryl Cheal Consultant/trainer Disaster Training International Beryl Cheal is the founder and senior consultant with Disaster Training International. She is an educator with over 50 years of experience as a teacher, administrator, consultant and trainer in various educational settings. She has served as the School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Technical Officer with Save the Children in the Philippines; developed emergency management plans for schools and large social service agency after 9/11 in NYC; has directed a 1500-child kindergarten system with refugee children with the UN in the Middle East; has consulted in the establishment of a toddler program in Eastern Europe; and has trained teachers in helping children recover from disaster in the US, Eastern Europe and the Philippines. She has worked with Kosovo refugees in Canada and with hurricane child survivors in Texas. She has also developed, directed and supervised Head Start and child care programs in the U.S.

Allen Conklin Senior health Physicist Washington Department of health Al has been a health physicist for over 35 years, after receiving a BS degree in biology from Brigham Young University. He has 14 years experience in plutonium research, nuclear waste management, and the High Level Waste Repository program at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. He then regulated statewide licensees under the Clean Air Act for Radioactivity for 16 years. He began training first responders after the attacks on 9/11 and since 2006, has been doing it full time. His training involves teaching all first responders and health care providers on how to safely respond to a radiological accident or terrorist attack, with priorities on keeping themselves and the public safe. He has trained over 8,000 responders. Trainees have included law enforcement, fire fighters, hazmat response teams, the military, emergency planners, hospital staff and others.

Dan Diamond About Dan Diamond MD Not only in his life’s work but also in his presentations, Dr. Dan Diamond’s goal is to exceed expectations and deliver a lasting impact, just as he has done in disaster situations around the globe. He founded and serves as the Director of the Nation’s first state-affiliated medical disaster response team. Dr. Diamond has responded to major international disasters including Hurricane Katrina where he was the Director of the Medical Triage Unit at the Convention Center. In 2010, the American Red Cross gave him the “Real Hero” award and he also received the Washington State Governor’s Award of Excellence for his work in Haiti. As an experienced family physician and an award-winning educator Dr. Diamond translates his front line disaster experience into practical concepts that help equip individuals, teams and organizations to thrive when times are tough.

David Dodd President DADCO Consulting, Inc. David Dodd is the President of DADCO Consulting Services, Inc. David holds degrees from Louisiana Tech University and the Graduate School of Banking of the South at LSU. He is former Dean of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute and is a Fellow of the International Economic Development Council. David has worked with over 170 organizations in 47 states and nations, on all facets of economic development. David was the architect of the Gulf Coast Reinvestment Forum after Katrina, is currently assisting the seafood industry in the Louisiana Gulf Coast with a recovery agenda after the BP oil spill, and is developing a national recovery framework in Mexico, using the earthquake-damaged Mexicali Valley as a pilot project. Recently, David visited Japan to tour the region affected by, and spoke at a forum on recovery from, their earthquake and Tsunami.

LesleyAnn Ezelle Disability Integration Specialist FEMA Region 10 LESLEYANNE EZELLE is the Disability Integration Specialist for FEMA Region 10. In this capacity, she works closely with Region 10 and its partners and communities to address the access and functional needs of adults and children with disabilities in preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters. LesleyAnne has more than 20 years of experience working in the field of disability with a specific focus on disability rights, both in the US and the UK.

Howard Ferucci American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties Howard Ferrucci, is the Mass Care Manager for the American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties. Howard has been with the Red Cross for over 25 years, 19 of those as a volunteer. He retired from communications industry after 37 years. Immediately following the 2006 winter storm he was offered a position with the Chapter as the Mass Care Manager. In this capacity Howard oversees activities including sheltering, feeding and bulk distribution of emergency supplies with a volunteer force of over 350 people. Howard has worked on several Regional and State Disaster Plan, including planning for the potential flooding of the Green River valley. Howard has responded to over 60 local and National Disasters and several outside of the Continental United States, he is a Mass Care Chief in our National Response System. His most recent deployment was to New York for Hurricane Irene in 2011.

John Fulton Mass Care Coordinator Individual Assistance Branch at FEMA Region 10 JOHN FULTON currently serves as the Mass Care Coordinator for the Individual Assistance Branch at FEMA Region 10, where he is responsible for the coordination of Federal Support for feeding, sheltering, household pets and service animals, support to evacuees, and bulk distribution. He has worked with FEMA for 6 years responding to disasters in Texas, Alaska, Mississippi, and Maryland. Prior to working for FEMA, John worked as a Firefighter/EMT and also as a purchasing agent.

Cliff Glantz Senior Staff Scientist/Project Manager Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Cliff Glantz is a scientist and project manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He works in the fields of emergency preparedness and response, consequence assessment, risk assessment and management, and cyber security. Mr. Glantz is the national chair of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Subcommittee on Consequence Assessment and Protective Actions (SCAPA). He also is a member of several national standards writing groups. He is an emergency responder and exercise controller at the DOE Hanford Site Emergency Operations Center. Mr. Glantz is involved in numerous critical infrastructure protection programs, with an emphasis on cyber security. He currently is the cyber security project manager in support of PNNL projects for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Joan Gomberg Research Geophysicist US Geological Survey Joan Gomberg is an earthquake seismologist who studies seismic data to understand what initiates earthquakes, how they interact, and what types of shaking they impart. He has been a U.S. Geological Survey scientist since 1988 and is also affiliated with the University of Washington.

Caitlin Harrison Regional Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator Public Health Agency of Canada Biography not provided by Speaker

Jenny Holladay Regional Emergency Management Specialist Administration for Children & Families, HHS Region 10 JENNY HOLLADAY serves as the Regional Emergency Management Specialist for the Administration for Children & Families, HHS Region 10. She has been deployed to numerous disasters including Hurricanes Katrina, Dean, Gustav/Ike, North Dakota flooding and Mississippi flooding. LESLEYANNE EZELLE is the Disability Integration Specialist for FEMA Region 10. In this capacity, she works closely with Region 10 and its partners and communities to address the access and functional needs of adults and children with disabilities in preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters. LesleyAnne has more than 20 years of experience working in the field of disability with a specific focus on disability rights, both in the US and the UK.

Kelly Kasper Workplace Preparedness Manager American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties Moderator of this panel:

Sheriff Kem Kimbrough Clayton County Sheriff Clayton County Sheriff's Office Kem Kimbrough, B.S., J.D. is Sheriff of Clayton County, Georgia. Kem served in an array of sheriff department positions including Director of Special Investigation and Chief of Jail Operations prior to his election to Sheriff in 2008. Sheriff Kimbrough is a graduate of Morehouse College and Emory University School of Law.

Kathryn Koelemay Medical Epidemiologist Public Health - Seattle & King County Kay Koelemay, MD, MPH is Medical Epidemiologist with the Communicable Disease, Epidemiology and Immunization Section of Public Health – Seattle & King County, and Affiliate Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Public Health. Prior to joining Public Health, she practiced clinical pediatrics for 20 years and also worked briefly with the Japanese Encephalitis Project at PATH. Kay serves as Clinical Planner for the King County Healthcare Coalition and is lead for the Coalition’s Pediatric Workgroup.

Ashley Kolberg Preparedness Planner Public Health - Seattle & King County Ashley Kolberg is a Preparedness Planner with Public Health – Seattle and King County, where she coordinates the Mass Fatality response planning process. She is also responsible for updates to the Alternate Care Facility and Isolation and Quarantine plans. Prior to working for PHSKC Ms. Kolberg spent four years with the New York City Office of Emergency Management, most recently as a the Director of Special Projects and Intergovernmental Affairs. She holds an MSc from the London School of Economics, and an MPA from the Wagner School at NYU.

Bruce Kuennen Manager, Tactical Operations Support WA Assn of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Bruce Kuennen is the Manager of Tactical Operations Support for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). He manages the Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System (CIPMS). The software application used by the system is called Rapid Responder. Bruce has a total of 36 years of experience in the public sector, including corrections, mental health, and emergency preparedness. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A.), the University of Idaho (Masters), and The Evergreen State College (M.P.A.). Further information about WASPC and the CIPMS is available at http://www.waspc.org, or at 360.486.2389.

Phil Lambert President Center for Continuity Leadership Phil Lambert is an expert in the contingency planning field with over 18 years experience. He has proven success in the design, development and implementation of enterprise continuity programs, managing small and large teams of continuity planners and developing continuity training programs as well as training curriculum design. Phil has held senior continuity leadership positions at two Fortune 500 companies. He has a reputation for designing and implementing several highly effective and innovative solutions within the continuity field. Phil currently serves as the Breakfast Roundtable Director on the Washington State Association for Contingency Planners; he is past ACP-Orange County California Chapter President; and has served on the National ACP board. Phil is currently the President and Founder at The Center for Continuity Leadership.

Onora Lien Health System Response Planner Public Health - Seattle & King County Onora Lien, MA, is a Health Systems Planner with the King County Healthcare Coalition at Public Health - Seattle & King County in Seattle, Washington. In this capacity she leads the regional disaster response planning with healthcare organizations and other emergency response agencies. Her portfolio of planning areas covers a broad spectrum of issues including, public health and healthcare emergency preparedness, mass casualty and mass fatality management, disaster behavioral health and response to catastrophic incidents. Having worked on topics related to public health preparedness for nearly 10 years, Ms. Lien was previously an analyst at the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center and a research analyst at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies. She received her Masters in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University where she focused on individual and organizational response to disasters.

Michael Lienau Producer/Director Global Net Productions When Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, 20-year old Michael Lienau was one of the first cinematographers to photograph the devastation around the mountain. Caught in the second largest eruption, the camera crew barely escaped with their lives. Due to his skill at communicating natural hazards, Michael has become an invaluable resource on Mount St. Helens, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters inspiring people to prepare. He has contributed to segments on major networks including NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, FOX NEWS and many others. He has produced numerous programs for Federal, State and local government agencies on disaster education/preparedness including the DVD program Mapping Your Neighborhood, Personal & Business Survival DVDs, Are You Ready, 3Days3Ways, Run to High Ground, Living with Risk: Earthquakes in America and the interactive BeReady WebQuiz. Michael, his wife Shari and their 9 children live on Camano Island.

William Lokey Program Director Witt Associates William Lokey began his career with the Washington Department of Emergency Management in 1977. In 1981, he was appointed Assistant Director for Operations. In 1986, he became the DEM Director for Pierce County, responsible for disaster preparedness, the Fire Prevention Bureau, radio communications, the Emergency Medical Services and E9-1-1 Administration. In October of 1997, Bill became Assistant Chief for Special Operations for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Bill became a Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) for FEMA in April of 1999 serving as FCO for 24 disasters around the US and its territories, including Hurricane Katrina. From April 2005 through May 2006, he was the Operations Branch Chief of the Response Division at FEMA Headquarters. In February, 2007, he joined Witt Associates where he has worked with public and private sector clients in providing emergency management planning services.

William Lowe Associate Professor of Emergency Management Jacksonville State (AL) University Bill Lowe, Ph.D., EMT-P is a tenured Associate Professor of Emergency Management/ Terrorism at Jacksonville (AL) State University. Bill retired as Battalion Chief with 32 years service from the Clayton County (GA) Fire Department, and is also a deputy sheriff/ fugitive investigator with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.

Kara Main-Hester Manager City of Seattle - Seattle Animal Shelter Kara Main-Hester, Ph.D.: In 2005, Kara started volunteering with the Seattle Animal Shelter, the municipal shelter for Seattle. While working towards her a Ph.D. from University of Washington in the biological sciences, Kara managed the dog walking program at the shelter, and was hired by the organization in 2008. Kara manages the fundraising, volunteer and emergency preparedness functions for the shelter. Kara's background includes a bachelors degree from North Carolina State University, and she is also a published academic author.

Ross McDowell Deputy Director of Emergency Management Lewis County Sheriff's Office Ross McDowell has been serving as the Lewis County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Deputy Director for 6 years. During that time, Lewis County experienced 12 natural disaster events, with six Presidentials. Local preliminary damages and economic losses for these events totaled $550 million. Ross has been with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office since 1994. He began his 27 year law enforcement career with 10 years in Missouri. Ross is Fire Chief of District # 20 that merged two fire districts, one in Cowlitz County and one in Lewis County. Ross McDowell is passionate about the humanitarian side of emergency management. He presents a candid look from inside major events to recommend a variety of common sense solutions and partnership building to enhance community preparedness. He delights audiences with an entertaining and harmonious approach to his message delivery.

Don Miller Telecommunications Manager State EOC WA Military Dept Don Miller is the Telecommunications Manager for Washington Military Department primarily responsible for all State EOC telecommuncations operations and maintenance. He has worked in the telecommuications industry for the past 45 years with managerial and technical experience in microwave, radio, computer and satellite systems.

Les Miller Flood Preparedness Program Manager Portland District, US Army Corps of Engineers D. Leslie Miller, P.E. (Les) found his passion for emergency assistance in December 1964, when friends and he prevented flooding to their neighborhood. After graduating from Washington State University in 1977 with a Civil Engineering degree, he developed his knowledge for damage prevention/reduction working for Factory Mutual Engineering. There, he learned about preventing damage to industrial/commercial facilities from fire, flood, collapse and earthquake. He joined the US Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District in1980, preparing for “Nuclear Survival” (radiological sheltering in Corps dams) and “WW III” (expedient construction to rapidly mobilize the military). In 1988, he became Portland District’s Emergency Manager. He now focuses on Corps’ flood fight augmentation to state and local government. He is passionate about assisting communities prepare themselves to protect their community, infrastructure and livelihoods from floods, until permanent mitigation is complete.

Sarah Miller Emergency Preparedness Manager City of Auburn Sarah Miller is the Emergency Preparedness Manager for the City of Auburn, where she has worked since 2006. She is also Adjunct Faculty in Emergency Management at Jacksonville State University, where she has taught for more than 10 years. Sarah holds a Master’s degree from JSU with a concentration in Emergency Management and is currently finishing a PhD with a focus in Emergency Management from Walden University. She lives in Auburn with her husband and four ferocious felines.

William Moorhead President All Clear Emergency Management Group, LLC Will Moorhead has served in the emergency management field both as a first responder and in State and local government capacities. He has 18 years experience in the fire service and is active as a lieutenant with Duncan Chapel Fire Department in Greenville, SC. His previous positions as Legal Analyst for South Carolina Emergency Management Division and Director of Public Health Preparedness for South Carolina Division of Health and Environmental Control Region 2 provided many opportunities to see first-hand how legal issues impact emergency management. Will has since entered the consulting arena and is able to share his expertise in emergency management with public and private clients. Will received a B.A. from Furman University and J.D. from Mercer University.

Kris Nelson Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services Kris Nelson is the Operational Area Mass Care and Shelter Response Coordinator with the Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento, CA. Her focus is establishing and developing effective and efficient partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, CBOs, and other responder organizations within the community. Ms. Nelson assists with preparedness and response capability building by developing and delivering training specific to emergency plans, standard operating procedures, and conducting care and shelter exercises. Prior to coming to the County of Sacramento, Ms. Nelson served 27 years as Area Manager for a major telecommunications provider.

Nora O'Brien Connect Consulting Services Nora O’Brien, MPA, CEM, Principal Consultant of Connect Consulting Services, is a Sacramento-based consultant who brings a unique blend of stakeholder engagement, coalition building, emergency preparedness, and healthcare emergency planning to the projects she undertakes. With over 17 years in complex policy development, pandemic influenza planning, program management, business continuity planning, and emergency preparedness, Ms. O’Brien is nationally recognized for her work in primary care clinic emergency planning. A Certified Emergency Manager, she is an accomplished trainer, developer of curricula, and planner in the public health sector. She has considerable experience and training in public affairs, she holds a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs with a concentration in disaster and emergency management. Ms. O’Brien is a national expert and seasoned health care emergency management consultant with clients throughout CA, CO, DC, GA, NJ, ME, NY, NYC, WV, and UT.

Mike O'Day Howard Ferrucci, is the Mass Care Manager for the American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties. Bio not submitted

Joe Panesko Assistant Attorney General Washington State Office of the Attorney General Joe Panesko is an Assistant Attorney General in Olympia, Washington. He represents the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and he also works part time as the Emergency Advice Planning Coordinator for the Attorney General's Office. In the emergency planning role, Joe coordinates updates to the office’s internal emergency legal resource guides. Joe serves as a State Agency Liaison to the Emergency Management Division, and he has given numerous presentations on legal issues of emergency response and recovery. In 2007 Joe published an article on emergency preparedness for lawyers in the Washington State Bar News.

Susan Pelaez American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties Susan Pelaez brings over eleven years of experience in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to her position as Regional Director of Emergency Services. Susan began her Red Cross career with the Midway-Kansas chapter located in Wichita, KS and most recently provided leadership for the Preparedness & Community Engagement Department at the King & Kitsap County chapter. Prior to this position, Susan spent eight years working in the Emergency Services department focusing on operations. Susan is the Chapter’s only Multi-Chapter Operations Manager (qualified to lead State and Region wide disasters on behalf of the Red Cross National Headquarters) and lead voluntary agency liaison. She has served on several boards focusing on youth issues and disaster preparedness and response. She is a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers, Washington State Emergency Management Association, Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, and Communities In Schools, WA State Board.

Tim Pericful Emergency Animal Rescue Responder Learn Pet First Aid m Perciful is an instructor, & emergency animal rescue responder for multiple agencies, including American Humane, ASPCA, WA Dept of Ag, & KCFD #44.

Robin Pfohman VPAT Program Manager Public Health - Seattle & King County Robin Pfohman is the Vulnerable Populations Action Team (VPAT) Program Manager in the Preparedness Section at Public Health- Seattle & King County Robin works to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to public health preparedness, response, and recovery information and services. The goal VPAT is to assure that no one group is disproportionately impacted by a disaster.

Phillip Pfuhl Director EPI2oh Phil Pfuhl is an emergency responder and manager retired from a Naval Shipyard, a volunteer for Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, a Director of EPI2oh (a nonprofit for educating how to use social media for emergency public information), and an owner of a consulting business. He administered the web content management system (PIER) used during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and was part of the Creative Services Unit which was responsible for social media. He is also using social media in his neighborhood to support of the Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepared program.

Don Price Emergency Management Program Senior Manager King County Office of Emergency Management DON PRICE serves as the Emergency Management Program Senior Manager, King County Office of Emergency Management. He has worked as a humanitarian aid coordinator in countries such as Darfur, Sudan, Angola, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Vietnam with several international aid organizations. In 2006, he joined FEMA as a Disaster Assistance Employee in support of the Individual Assistance Branch. In 2011 he joined the team at King County.

Therese Quinn Snohomish County MRC Coordinator Snohomish Health District Therese Quinn has worked in program management and coordination for the last eight years. Her service on the City of Everett's Diversity Advisory, the Communities of Color Coalition and the Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee has been focused on finding ways to increase cultural awareness throughout the community. Therese developed and implemented programs to bring together people from diverse cultures, including the One Family Project and the Woman to Woman Project. She served for four years as the Dignity & Diversity Program Director at the Interfaith Association of Northwest Washington. In her current position as Snohomish County Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator, she has developed a language cadre in order to better serve under represented populations. She is currently working towards a degree in Disaster & Emergency Management at the American Military University.

Alex Richards Coordinator Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Alex Richards is a coordinator at Pierce County Department of Emergency Management specializing in catastrophic disaster planning with a focus on Evacuation and Sheltering. Alex has a background as a firefighter and EMT. Alex is certified in structural firefighting, wildland firefighting, water rescue, and rescue systems. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Washington State University.

Morgan Rider Senior Sustainability and Emergency Management Expert Ecology & Environment With 20 years’ experience, Ms. Morgan Rider specializes in emergency and environmental management system development, environmental health and safety compliance, and corporate responsibility and strategic sustainability planning. She has managed and performed environmental compliance and permitting projects and compliance/management system audits, including best practice reviews, for large commercial clients with national and international assets. In addition, she has supervised and facilitated the development of emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plans that incorporate capability-based planning elements for local, regional, and state agencies across the northwest. She has developed exercise plans and participated in the design and evaluation of tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises that test the implementation and effectiveness of emergency programs and plans.

Jim Stanton President Stanton Associates A former TV journalist & Director of Communications and Director of Government Relations for Canada Post, Jim set up Stanton Associates in 1990. Jim’s credentials are well-known in the communications and emergency preparedness community. Jim has assisted in developing communications strategies for major events: G8 Summit, Toronto SARS, and 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He continues to offer crisis communications workshops across North America and is sought after as a keynote speaker for his insights into the role of social media in times of crisis. Dr. Sheela Basrur, the late Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, asked Jim to sit on the blue ribbon SARS Panel to examine strategic communications considerations for Ontario's new health programs. She said: "I asked Jim Stanton to join our SARS Experts Panel because he is one of the leading minds in crisis communications & media relations in Canada."

Andrew Stevermer Regional Emergency Coordinator Department of Health and Human Services Andy Stevermer is a Regional Emergency Coordinator assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services in Seattle, WA. He has responsibility to support preparedness and response to health and medical emergencies throughout the Pacific Northwest. In addition, he has extensive experience responding to a variety of disasters, and has previously served as an Emergency Coordinator with the Centers for Disease Control, Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Emergency Response within the Department of Health and Human Services. Andy has participated in and led numerous federal field responses domestically and internationally.

David Swanson Principal Reid Middleton, Inc. Dave is a Principal and serves as the Director of Structural Engineering at Reid Middleton, Inc., an 86-person structural and civil engineering firm with offices in Washington and Alaska. Dave's structural design practice involves the design and seismic rehabilitation of buildings for healthcare, commercial, institutional, academic, civic, and aviation projects throughout the western United States and Alaska. Dave serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Washington where he teaches Structural Design and Earthquake Engineering courses. Dave is a licensed Structural and Civil Engineer in Alaska, California, Nevada, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. He holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Civil and Structural Engineering from the University of Washington.

Dennis Tate Safety Director United Enertech, Inc. Dennis Tate has been involved in disaster sheltering since 1989. His Master of Public Administration degree focused course work and research on disasters. He served 2 years as full-time Disaster Specialist for a 50-mile radius area for American Red Cross which included 2 operating civilian nuclear facilities. He served as chairman of the disaster committee of his local Red Cross chapter and helped lead local sheltering response for evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. He has led American Red Cross planning and operations for radiological emergency sheltering response exercises as well as numerous shelters of various sizes for general populations and special needs residents in floods, blizzards, tornadoes, and fires. Together with the Chattanooga Fire Department, he initiated the first local American Red Cross Disaster Action Team 24-hour response coordination for disasters in the Chattanooga area.

Kathy Taylor King County Medical Examiner's Office Katherine Taylor, Ph.D., is a Forensic Anthropologist with the King County Medical Examiner’s Officer where she has worked as a Death Investigator and Forensic Anthropologist for over 15 years. As a part of her responsibilities Dr. Taylor is a lead subject matter expert on mass fatality and victim identification. Dr. Taylor serves on several boards including the Family and Friends of Violent Crime Victims and the Seattle University Criminal Justice Advisory Board. Dr. Taylor is also a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a member of the Washington Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. Dr. Taylor is an affiliate faculty at the University of Washington Department of Anthropology and an adjunct faculty at the Seattle University Department of Criminal Justice. Dr. Taylor received her Ph.D. in Forensic Anthropology from the University of Arizona.

Bill Webb Technological Hazards Branch Chief FEMA Region 10 Bill Webb is the Tech Hazards Branch Chief for FEMA Region 10 and is responsible for all REP and CSEPP activities and chairs the Regional Assistance Committee. He conducts Emergency Preparedness planning with the Off-site Response Organizations and the Columbia Generating Station. He has expertise in the areas of Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Exercise Planning and Development and Radiological Emergency Preparedness. Mr. Webb is a retired Colonel of Armor/Intelligence. He has served on active duty and in the Army/Air National Guard and Army Reserve in multiple leadership positions. He holds the Legion of Merit, and multiple other military awards. He has a B.A. from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and is a 2005 graduate of the Amy War College with a Masters in Strategic Studies. He is also a Master Exercise Practitioner.

Jay Wilson Hazard Mitigation Coordinator Clackamas County Department of Emergency Management Jay Wilson joined Clackamas County Emergency Management in February 2008 as their Hazard Mitigation Coordinator. His duties for the County include managing hazard mitigation projects and planning, public education, and coordinating damage assessments following disasters. Prior to his current position, Jay worked as The Earthquake, Tsunami and Volcano Programs Coordinator for Oregon Emergency Management. He worked for over five years with FEMA Regions X and IX as a Disaster Reservist, managing Community Education and Outreach activities following natural disasters. While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jay worked for the Cities of Berkeley and Oakland to coordinate and implement earthquake safety prograns. He holds degrees in Geography (MA) and in Film (BA) from San Francisco State University.