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Current State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Government Coordinating Council Members

 

Chair - Mike McAllister, Deputy Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness, Virginia Governor's Office of Commonwealth Preparedness

Central to the mission of the Commonwealth of Virginia is ensuring that communities, businesses, and government are safe, secure, and prepared. Pivotal to the success of this mission is the ability to protect the Critical Infrastructure (CI) and Key Resources (KR) of the Commonwealth.

Mr. McAllister’s role is to guide the enhancement of CIKR protection and resiliency to ensure that essential governmental missions, state services, and economic functions are maintained in the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other type of significant incident. The Virginia Critical Infrastructure Protection & Resiliency Strategic Plan is being implemented by Mr. McAllister as directed by the Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness. Accordingly, Mr. McAllister works with federal, state, and local officials, as well as private sector partners to provide a seamless, coordinated, security and preparedness strategy and support implementation plans, as mandated by the General Assembly and the Code of Virginia.

Mr. McAllister is a retired naval officer with over 40 years of experience in the field of security including management of international programs in Denmark, Italy, and Indonesia. He was also the State Security Director, Virginia Department of Transportation and led many of the early Commonwealth efforts working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop and implement security programs on a nation-wide basis. He is continuing this work as a member of the Governor’s Office of Commonwealth Preparedness. Virginia is recognized as a leader in homeland security, including efforts to deploy an emergency responder credentialing program, establishment of fixed and mobile radiological/nuclear detection capability, deployment of the Automated Critical Asset Management System (ACAMS), and many other security related initiatives. Mr. McAllister chairs the National Capital Region Critical Infrastructure Protection Programmatic Working Group and recently completed the first private sector focused CIKR Interdependency Seminar for that region. He is also co-chair of the Commonwealth of Virginia Private Security Working Group, and the All Hazards Consortium Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee.

Mr. McAllister has worked on special assignments with Oak Ridge National Laboratories; Transportation Research Board Continuity of Operations Plan for Transportation Agencies, Chair; Committee on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Protection, Member.

 

Vice Chair - Michael Hamilton, Chief Information Security Officer, City of Seattle, Washington

City of Seattle Chief Information Security Officer Michael Hamilton has accumulated more than 20 years of experience as a practitioner, entrepreneur, consultant, and in governance. Employers and clients have included retail, manufacturing, aerospace, transportation, academic, law enforcement, publishing and financial sectors, from Fortune 100s to small non-profits. Now in the public sector, he speaks frequently on the dependence of critical infrastructure on the information technology operated by local government, and the potential impacts to utility, transportation management and public safety systems.

A sampling of his current responsibilities include providing leadership to a matrix team across more than 20 departments, for coordinated response and consistent application of policy across a 15,000 user network; maintaining the city's PCI compliance effort across ~30 credit-card payment exposures; providing technology project oversight for enforcement of standards, supplemental security requirements, and test plan design; and reducing the city’s threat surface through implementing design changes to e-mail and web content controls.

He is the architect of the PRISEM system, which is designed to monitor logical security events over multiple public entities in a metropolitan region, and has taken a leadership role to improve security on Washington State's inter-governmental networks. Mr. Hamilton provides regular security briefings to a number of cities and counties throughout the state.

Formerly a NASA/JPL Ocean Scientist tasked with algorithm development for hyperspectral remote sensing, Mr. Hamilton is a graduate (BS, MS) of the University of Southern California.

 

James Battese, Director of Public Safety, Miami Nation

Mr. Battese is the director of the Department of Public Safety for the Miami Nation and has been in that position since 2001. The Miami Nation is located in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, with headquarters in Miami, Oklahoma.  Department of Public Safety addresses both law enforcement and the nation’s homeland security concerns. 

Mr. Battese also administrates the nation’s road program. He was appointed to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Tribal Advisory Board by Governor Brad Henry and serves as vice-chairman.

Mr. Battese serves on the Miami Nation’s governing body in the 2nd Councilman position.

Mr. Battese established the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s Tribal Police Department; its departmental policy and procedures, standard operational policies, hiring standards, equipment, vehicles, communications and facilities. Mr. Battese served the Potawatomi Nation five years as chief of police. The Potawatomi Nation is located in Mayetta, Kansas. Mr. Battese worked with the Kansas Legislation to obtain statutory state law enforcement status for tribal police.  In 2003, Senate Bill 9 was enacted and gave law enforcement status to tribal police officers.

Mr. Battese held special agent positions with the Santa Fe Railway Police Department for 18 years. These positions were in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Olathe, Wichita, and Newton, Kansas. During Desert Storm, Mr. Battese was regularly assigned to the protection of military equipment shipments. Mr. Battese has extensive knowledge and experience in railroad operations.

Mr. Battese held deputy sheriff and under-sheriff positions with the Jackson County Kansas Sheriff Department.

Mr. Battese worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in clerical positions in the Kansas City, Missouri field office.

Mr. Battese served in US Air Force as an aircraft mechanic.

Mr. Battese attended college in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

Cherrie Black, Bureau Chief, Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, NJ

Cherrie Black, an Assistant Attorney General, is the Bureau Chief for the Infrastructure Protection Bureau in the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. She has served in that capacity for the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and its predecessor, the Office of Counter-Terrorism, since November 2002. She coordinates activities relating to the identification, classification, assessment and protection of New Jersey’s critical infrastructure. In that capacity, she works closely with the private sector, the Department of Homeland Security and State, County and local government liaisons. AAG Black served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s State and Local Working Group for the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, the Regional Steering Committee for the Radiological Pilot Project Office, and is the State Coordinator for several state and federal homeland security initiatives. AAG Black is a member of the State, Local, Tribal, Territorial Government Coordinating Council and co-chairs the SLTTGCC’s Chemical-terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI) Working Group, which provides State and Local government input and recommendations to the Chemical Security Compliance Division on protocols and processes for sharing CVI with State and local homeland security officials, law enforcement and first responders.

Prior to her appointment to the New Jersey Office of Counter-Terrorism, she was Chief of the Financial Investigations Unit in the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. As such, she had primary responsibility for implementing the anti-money laundering program and chairing the State Anti-Money Laundering Working Group.

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Jeff Dulin, Deputy Chief, Charlotte Fire Department, NC

Jeff Dulin joined the Charlotte Fire Department in 1983. Jeff was assigned to the department’s heavy rescue company for five years until he was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1988. Jeff served three years in the Training Division as both a Recruit and In-Service Instructor. Jeff developed both the Regional Hazardous Materials Team and the Urban Search and Rescue Team for Charlotte. Jeff was the lead in the development of the department’s swift water rescue program in 1992 which was one of the first in the country to be a department wide initiative. In 1996 and in 2007, Jeff received the Higgins and Langley Swift Water Award from the National Association for Search and Rescue. In 1997, Jeff was promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief and became active in the National Fire Academy’s first class on Terrorism Response training for First Responders. Following an attempted Biological Devise attack at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in 1998, Jeff led the development of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Advanced Local Emergency Response Team (ALERT), a multi-agency, multi-discipline Anti-Terrorism Unit. This team was in place and actually conducting an exercise with the FBI on the morning of September 11, 2001.

In December 2001, Jeff was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief and placed of all Special Operations. He currently oversees the Training Division, Communications Center, EMS Liaison, Special Operations and the Emergency Management Division for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Jeff serves as the Point of Contact for the Charlotte Urban Area Security Initiative, the DHS designated Homeland Security Program. Jeff has deployed to nine federal disasters as part of an Incident Management Team Member including Hurricane Katrina where we worked the Gulfport, Mississippi EOC. Jeff’s educational background includes an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from Central Piedmont Community College, a Bachelors Degree in Fire Administration from the University of Maryland, and a Masters in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. His thesis was titled “The components necessary for successful information sharing”.

Jeff has taught Incident Command Systems for over twenty years and is certified in all of the Incident Management Team positions. Jeff serves on the DOJ Interagency Board, the DHS Emergency Services Sector Working Group, and is the chairman of the ESS Information Sharing Working Group. Jeff served as a co-chairman of the National Urban Areas Security Initiative’s annual Conference for five years. Jeff teaches and conducts exercises around the country and works closely with DHS on several initiative programs. Jeff has developed a robust Infrastructure Protection Program for the Charlotte UASI and works closely with both DHS IP and I & A. Jeff has for the last five years, worked with the United Kingdom’s Chief Fire Officers Association in the development of their national disaster response program. Jeff has traveled to Britain, Scotland and the Netherlands to speak on this subject. In 2008 Jeff spoke in Parliament to the All Parliamentary Committee of National Disasters. Jeff’s initiatives in Charlotte and the State of North Carolina center on the need for information sharing systems needed for both Public and Private Partners.

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Carlos Echevarria, Deputy Chief, Tulalip Tribal Police Services

Mr. Echevarria began his law enforcement career with the Tulalip Tribal Police Services in 2001. Since that time he has held the rank of Officer, Corporal, Detective, Sergeant, Patrol Commander, and finally his current rank of Deputy Chief.

In his current role, Mr. Echevarria is responsible for the assisting the Chief of Police in the daily operations of Tulalip Police Services and is the direct supervisor of the patrol sergeant’s; managing, directing, as well as providing leadership and guidance to the daily patrol operation. He also represents Tulalip Police Services at the Quil Ceda Village monthly meetings and is the direct supervisor for all law enforcement activities occurring within Quil Ceda Village.

Mr. Echevarria is a an Advisory Committee Member for the Community Erasing Drug Abuse on the Reservation (CEDAR) Group as well as an Advisory Committee Member for the Tulalip Tribal Aftercare Program.

Mr. Echevarria is also a certified tribal, state, and federal law enforcement officer.

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Greg Engle, Homeland Security Program Director, Office of Justice Assistance, State of Wisconsin

Greg Engle has been serving as the Homeland Security Program Director since 2007.  In this capacity he is responsible for directing, developing, and implementing statewide emergency preparedness initiatives.  These initiatives include a statewide public safety interoperable communications system, regional emergency response teams for collapse rescue, SWAT and bomb response, a statewide volunteer registry and management program, public/private partnerships for emergency responders and government officials and an emergency operations center management system.

Mr. Engle is currently a member of the Governor’s Homeland Security Council, the Center for Human Performance and Risk Analysis Advisory Board, the National Counter-Drug Training Center Homeland Security Advisory Group, and the Wisconsin Emergency Management Association.  He is also a former member of the SAFECOM Emergency Responder Council.

Mr. Engle earned his Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin in 2009.

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Jeffrey Friedland, Director, Emergency Management/Homeland Security, St. Clair County, Michigan

Jeffrey Friedland has been the director of emergency management/homeland security for St. Clair County since 1988. He has been involved in the field of emergency services his entire career and has the opportunity to serve as president of two statewide organizations, the Michigan Emergency Management Association and the Michigan State Fireman’s Association.

Mr. Friedland has received three degrees; an associate’s in law enforcement and bachelor’s in business, a master’s in security studies through the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He is recognized as a professional emergency manager by the state of Michigan. 

Jeff was appointed to the Michigan Public Safety Communications System Advisory Board by Governor Granholm in 2005. He served as the Chairman of the Tactical Interoperability Planning Committee, which was charged with developing the state plan.

During his journey as the director for St. Clair County, his accomplishments include planning, preparing and coordinating numerous international exercises; forming a county-wide response team; creating planning districts; implementing GIS into the planning and response process. He has been responsible in obtaining numerous public and private grants for various homeland security projects. Currently his focus is on continuity planning, cross border planning and meeting residents' expectations of the emergency services program.

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Jimmy Gianato, Director, Division of Homeland Security/Emergency Management, State of West Virginia

Mr. Gianato was designated as the Homeland Security Advisor for the State of West Virginia by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin on December 1, 2010 and has been the Director of the Division of Homeland Security /Emergency Management for the State of West Virginia Since 2005.  In this capacity, he has operational and planning responsibility for the state’s response to all emergency and disaster operations and consequence management for incidents involving weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. During federally declared disasters, he serves as the State Coordinating Officer and the Governor’s Authorized Representative to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He also serves as the Chairman of the State Emergency Response Commission.

Mr. Gianato has been involved in emergency services for over 35 years.  Prior to his current accepting his current position, he served as the Director of 9-1-1 and Emergency Services in McDowell County, West Virginia.  While working in McDowell County, Mr. Gianato was assigned to work as a sworn member of the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office to help assist with a growing arson problem in the county.  He has also been an active member of the Kimball Volunteer Fire Department since 1972, where he held the position of Chief for over 15 years.  Mr. Gianato has also served as an emergency medical technician for the McDowell County Emergency Ambulance Authority where he was a member of the Board of Directors.  Before becoming Director in McDowell County, he served as the General Manager of Gianato Pontiac Buick GMC Chrysler Plymouth Dodge, Inc. and graduated from the GM University of Automotive Management held at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA. Director Gianato has been an active member of the Kimball Volunteer Fire Department since 1972, serving in various capacities including serving as Chief for over 15 years. Mr. Gianato was an EMT serving as a volunteer for the McDowell County Emergency Ambulance Authority (MCAA) and also a member of its Board of Directors.

He serves or has served on several boards and commissions including the West Virginia State Retirement Board, the Commission for National and Community Service, the McDowell County Economic Development Authority, The McDowell County Community Corrections Board and is currently the Region 3 Vice President of the National Emergency Management Agency.

Mr. Gianato is a graduate of Welch High School and holds a degree in Applied Science from New River Community and Technical College.

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Danielle Hale, Coordinator, Nueces County Office of Emergency Management, Texas

Danielle Hale has lived in Rockport along the mid Texas Coast since the mid 1980’s. She began her public service as an emergency telecommunications operator for the Aransas County Sheriff’s Office in 2001. After finding a calling in public safety, she began work to earn her Paramedic certification and served in dual roles with the Sheriff’s Office and Aransas County EMS for several years.

As a Paramedic, she worked to enhance community and youth based education and outreach programs while serving as the Community Education Coordinator and Explorer Post Coordinator. During her time with Aransas County EMS, she became an active instructor in their training academy and also instructed advanced cardiac and pediatric life support courses at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to base clinicians.

In her role as Community Education Coordinator, she also began what has been a long relationship with the Coastal-Bend Texas Regional Chapter of the American Red Cross serving as an instructor for many years and volunteer. She currently serves the Chapter as a member of their Service Delivery Committee and provides oversight to all programs including education and disaster services.

In 2004, Danielle joined the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department where she still serves an active role as an Associate Member and Fulton Oysterfest Board Member. In her fire service role, she helped to develop state curriculum implementation for the State Fireman’s and Fire Marshal’s Association Certification Board and instructed at several area schools. She also served on the South Central District Firefighters Association Executive Board for numerous years and helped bring the State Convention to Corpus Christi both in 2004 and 2010.

Danielle began the transition into emergency management in 2005 working as a Homeland Security/Emergency Management Planner for the Coastal Bend Council of Governments that served the 12 counties of the Governor’s Planning District 20. She worked to increase the regions training capabilities, provided oversight to regional communications interoperability implementation projects and served key coordination roles for numerous other regional planning initiatives. She also created the first Regional Citizen Corps Council and served as the Regional Citizen Corps Coordinator. She also helped develop the Regional Catastrophic Coordination Plan and served as a liaison between local, state and federal representatives as part of the Regional Multi-Agency Coordination Center. She served a key planning role during Hurricane Katrina to assist with the mass care needs of evacuees flown to Corpus Christi as a result of the devastation unfolding in New Orleans, LA.

Danielle became the Regional Liaison Officer (RLO) for the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management in 2007 where she provided a direct link between local and state emergency management organizations. The RLO is known as the “eyes and ears of the Division” throughout the state providing guidance and oversight for all phases of emergency management and direct onsite incident management for major events and disasters wherever they may occur. She served in key leadership roles during the devastating 2008-09 Wildfire Season, San Angelo FLDS Incident, Starr County Flooding, Breckenridge Tornado, and Hurricanes Dean, Dolly, Eduardo, and Gustav. Additionally, she was responsible for the air evacuation and movement of special needs citizens out of the Coastal Bend Region in anticipation of Hurricane Ike and coordinated the movement of hundreds of buses, ambulances and aircraft under the direction of the Disaster District Chairman. She also responded to Southeast Texas to assist in the largest state/federal response in the state’s history as part of Task Force Texas.

As RLO, Danielle also became a member of numerous State and Regional planning initiatives and is most proud of her work involving special needs evacuations and WebEOC implementation. She was invited to join the USCG Sector Corpus Christi Area Maritime Security Committee where she still serves today and is active in the Port Security Working Group.

Just prior to the 2010 hurricane season, Danielle accepted a position working for Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal as the County’s Emergency Management Coordinator. Her first major victory in her new role was the development and adoption of the Regional Catastrophic Hurricane Reentry Plan that leveraged the unique needs of the private sector, critical infrastructure/key resource partners and public interests following the impact of a major hurricane making direct landfall along the Mid-Texas Coast.

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James Harkness, CIP Lead, Michigan Intelligence Operations Center, Michigan State Police

Jim Harkness currently serves as the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Analyst for the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC). He is responsible for the statewide management and administration of all critical infrastructure and key resource (CIKR) related information and documents, collection of suspicious activity reporting, as well as facilitating outreach and training for CI/KR facility owners and operators.

 

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Wesley Kleene, Director, Office of Drinking Water, Virginia Department of Health

Dr. Kleene is currently the Director of the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water (ODW) with 20 years of experience in the area of water quality, information solutions, and critical infrastructure security. He is currently responsible for executing the ODW mission of providing clean safe drinking water to the citizens of the Commonwealth.

In addition to his current duties with the Virginia Department of Health, Dr. Kleene serves as an active member of various national and state working groups relate to emergency preparedness and security including the Government Coordinating Council on Critical Infrastructure (Water), Virginia Critical Infrastructure Protection Work Group, EPA/AWWA Waterworks Security Committee, and the DHS Human-Induced Hazard Mitigation Working Group.

Dr. Kleene has provided guidance on emergency preparedness and critical infrastructure protection to state and federal agencies including the DHS, FBI, VSP, EPA, and the Virginia Commonwealth Critical Infrastructure Protection Working Group.

In addition to conducting vulnerability assessments, Dr. Kleene was selected as the program manager for the EPA Vulnerability Assessment Review project conducted in Washington, D.C. As the program manager, he was responsible for managing the review process; coordinating information transfers with DHS, EPA, and ORD; and the development of classified documents for congressional review. During this program, all individuals were required to maintain classified information at the Secret level.

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John Madden, Director, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Alaska

Mr. Madden has served his state and his country for more than 40 years. Governor Sarah Palin appointed him in January 2007 as the director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the State of Alaska. This followed a year as the deputy director for Homeland Security within the division. His state service follows a distinguished career in seven federal agencies.

Madden began his public service career at 17 with service in the U.S. Army, including 20 months in Vietnam. After his military service, he joined the U.S. civil service with the Department of the Navy. He worked in program and project management with the Naval Weapons Engineering Support Activity, Naval Electronic Systems Command, and the Joint (Navy/Air Force) Cruise Missile Project Office. After earning his degree in political science, he joined the Department of Energy as a program and policy analyst working on fossil fuels programs and alternative fuels.

In 1982, he elected to move to Alaska with the National Weather Service and supported its operations throughout Alaska. He next worked for the Alaskan Region of the Federal Aviation Administration as Executive Staff to the Regional Administrator. He also ensured continuity of operations for all FAA operations against all hazards. He supported FEMA in several exercises and served in several Disaster Field Offices, most notably in Puerto Rico and Florida in response to Hurricane Georges. He also served with the Transportation Security Administration as Deputy Federal Security Director for Anchorage International Airport and eight other Alaska airports.

He is a member of several state, regional, and national organizations including:

  • National Homeland Security Consortium
  • National Governors Association Homeland Security Advisory Council
  • Advisory Council of Alaska
  • Alaska Partnership for Infrastructure Protection
  • Regional Consortium Coordinating Council (Public/Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Protection)
  • State, Local, Territorial, Tribal Government Coordinating Council (Infrastructure Protection Policies)
  • Western Regional Emergency Management Advisory Council
  • National Emergency Management Association – Regional Vice President for Region X
  • Regional Advisory Council for FEMA Region X
  • Western States Seismic Policy Council – Board of Directors

Mr. Madden is proud to have served from 2005 to 2008 as the Honorary Commander of the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron (AWACS) of the 3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.

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Tim Maestas, Sergeant, Office of Preparedness and Security, Colorado State Police

Sergeant Tim Maestas is currently serving as the Critical Infrastructure Protection Manager, assigned to the Office of Preparedness and Security under the Governor’s office of Homeland Security. Sergeant Maestas is responsible for managing several programs to include

  • coordinating Colorado’s efforts in critical infrastructure protection with local, state and federal agencies,
  • coordinating the Rubicon critical infrastructure assessments,
  • coordinating Colorado’s buffer zone protection plans,
  • coordinating CIP efforts with the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), and
  • acting as the System Administrator for Colorado’s efforts to implement the Automated Critical Asset Management System (ACAMS) portal throughout the State.

Sergeant Maestas is a Colorado native and has spent the last 15 years in public service serving with the U.S. Air Force, Vail (Colorado) Police department, and the Colorado State Patrol.

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Theresa A. Masse, Chief Information Security Office, Oregon

Theresa  A. Masse is the Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Oregon, and has served in this capacity since 2004.   She provides enterprise leadership and strategic direction focused on reducing risk and protecting the state’s information assets.  She is responsible for defining and driving the state’s information security program including policy and standards management, security architecture, risk assessments, compliance, incident response and forensics, and security awareness. Prior to serving as the State CISO, she established the information security office at the Oregon Department of Human Services.  Ms. Masse also worked in the private sector, most recently as the director of Corporate and Information Security at Cummins, Inc.  She is a member of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), and has been a member of the Multi-State- Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) executive committee for several years.

 

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Kathy McKeever, Director, Office of Infrastructure Protection, California Emergency Management Agency

Kathy McKeever was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as Director of the Office of Infrastructure Protection for the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) in January of 2009 upon the merger of the Governor’s Offices of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Prior to being named director, Kathy served for Governor Schwarzenegger as Assistant Deputy Director of Infrastructure Protection for the California Office of Homeland Security since 2005.

In these roles, Kathy implemented and developed California’s Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) Protection Program.  Her responsibilities include establishing state policies for the identification, prioritization and protection of California’s critical assets, developing security measures for prevention and protection, as well as analysis and review of security processes and procedures for critical infrastructure.  Responsibilities also include oversight of California’s vulnerabilities, and consequence assessments on California’s infrastructure.  Kathy works closely with other state and local agencies, and the private sector to formulate strategy for developing “best practices” for protecting California’s critical infrastructure within each of the 18 sectors to ensure the objectives within the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) are carried out in California.  Kathy also has oversight of the Emergency Partnership Advisory Working Group which is a statewide public-private partnership promoting activities associated with homeland security/emergency management efforts.

Prior to joining the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security in 2005, Kathy was a Bureau Chief at the Department of Consumer Affairs where she was responsible for policy and operations of the Bureaus including licensing, enforcement, and overall staff supervision.

Between 2001 and 2004, Kathy served with the California Department of Insurance as Assistant Director for Legislation.  Prior to that position, Governor Pete Wilson appointed her to be Chief of Legislation for the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP) in 1993.  In that position, she was responsible for all criminal justice legislation sponsored by Governor Wilson.  During her tenure at OCJP she also served as the Planning and Evaluation Division Chief and the Program Division Chief for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Children’s, and Victim-Witness program branches.  

Kathy is a Vice Chair and on the Board of Directors for The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP). She also is an Executive Board member for the Los Angeles World Airports Airport Security Advisory Committee.  Kathy received her Bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University, and her Master’s in Criminal Justice Planning from Oklahoma City University.  She also is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School Executive Leadership Program, and the USC Executive Leadership Program in Counter-Terrorism.

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Bill Minear, Director, West Virginia Critical Infrastructure Protection Task Force

Bill Minear is a member of the West Virginia National Guard - Military Authority, serving as Deputy Director – Critical Infrastructure Protection Programs for the Joint Interagency Training & Education Center (JITEC). Bill has 35 years of public safety (law enforcement, fire/rescue, emergency medical services) and private industry (security, safety & health, industrial hygiene) experience. He has provided leadership and guidance to organizations and companies in all facets of protective services and emergency preparedness, planning and response. He is currently assigned to provide leadership support to the critical infrastructure and key resources programs for the state of West Virginia.

Bill graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 1983 with a degree in Fire Science and Safety Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in 2002 from Glenville State College. He has continued his education by earning his Master of Science – Strategic Leadership in 2006 from Mountain State University. Bill is currently pursuing his Doctor of Executive Leadership at the Charles H. Polk School of Leadership & Professional Development at Mountain State University.

A Board Certified Protection Professional with ASIS International, Bill currently serves in a volunteer leadership position as Vice Chairman of the Fire & Life Safety Council. In March 2011 he was selected as a member of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security's State, Local, Tribal, & Territorial Government Coordinating Council (SLTTGCC), serving two years prior as a subject matter expert for critical infrastructure programs. He is a 1982 graduate of the West Virginia State Police Academy - 42nd Basic Class, and a 1997 graduate of the Executive Protection Institute - Class 41, earning certification as a Personal Protection Specialist. Bill holds adjunct faculty positions with the West Virginia State Police Academy, Mountain State University, and West Virginia Department of Education - RESA Public Safety Training.

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Irene Navis, Emergency Manager, Clark County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Nevada

Irene L. Navis, AICP, was recently appointed Clark County’s Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Irene was a Planning Manager with the Clark County, Nevada, Department of Comprehensive Planning for 9 years. Irene has nearly 23 years of progressive responsibility and experience in Clark County government. She has led Clark County's Nuclear Waste Oversight Program since 2001. Under Irene’s leadership, the team has received several awards recognizing innovative planning and public outreach accomplishments. She received her certified planner designation in 1996 from the American Institute of Certified Planners. Irene has earned Bachelor’s degree in Management and Leadership.

Irene has made presentations regarding various aspects of Yucca Mountain oversight at several conferences and meetings including International High Level Radioactive Waste conferences, Waste Management Conferences, the Harvard School of Public Health, the National Academy of Sciences, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, and the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.

Irene has authored or co-authored several papers on Yucca Mountain oversight, community indicators, socioeconomic impacts, sustainability, and public outreach. Irene serves as the Chair of Clark County’s Yucca Mountain Advisory Committee, was recently appointed Chair of Clark County’s Local Emergency Planning Committee, and Co-Chair of the State Homeland Security Grants Working Group. Irene serves as a member of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) for the Wessex Institute of Technology (United Kingdom), and is involved in conference planning activities related to Sustainable Tourism (2008, 2010), Ecosystems and Sustainable Development (2009 and 2011), and Water and Society (2011).

Irene is a member of the American Planning Association, and the American Institute of Certified Planners. She is a member of the American Society for Public Administrators, and served as President of the Southern Nevada ASPA Chapter’s Board of Directors for 2008-09. Irene performs volunteer community service as an arbitrator with the State Bar of Nevada Fee Dispute Committee.

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Gilbert Orrantia, Director, Arizona Department of Homeland Security

Gilbert Orrantia became the Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security in June, 2009. Prior to heading Arizona’s Homeland Security efforts at the State, he served in the FBI for 26 years.

Mr. Orrantia brings a national and global perspective on counterterrorism that is gained from vast counterterrorism experience including the supervision of an FBI Counterterrorism squad in Phoenix, and serving eight years as a Supervisory Special Agent. For four years he headed the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Phoenix, Arizona which is located at Arizona’s fusion center, known as the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (ACTIC).

Recognized as an expert in investigations of terrorism, drugs and violent crimes, Mr. Orrantia’s FBI successful law enforcement career is reflected in the numerous awards and commendations he received. Among them are two of the FBI’s highest commendations: the Medal of Valor and the FBI Star. These awards were made to Mr. Orrantia for his role in the deadliest firefight in FBI history- a gun battle known as the "Miami Shootout" in which two fellow FBI agents were killed.

Mr. Orrantia has lectured to members of the members of the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia on officer safety and survival and continues to share his expertise in surviving a deadly encounter with numerous law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Orrantia, a native Arizonan who is fluent in Spanish, was raised in Mesa, Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Secondary Education.

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Susan Palchick, Manager of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Hennepin County, Minnesota, Health Department

Susan Palchick is the administrative manager for Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Assessment and Public Health Emergency Preparedness at Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department in Minnesota. She has been with Hennepin County for 11 years and also serves as the environmental health director for Hennepin County. Prior to coming to Hennepin County, Susan was the program manager for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) for 10 years. MMCD is a special local governmental unit covering the cities and seven counties surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Susan has been a public health representative to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) for several years and also served on the Bioterrorism and Emergency Preparedness Committee, National Association of County & City Health Officials, 2002-2006. She serves on several state and local public health emergency response workgroups. She is the principal investigator for an Advanced Practice Center (APC) grant from NACCHO awarded to Hennepin County in collaboration with Minneapolis and Ramsey County. This APC project is focused on environmental health emergency preparedness. Susan also completed FEMA’s Integrated Emergency Management Course as well as numerous Minnesota emergency management courses.

Susan received her Ph.D. in medical entomology from the University of California-Davis in 1986; master's of public health in epidemiology from the University of California-Berkeley in 1983; M.S. in entomology from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981; and B.S. (with honors) in agricultural journalism-natural science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1978.

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Curtis Parsons, Homeland Security and Emergency Coordinator, County of Lenawee, MI

Mr. Parsons is a twenty-five year veteran of the fire service with fifteen years as a chief officer. He is a certified fire fighter, fire officer, instructor, and licensed fire code inspector with the state of Michigan. He founded the Lenawee County CISD team and served on the county technical rescue team. In a career running parallel to his evolvement in the fire service he was also employed at a chemical manufacturing facility. As site safety trainer he instructed employees in hazardous materials, response & mitigation, incident command as well as confined space entry and rescue procedures. He retired from the chemical industry after thirty-five years to accept his current position with Lenawee County.

Curtis is a member of the Michigan Emergency Management Association (MEMA), The Michigan Fire Inspectors Society and the national All-Hazards Incident Management Team Association. He sets on the local county planning committee, the county medical control authority, county health and American Red Cross board of directors. He holds a Bachelors degree in public safety, Masters Degree (MA) in Leadership with a concentration in emergency management from Siena Heights University and has earned the designation as a Professional Emergency Manager (PEM) with the Michigan State Police. He serves as the Michigan Region one committee chair for the development of a regional all-hazards incident management team and the board's executive committee.

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Richard Paoletto, Deputy Director, City of Bridgeport Health Department, Housing and Commercial Code Enforcement, Connecticut

Richard is the Deputy Director of the Housing & Commercial Code Enforcement, under the City of Bridgeport Health Department. He is also an Anti Blight Enforcement Officer. He is the chairman of the Health Department Safety Committee and Team Leader for ESF 8, Damage/Risk Assessment for the Bridgeport Emergency Operations Center as well as member of the City’s MRC and CT Infragard. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Director, Richard was a Housing Code inspector for 16-years. Richard has attended Housatonic Community College for Business Administration and is currently enrolled at Southern Connecticut University for Public Health Administration. He has attended and been certified by many trainings provided by numerous institutions and organizations such as the American Red Cross, FEMA, State of Connecticut Department of Public Health/CT Train, DHS and TEEX.

 

Dennis Pepe, Critical Infrastructure Coordination, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Dennis Pepe was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in the greater New York City area.  After graduation from the State University of New York Maritime College he sailed aboard several merchant marine vessels as a third mate for a year.  He activated his reserve Navy commission and served as naval aviator for five years flying fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. 

Mr. Pepe transferred his Navy commission to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps where he served at sea as Operations Officer, Executive Officer and acting Commanding Officer aboard a variety of NOAA fisheries and oceanographic research vessels and was a certified NOAA diver.  As a NOAA Corps officer, while ashore Mr. Pepe supported marine mammal programs, Space Shuttle activities, the Landsat remote-sensing satellite program, and served as the Deputy Program Manager for the Cospas-Sarsat international search and rescue satellite program during the development and initial-operations phase.  He retired from the NOAA Corps and worked as a NOAA and NASA contractor with Science Systems and Applications, Inc. in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. area for the Cospas-Sarsat Program for eleven years, involving four Paris Air Shows and extensive international travel to Europe, Asia and South America.

Mr. Pepe has eleven years of homeland security and emergency management experience with the State of New Mexico.  He moved to New Mexico in 2002 and served as the Chief, Office of Emergency Preparedness as a staff-member to the Cabinet Secretary of the NM Environment Department (NMED) for 5 years.  He developed the NMED Emergency Operations Plan, interfaced with most State agencies and coordinated with city, county and tribal emergency managers.  He was selected by the Secretary to support the U.S. EPA Border 2012 Program as the U.S. Co-Leader for the New Mexico–Texas–Chihuahua Region, Emergency Response Task Force for 3 years.  Mr. Pepe also served as the Acting Chief, Department of Energy Oversight Bureau for six months and implemented an airborne radiation release exercise with environmental activists, four NM counties, Eight Northern Pueblos, Jicarilla Apache Nation and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Mr. Pepe transferred from NMED to the Bureau of Health Emergency Management, Office of Epidemiology and Response Division with the NM Department of Health for two years in support of pandemic influenza activities.   In 2011, Mr. Pepe was selected to serve as the Critical Infrastructure Coordinator with the Intelligence and Security Bureau of the NM Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.  He was recently invited to be a member of the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council.

Mr. Pepe earned a BS in Meteorology and Oceanography from the State University of New York Maritime College, a Master of International Management from the University of Maryland University College, and a BA in Art from the University of Maryland University College.  His licenses are: FAA Commercial Pilot, and U.S. Coast Guard Third Mate.

 

Ralph Reichert, Director of the Homeland Security Division, Georgia Emergency Management Agency

Ralph Reichert is the Director of the Homeland Security Division within Georgia Emergency Management Agency. He is responsible for state’s terrorism planning and operational response effort, as well as the overall management of critical infrastructure protection, fire services (search and rescue and HazMat), training, exercises and the homeland security grants process. Ralph’s leadership and forward-thinking directly contributed to development of states’ robust bomb, HazMat and urban search and rescue capability.

He enlisted in the United States Army in 1968, served in Viet Nam for 20 months where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He began his career in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff in Illinois in 1975 and relocated to Georgia in 1982 where he continued service in law enforcement as the Northwest Area District Director for the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. He joined GEMA in 1997 as the Exercise Training Officer, and has held positions as the Atlanta Area Field Coordinator and was the agency’s Consequence Manager when the attacks of September 11th occurred.

Ralph has a degree from Southern Illinois University in Sociology and Human Services, and a Masters in Public Administration from Kennesaw State University. He has served on numerous advisory committees for the Department of Homeland Security, and is an adjunct instructor for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

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Kurt Reuther, Homeland Security Advisor, Department of Homeland Security /Emergency Management Agency

Mr. Reuther was appointed to the position of Homeland Security Advisor for the State of Delaware in 2010.  Prior to his appointment he had worked in and with Delaware’s law enforcement community for nearly 25 years. 

Mr. Reuther began his career with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) in 1983 with the Division of Parks and Recreation. In 1992, he was named DNREC Regional Environmental Enforcement Officer for the Division of Air and Waste Management. In this capacity, he managed environmental and hazardous material emergencies.

In 2004, Reuther was named Chief of Air and Waste Management Enforcement. He also served a co-manager of the DNREC Emergency Response Team and served as State On-Scene Coordinator for environmental and hazardous material incidents involving unified command and federal authorities.

Mr. Reuther holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. He is also certified Police Academy Instructor.

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Shelly Schechter, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness, Department of Health, Nassau County, New York

Shelly Schechter is the director of the Division of Community Health for the Nassau County Department of Health, Long Island, New York. The division includes the Office of Emergency Preparedness, which manages all preparedness grants awarded to the Health Department including the CDC Public Health Preparedness and Response to Bioterrorism Grant, the New York City and New York State Cities Readiness Initiative, pandemic influenza funding, and the Medical Reserve Corps that is designed to operate as a public health model. This office is responsible for strategic planning and policy development, education and planning within the Health and Human Services departments and integration of preparedness planning with the County Office of Emergency Management. 

Shelly is a member of the Homeland Security Information Network Advisory Council and several county, city and state level healthcare emergency preparedness and response planning organizations.             

A Board Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist in Community Health, she received a B.S. from Boston College, a M.S. from Adelphi University School of Nursing, and a M.A. in Security Studies from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. 

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Jane Shunney, Manager, Office of Public Health Preparedness, Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, Nevada

Jane has been with the Southern Nevada Health District for over 20 years. She has served as assistant to three chief health officers and is currently the manager of the Office of Public Health Preparedness.  Jane has been involved in many programs at the Health District within nursing, EMS, the hospital emergency departments and the emergency management community. 

Jane has served on the State Homeland Security Grants Subcommittee, is vice-chair for the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and serves on the LEPC Grants Subcommittee. She has attended several FEMA courses at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland since 1994 including the seven-day course for ICS Incident Management Team training in 2006, and recently completed the SMI Management Course for Clark County, Nevada 2008. She is a member of the FEMA Comprehensive Planning Guide Working Group. By invitation from the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, Jane served as a public health nurse advisor on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Call Center Advisory Panel. They developed a model for adapting community health call centers to support outpatient healthcare and monitoring in a major healthcare crisis.  

Jane is a B.S.N. graduate of Loyola University in Chicago and holds an M.S. in healthcare administration from University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois. 

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Mark Sloan, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Coordinator, Harris County, TX Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Mark Sloan is Homeland Security & Emergency Management Coordinator for Harris County, Texas, serving nearly 4 million incredibly diverse residents covering over 1,770 square miles.  Because of Harris County's large population, port operations, transportation infrastructure, and concentration of petrochemical plants, the Department of Homeland Security has identified Harris County as a Tier 1 region. To meet the growing expectations responsibilities of  emergency management, Sloan is streamlining regional emergency response coordination through the use of automated flood warning systems, traffic management systems, broadcast media capabilities, first responder and citizen alerting, Doppler Radar imagery, GIS mapping systems, and regional interoperable communications.

As the Director of the Harris County Citizen Corps, an innovative, award-winning citizen preparedness initiative, recognized as a National Best Practice, he coordinates all aspects of the program.  Working with a team of County technology experts, he developed one of the first websites devoted to the sharing of citizen preparedness volunteer opportunities and tracking of volunteer hours.

During the Katrina relief effort at the Astrodome, Mark was assigned to the Unified Command to coordinate the volunteers.  During the 21 days over 60,000 volunteers received various assignments that helped over 65,000 evacuees from New Orleans.  On September 9, 2005, Mark was recognized for his efforts by ABC Nightly News as the Person of the Week, and at the 2006 National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, he received the Special Award; Texas' Response to Katrina Evacuees, for leadership and coordination.  He also, received "The Presidents Call To Service Award" in September of 2007 recognizing the accomplishments of the Harris County Citizen Corps and for coordinating the volunteer response during the Katrina relief effort.

In the fall of 2008, Mark was recognized by the Houston Texans football team on Reliant Stadium's 50-yard line and later received the John C. Freeman Weather Museum's Hurricane Hero Award for his exemplary leadership during Hurricane Ike.

He also served as the chairman of the Harris County Department of Education ALERT Task Force.  The goal of this initiative was to strengthen and improve school/campus safety (crisis) plans by identifying and utilizing partner resources to implement emergency response and crisis management trainings emphasizing mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

In 2003 he worked closely with the Super Bowl XXXVIII (38) Executive Host Committee to coordinate County resources as needed for highly successful weeklong celebration. 

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Keith Squires, Homeland Security Advisor, State of Utah

Colonel Keith D. Squires started his career with the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) in November of 1989. He began as a Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) trooper patrolling Utah’s Uintah basin area in the northeast portion of the state. During that time he proposed and coordinated several multi-agency public safety projects. He served as a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer teaching to elementary school students in the Uintah School District. Col. Squires recalls his years as a trooper with great fondness and enjoyed his opportunities to work closely and build relationships with all public safety agencies in the area. He views the field positions at DPS as the most vital link to providing exceptional services that ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone in Utah.

In 1994, Keith was promoted to sergeant in the UHP’s Salt Lake County field section. In 1998, Deputy Commissioner Ferris Groll requested Keith to serve as an investigative sergeant in the DPS internal affairs division. In 1999, Keith was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and commanded the UHP south-central section in Richfield. In January of 2001, Keith was appointed as the bureau captain overseeing UHP operations in the central and southern portions of the state. As a DPS Captain, Keith also served as the deputy director of the Utah Division of Homeland Security and as the director of the State Bureau of Investigation. In 2006, Colonel D. Lance Davenport promoted Keith to serve as an assistant superintendent with the rank of Major.

In September of 2007, Colonel Squires was appointed by Governor Huntsman and Commissioner Scott T. Duncan to serve as deputy commissioner of DPS. He continues to serve in this role for Commissioner Davenport. He is also the State Director of Homeland Security responsible for overseeing the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Statewide Information and Analysis Center. Keith holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia College of Missouri and a Master of Arts Degree in Homeland Security and Defense through the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Ca. He is a 2005 graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session #216, Quantico, Virginia.

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Curt Sullivan, Asset Protection Planner, Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Curt Sullivan joined the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division in December of 2004 and is currently assigned to the Threat Information and Infrastructure Protection Program (TIIPP). Curt oversees the statewide asset protection program to include critical asset identification, vulnerability assessment programs and integration of CIKR programs in the Iowa Fusion Center. Additional duties include collaboration with state and local public/private sector partners and project officer for asset/infrastructure homeland security grant programs.

Previously he held the position of Homeland Security Regional Planner under the Preparedness Bureau. In this role, he helped develop the Continuity of Operation and Continuity of Government (COOP/COG) program for state agencies, was the project manager for the State Hazard Mitigation Plan, and was a planning liaison for local County Emergency Management agencies.

Curt began his career with Northwest Iowa Planning and Development Commission in 2001 as a City Planner. He provided technical assistance to county and local jurisdictions on hazard mitigation planning, grant writing, land use planning, and zoning ordinances.

Curt holds a bachelor’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University.

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Debra Winsor, Washington State Fusion Center, Seattle Police Department

Sergeant Debra Winsor, a native of the State of Washington, joined the Seattle Police Department in January 1991.  She has been engaged in homeland security and critical infrastructure protection activities since March, 2002.  Currently, she manages the Critical Infrastructure Section within the Washington State Fusion Center (WSFC). 

Sergeant Winsor’s current assignment to the WSFC as one of the supervisors began in June of 2008.  She has worked to develop and implement the Critical Infrastructure & Key Resource (CIKR) Program at the Fusion Center, where her responsibilities include:

•               Collaborating with local, state, and federal agencies and private sector partners concerning critical infrastructure protection matters

•               Acting as the primary statewide administrator for the Automated Critical Asset Management System (ACAMS) and the Deputy Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Officer for the State

•               Acting as the primary administrator for the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) Washington and Washington Law Enforcement Communities of Interest

Sergeant Winsor works closely with the State of Washington Military Department’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Program and Pacific Northwest Economic Region to coordinate planning, prevention, and protection efforts.  She serves in an advisory capacity to the State of Washington’s Committee on Homeland Security-Critical Infrastructure Sub-Committee, and Region 6 Critical Infrastructure Protection Task Force.

 

Brian Wright, Director, Critical Infrastructure Program, New York

Brian K. Wright is assigned to the New York State Office of Homeland Security and is responsible for the Critical Infrastructure Division. In this capacity, Brian oversees the statewide assessment of the vulnerability of the state’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) to terrorist attacks. 

Brian most recently served as program associate in the Office of Secretary to the Governor, with responsibility for issues related to Office of Homeland Security, Division of Military and Naval Affairs, New York State Police, New York State Emergency Management Office, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, New York State Department of Civil Service, New York State Division of Human Rights, New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs.  Prior to his service for the secretary to the governor, he served for six years as a legislative assistant to the counsel to the governor.

Brian draws on his public policy background to develop and implement the collaborative counter-terrorism efforts of critical state agencies, departments, and authorities and works with local government and the private sector to enhance security through effective stakeholder partnerships. He is a co-chair of the Mid-Atlantic State Critical Infrastructure Protection Working Group, under the All Hazards Consortium. 

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Robert Wynne, Sergeant, Kansas City Police Department

Sgt. Robert Wynne is a 23 year veteran of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.  Assignments as an officer have included: Patrol, Tactical Response (S.W.A.T.), Violent Crimes Investigations and Academy Instructor.  As a sergeant assignments have included supervisory roles in various units to include: Planning and Research and Fugitive Apprehension.  Currently, Sgt. Wynne is assigned as a supervisor within the Homeland Security Division and is directly involved in many regional, state and national Homeland Security Initiatives focusing on terrorism awareness and interdiction and critical infrastructure protection.

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) has been a priority since the summer of 2000.  At that time, Sgt. Wynne was tasked with the development of a program to better prepare the district officers for school shootings.  As a result of that endeavor, a software application was developed to enhance the officer’s ability to gather data about school facilities from the computers in the patrol vehicles.  An early version of this software was rolled out during the summer of 2001.  As the events of September 11th , 2001 unfolded….Sgt. Wynne’s role in developing plans for response to school shootings was expanded to include all critical infrastructure in the nine county region. 

After being immersed into the CIP concept, Sgt. Wynne became involved with the UASI Grant Program and assisted in the development of the CIP Workgroup, which was a function of the Homeland Security Coordinating Committee.  The early version of the school safety software was expanded to include all critical infrastructure.  This led to the development of a regional tiering criteria and a comprehensive risk assessment methodology, which utilizes Threat, Vulnerability and Consequence as the main components. 

After the development of the tools necessary to enhance CIP, a regional implementation process was designed to create a force multiplier in the site assessment procedure.  Recently the software system and overall CIP initiative has reached a point of sustainability and has gained the interest of several states around the country. 

Sgt. Wynne has obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master’s of Public Administration with an emphasis in Disaster and Emergency Management.  Sgt. Wynne holds the position of Associate Professor at Webster University providing instruction in the area of Terrorism and Emergency Management.to military officers attending the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth

 

Bob Zehentbauer, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness, Columbiana County Health District, OH

Mr. Zehentbauer currently serves as Director of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Planning for the Columbiana County Health District. Working with the critical infrastructure and manufacturing industries of Northeastern Ohio, Bob is responsible for developing vulnerability and public health assessments to improve all hazards, bioterrorism, WMD, and pandemic response. From April 2009 to April 2010, he was the Director of the H1N1 Mass Vaccination Response Unit for Columbiana County Health District. Serving as Incident Command Planning Section Chief and Public Information Officer, he was responsible for directing a multi-agency and Columbiana County Health Department support team during the 2009-10 H1N1 public health emergency.  

Bob is active on several federal and local committees; among them include appointments to the Homeland Security (SLTTGCC) State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council and to The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Project Public Health Ready Program. He is also a member of the Columbiana County Homeland Security and Local Emergency Planning Committees, Pandemic Flu Task Force, Tri-State Emergency Consortium, and is Chairman of The American Cancer Society for Columbiana County.

Prior to his current position, Bob was employed with United Airlines at Washington-Dulles International Airport. Working within the flight operations division for over 20 years, he was responsible for maintaining the safety and security of passengers and aircraft for onboard operations at United Airlines.    

Bob was elected and served a four-year term from December 2006 to January 2010 as Hanover Township Trustee of Columbiana County, Ohio, providing fiscal accountability and board supervision of a $1.3M budget.        

Additionally, since 1996, Bob has been the Owner and Operating Manager of Eagle Pass Golf Course, East Rochester, Ohio.

Mr. Zehentbauer received a bachelor’s degree in 1985 and is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association of The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
 

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