David Bloomstone. David has touched every area of marketing communications with an emphasis on communication and brand planning strategies in a career that has spanned more than 20 years. He has worked on both sides of the client-agency equation providing competitive insight and direction for effective, innovative, and cost-efficient communications plans. David is frequently called upon to work with clients to derive key messaging, especially for crisis management and public advocacy communications. He has been responsible for the development and execution of all pre-marketing and launch communication plans for major pharmaceutical products. David has extensive experience in negotiating multi-million dollar media contracts with major consumer media including print, broadcast, outdoor and online.     

Dianne Brunelle. Dianne has a degree in library and information sciences with a special interest in the use of technology to gather, organize and deliver information to individuals or organizations. The internet, along with the vast array of Web 2.0 technologies can be a simultaneously invaluable and overwhelming source of information. Dianne understands the critical need for turning that information into usable knowledge and helping clients use it to advance the missions of their organizations. Dianne has extensive global experience as a project manager and implementation specialist for the automation of many libraries and library consortiums. 

Georges Cowan. Mr. Cowan has the following certifications. Certified Business Continuity Planner (CBCP) from the Disaster Recovery International Institute (DRII), Member of the Business Continuity Institute (MBCI) from the Business Continuity Institute, Lead Auditor for the new BCM International standard BS25999 from the British Standards Institute (BSI) and Member of the BCM Standards Committee of the preparation of the new ISO BCM Standard from ASIS International. ASIS International is an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer (SDO). Georges is a licensed assessor for BCMM (Business Continuity Maturity Model), Virtual Corporation and for Business Continuity for banks and traders IIROC (formerly Investment Dealer Association). He is a .C.Adm. and bears the CMC (Certified Management Consultant) from Canadian Institute of Certified Management Consultant. His client roster includes: Société des Alcools du Québec, where he responsible for the account and a team of 7 consultants. He served as strategic consultant and assured quality control for the production and delivery of deliverables. He prepared business impact and risk assessment, corporate business continuity plans and tabletop exercises for Hypertec BCDR. He also developed enterprise BCP policy, enterprise BIA, enterprise BCP plans and plans for Avian Flu for Hypertec Group and was responsible as Business Continuity Director for all recovery efforts in Hypertec Group and reporting to Hypertec owners. At CGI Group, he develop enterprise BCP policy, enterprise BIA and served as SME for Avian Flu plans for CGI Group and for the best practices for the global BCP Practice and for BIAs conducted in Services to BCE, USA, Europe and Australia: he was manager of the global professional practice for Business Continuity Planning, Disaster Recovery Planning and Risk Management for CGI Group and developed a business solution for Sarbanes-Oxley. He conducted Business Impact Analysis and Risk Assessment for Montrusco Bolton, NOVARTIS Pharma, McKesson Pharma, CDP Capital, Réno-Dépôt, CGI Group, Caisse de Dépôts et Placements du Québec Optimal, Services Group, EchoStar (Fortune 500), Bell Express Vu, Man Financial and Fire Arms: Business Continuity Program for BDC, CGI Group, Desjardins, Optimal Services Group and EchoStar.

Darren De Jean. Darren is a results driven professional with a verifiable 14 year career track record for successfully propelling industry leaders through start-up ventures and high-growth cycles. He is known for delivering record-breaking revenue and profit gains in the software, ASP, search, Internet technology and online publishing industries. Darren is an exceptional communicator with strong negotiation, problem resolution, and client needs assessment aptitude. He is equally effective at identifying opportunities, developing focus and providing tactical business solutions. Darren's core strengths include: Strategic & Tactical Planning; New Business Development; Client / Vendor Relations & Retention; Enterprise & Complex Selling; Contract Negotiations; Product & Project Management; Marketing &  Communications; Public Relations & Speaking; Media & Publishing Industries; Online Search & Internet technologies; E-comm Software & Application; and Network & Communication Security.

Jacques Dufort. Jacques is a results-oriented solutions-searching creative and courageous entrepreneur. He is also a solid listener who enjoys sharing his experience and wisdom with clients interested in increasing operational depth and market reach. Jacques is a world traveler with an interest in exploring many of the paths less traveled. His trek to Santiago de Compostela is typical Jacques -- determined, focused, and willing to go the extra mile to achieve his goals. Jacques has been working in various business development positions in the technology industry and other sectors for the past 20 years. Jacques' core strengths include: Sales & Marketing in B2B and B2C; Executive Leadership; Retail Sales; Commercial & Industrial Distribution; Technology Solutions; Contract Negotiations; and Durable Goods. 

Andrew Fielden. Andrew is an Internet evangelist who has been taking the best of the available technologies to deliver solutions for clients since 1993. With a degree in Maths and Computing and having worked for a bank (as a banker) for 10 years he decided that he could not hold his passion for new ideas in check any longer. He left and fairly soon realized that the new kid on the block, the World Wide Web, would have a World Wide impact. In the first wave of the web he was a founder of a successful development company based in London with an impressive client list to its name. Following the dot com crash he moved to become the associate web producer for TIME International and latterly has been pursuing an independent route. Whilst the Internet scene has changed markedly since the early days, his enthusiasm has not and he remains firmly committed to examining the latest tools and trends to see how they help his clients to their best advantage. Read the latest from Andrew in The Rowing Basin.

Alan Fryer. Alan is one of Canada’s best known and most respected journalist with over 30 years experience in television news, with particular strengths in creative writing, documentary storytelling and on-camera presentation. Other skills include: strong television production skills; multiple Gemini nominations for news and feature reporting and two RTNDA awards for W-FIVE documentaries; a strong storyteller, able to meld words, sound and video to maximum effect; ability to understand and synthesize complex issues and explain them in a clear, succinct and visual manner; interviewed world leaders and covered hundreds of major Canadian, American and international events from the fall of the Soviet Union to the fall of Baghdad; the attacks of 9/11 to the ensuing war on terrorism; and an excellent understanding of the inner workings of news media and its relationship with the worlds of politics, business and entertainment.

Hal Newman.  Hal is the Founder and Managing Partner of TEMS. He is the Executive Director of the National Emergency Management Resource Center. NEMRC is the hub for an online community of practice that believes in a fully-inclusive approach to emergency management taking into account all population segments and helping to empower individuals and communities. Newman is also part of the team at EAD & Associates LLC. Newman’s three decades of emergency services experience has served him well as a team leader, policy advisor and catalyst. Newman is also the Managing Editor of Big Medicine which is an online cooperative community sharing news, views and resources related to emergency management and public health. Newman started his career as a firefighter/street medic in Montreal West which led to an emergency services visionquest with stops and opportunities to learn in West Virginia, Maryland and finally back home in Montreal where he led a small highly innovative EMS department. With that EMS organization, Newman developed a number of special needs advocacy projects including expanded scope of practice for community geriatric care; primary medical support for homeless outreach care; and highrise evacuation protocols for people with disabilities, the medically fragile, and the vulnerable-at-the-moment. Newman led a team on behalf of the National Organization on Disability into Mississippi immediately post-Hurricane Katrina to assess the catastrophic impacts on people with special needs. That experience led to a series of profound opportunities to provide assistance which eventually resulted in his being presented the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award for Humanitarian Service and the great privilege of meeting Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice. Newman’s undergrad studies were in Communications at BethanyCollege. His graduate studies were in Emergency Health Services System Administration at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. Hal Newman lives near Montreal with his wife Dianne and their twin ten-year-old daughters. You can reach Hal via email at hnewman@tems.ca

Tyson Macaulay Tyson is a Customer – Chief Information Security Officer (C-CISO)/ Security Liaison Officer (SLO) for Bell Canada. In this role, he is responsible for technical and operational risk management solutions for Bell’s largest enterprise clients. Tyson leads telecommunications security initiatives addressing large, complex, converged-IP solutions including both physical and logical (IT) assets, and regulatory/legal compliance requirements. In this role, he leads worldwide engagements involving multinational companies and international governments. Tyson’s leadership encompasses a broad range of industry sectors from the defence industry to high-tech start-ups. His expertise includes operational risk management programs, technical services and incident management processes.  Tyson has successfully served as prime architect for large-scale security implementations in both public and private sector institutions, working on projects from conception through development to implementation. Tyson is a respected thought leader with publications dating from 1993. His work has covered authorship of peer-reviewed whitepapers, IT Security Governance programs, technical and integration services and incident management processes. June of 2006 saw the publication of his first book: Securing Converged IP Networks, published in collaboration with British Telecom, Lucent Technology, Gallagher Insurance and InCode Wireless.

Vijay Mathur. Vijay specializes in selective areas of executive recruiting, coupled with senior level systems design consulting in the information systems management sector. Coupling these major fields, he has also been effective in general corporate management consulting, project management, connectivity, office systems integration, product management, strategic marketing and human resource management. After graduating with a Master's degree in Liberal Arts, he progressed in his career development as President of Jaykin Technologies Inc; Manager, Master Information Centre, for Canadian National Railways; Director, Product Management, for Philips Information Systems Inc.; Vice-President, Information Systems Division for SNC Group Inc.; Regional Sales Manager for a large international affiliate of Dupont of India Ltd.; Product Manager for several international subsidiaries; and Executive Director for Hummingbird Communications Inc., with worldwide responsibilities.

Martin Rothstein. Marty Rothstein has been an accomplished CEO, who has earned a reputation for delivering financial results and business growth to shareholders through periods of both economic growth and decline. Marty is recognized in the business community as a leader with vision, experience and an acute grasp of strategic issues and with a track record of providing innovative and practical solutions at a divisional and corporate level. An experienced Agent of Change, Marty is known as a professional with passion and a commitment to winning. Marty has been a CEO in the Corporate sector; a leader in the Not-for-Profit sector; a consultant to Privately Owned and Publicly Traded businesses on Strategic Thinking, Planning/Implementation, Marketing & Communications and Organizational Development. Marty spent 27 years at MacLaren Advertising (now MacLaren McCann) including five years as EVP & COO and 4 years as President & CEO. As COO, he was the architect and implementer of the company’s diversification from pure media advertising to a complete communications company, which dramatically increased revenues and profits, while further strengthening long-standing client relationships.

Stephen Wilgar is the Mentor. Steve believes in a strong work ethic, in always doing your level-headed-best for the client, and in conducting business the same way you would like to be treated in life. ‘Deliver more than you promise.’ Mr. Wilgar has served as the Chairman of Team EMS from January 2002 to the present. Mr. Wilgar has served as one of the corporate directors of PreMD [formerly IMI International Medical Innovation] since 1993. Mr. Wilgar has served as a corporate director of Electrohome, Ltd., from January 2004 to the present. From 2002 to 2007, Mr. Wilgar served as Chairman of AIM PowerGen Corporation. AIM PowerGen Corporation (AIM) is a wind power development company based in Toronto, Ontario. From May 2001 to June 2002, Mr. Wilgar was also a Director of Dimethaid Research Inc. and from June 1991 to April 2002, he was a Director of Verity International. Prior to that, Mr. Wilgar was a Director of MedExtra Corp. from December 2001 to March 2002 and was the President of SunBlush Technologies Corporation from 1996 to 1999. He has previously served on the boards of the Liposome Company, Nabob Coffee, and Telemedia Inc. From 1974 to 1988 Mr. Wilgar served as President of Warner-Lambert Canada, Asia, Australia and Latin America. During a 20-year career with Warner Lambert, he served in various executive positions including President of Warner Lambert, and President of Warner Lambert Far East, and Warner Lambert Canada – Latin America. Warner Lambert, now part of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), was a multi-divisional company comprised of Parke-Davis, General Diagnostics and Adams Brands, as well as a Consumer Products division.

___

In order to ensure our social media strategies and network accelerant services are consistent with the needs of our clients, our team includes a full complement of seasoned business continuity/ emergency management veterans with real-world experience.

Bruce Binder Bruce is a veteran emergency preparedness professional who has focused much of his career on public health and medical preparedness. Prior to entering the private sector, Binder served as Area Emergency Manager with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical system where he supervised the activities of emergency management staff throughout the western states. As a member of the VA’s Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group, Binder was responsible for establishing national policies and procedures for the organization and management activities and was instrumental in the development of the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System.

Hank Christen, MPA Hank has been a consultant in the fields of emergency response and counter-terrorism for Department of Defense agencies, federal response agencies, and local government public safety agencies since 2000. He was previously a Battalion Chief for the Atlanta Fire Department and Director of Emergency Services for Okaloosa County, Florida. He served as Unit Commander for the Gulf Coast Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and has responded to twelve national level disasters including the 2001 World Trade Center Attack. Hank Christen is a contributing editor for Fire House Magazine and has published over thirty articles in technical journals. He is the co-author (with Paul Maniscalco) of The EMS Incident Management System (Brady, 1998), and Understanding Terrorism and Managing its Consequences (Prentice Hall 2002), and Terrorism Response – Field Guide for Law Enforcement (Prentice Hall 2002). His latest book is National Incident Management System – Principles and Practices (Jones and Bartlett, 2005). Hank Christen is a graduate of the University of Florida, and has a Master of Public Administration degree. He is currently engaged in dissertation research on the infrastructure requirements for high-fidelity medical simulations in the Doctor of Education program at the University of West Florida. His doctoral specialty is Human Performance Technology.

Elizabeth Davis. Elizabeth is an emergency management consultant specializing in Special Needs planning and related issues.
Elizabeth was New York City's first-ever Special Needs Advisor. In this capacity, she ensured that all elements of the City's emergency planning, response and recovery incorporated the unique needs of the disability community, senior population and medically managed individuals. Elizabeth also managed special needs planning, response and recovery for some of the most critical emergencies in New York City history, including the West Nile Virus outbreaks, hurricanes, blizzards and heat waves, mass transit service interruptions and accidents, construction accidents, utility failures and the devastating terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Elizabeth was the first Director of the National Organization on Disability's (N.O.D.) Emergency Preparedness Initiative (EPI), and is an advisor to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She co-chairs the National Hurricane Conference's Health Care/Special Needs Committee, chairs the International Association of Emergency Managers' (IAEM) Special Needs Committee, and sits on the Advisory Boards of several national disaster preparedness and response organizations and research teams. Elizabeth also conducts special need planning workshops and presentations nationally and internationally, and has contributed to numerous academic studies. An accomplished public speaker, an inspiring teacher and a multiple-award winning emergency management expert, Elizabeth now shares her experience, unique skills and creative vision with clients who need comprehensive, customized and affordable solutions to appropriately address their special needs/disaster preparedness issues.

Angela Devlen. Angela is a Managing Partner at the management consultancy firm of Wakefield Brunswick based in Boston. Prior to founding Wakefield Brunswick, Angela was the Regional Emergency Management Coordinator for Caritas Christi Healthcare System where she is responsible for leading the Emergency Management and Business Continuity Program. Prior to joining Caritas, Angela was responsible for Corporate Disaster Recovery at Partners Healthcare System and was the project manager for the Boston University Emergency Management and Organizational Continuity Program. During her 15-year career she has also been an Emergency Medical Technician, Red Cross Disaster Action Team Member and worked as a consultant to the US Department of State, Fidelity Investments and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Angela is on the advisory board for the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness-New England Partnership for Healthcare Emergency Response Education and Training (NEPHERET) and she is one of five founding board members of the Business Continuity Planning Workgroup for Healthcare Organizations ("BCPWHO"). Angela is a regular speaker regionally and nationally and has been published in industry magazines and books on the topics of crisis communications, emergency management, business continuity and disaster recovery.

Grant Dillon. Grant has more than 30 years experience as a leader in emergency management and national security programs at the state and national levels. As the Chief of Staff at FEMA’s National Interagency Civil-Military Institute, Dillon guided development of civil-military training and educational programs in emergency management and counter-terrorism. He conceptualized and guided development of civil-military disaster exercises and distributive learning consequence management to terrorism exercise. In conjunction with the Superintendent of the U.S. Fire Academy, Dillon developed methodology for training first military responders to terrorism incidents. As a non-resident Professor at the U.S. Naval War College, Dillon designed, developed and delivered graduate courses on domestic and international humanitarian relief; and infrastructure protection and homeland defense. As Chief, Program Support/Plans, Operations, and Readiness at FEMA, Dillon developed National Security plans, operations, and maintained readiness in conjunction with Federal Departments, National Security Council, and the White House Military Office. Dillon’s regular managerial assignments on FEMA Emergency Support and Emergency Response Teams included 5 hurricanes; the Northridge earthquake, and the Oklahoma City bombing. As the Director of Emergency Management and Medical Resource Sharing Service for the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs [DVA], Dillon wrote and defended legislation for use of VA medical care facilities in time of war or catastrophic disaster. He was a member of a three-person principal team that conceptualized, designed and implemented the National Disaster Medical System. Dillon served on the Emergency Mobilization Preparedness Board of the National Security Council where he was responsible for medical and earthquake planning. Dillon’s unique achievements include: conceptualization and implementation of both the DVA/DOD Contingency Hospital System – the National Disaster Medical System – and what was to become the Federal Response Plan.

Peter Elkins. Peter is a crisis management and emergency health consultant based near Vancouver BC. Selected projects include developing a comprehensive crisis management strategy for the Tourism Bureau including 2010 Olympics strategies; developing an international medical response and repatriation system for a major mining company; and developing a crisis management and security system for a US based utility company. Prior to consulting Peter was a driving force in the evolution of professional emergency medical and rescue response while working as a paramedic in the City of Vancouver, a professional ski patroller at Whistler/Blackcomb, rural firefighter, and a professional emergency prehospital care instructor teaching medics, guides, and First Responders throughout North America. On an international level, Peter has provided workshops and training on the subject of Crisis Management and Response as well as Corporate Emergency Medical Responder in over fourteen countries throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He has also implemented one of the first truly international corporate Automatic External Defibrillation programs. He holds the position of president of GUTZ EMS Inc. GUTZ is currently working on a new prototype stretcher for the US military, and continues to innovate Crisis Management Training and Emergency Medical Products to enhance both Emergency Medicine and Crisis Management operations for the private and public sector.

Anne Grunewald. Anne is a senior-level executive with a record of accomplishment in program creation, development and organizational capacity building. She has progressive experience in disaster preparedness, international development, and arts administration. Her expertise includes large-scale project launches, systems analysis, and strategic planning. Anne is recognized for her leadership, her ability to build consensus among diverse communities, and effective negotiation. Anne's list of recent clients includes the American Red Cross in Greater New York, New York Disaster Interfaith Services, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Metropolitan Council on Government, State of Louisiana, and City University of New York - School of Professional Studies. As the Director of Disaster Preparedness for the Human Services Council of New York City, Anne developed the mission, vision and budget for a disaster preparedness program designed to ensure the ability of NYC's nonprofit human services sector to provide disaster social services in a coordinated, effective way after a large-scale incident. As the Director of Human Services for the NYC Office of Emergency Management, Anne created and led the human services division of one of the largest, most innovative public emergency management agencies on the continent. She oversaw the creation and implementation of the OEM's disaster education programs including the NYC Community Emergency Response Team [CERT] program, and development of a NYC-specific curriculum, now being used in 20 NYC communities and as a National model for urban environments. Anne created the NYC Citizen Corps Council - a federal model that serves as a mechanism for coordinating and facilitating public participation in disaster preparedness and volunteer initiatives being implemented by private, public and non-profit sectors.

Rebecca Hansen. As a Senior Project Manager and consultant for EAD & Associates, Rebecca works nationwide with clients including governments, non-profits and private entities. Her professional emphasis is the integration of special needs and human services issues into emergency management standards, planning and practices. In her field she has developed and conducted several training sessions for public health and emergency management professionals. During the response and recovery phases of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana, Hansen worked as a subject matter expert on one of four Rapid Assessment Teams deployed by a national disability organization. She presently serves on a select special needs advisory group to The Road Home, Louisiana’s housing recovery program. Hansen was recently selected as an instructor with the CUNY Graduate Center, a partner with NYC OEM, to carry out coastal storm training to NYC employees to prepare them for leadership roles in evacuation centers and hurricane shelters. From 2000-2003 Hansen served as the Assistant Director of Government Relations for the Greater New York American Red Cross (ARC) and as their primary disaster planner and liaison to the New York City Office of Emergency Management. In that role, directly working with NYC OEM, she helped lead the initial and long-term human services response to the World Trade Center terrorist attack including assisting with sheltering, food provision, service coordination, outreach, and other aspects of the complex response system. She collaborated with government and non-profit organizations in disaster preparedness and planning activities to address critical human needs issues. At ARC Hansen managed and trained a team of 20 volunteers to respond to the ARC, OEM, NYPD, or other Emergency Operations Centers activated within the ARC jurisdiction prior to, during, or after disasters. In addition she initiated activities to increase membership, develop infrastructure, and increase response capability of member organizations, as vice chair for the New York City Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NYC VOAD).

Terri Kuhr Terri possesses more than 27 years of Wall Street senior business leadership and financial experience. She leads and manages corporate administrative and financial activities and serves as senior client relationship manager for all SEG engagements. Terri has managed administrative, financial and logistics matters for dozens of SEG projects including major HSEEP based exercise initiatives, emergency planning and continuity initiatives and disaster deployments. Prior to her assuming the post of CEO, Ms. Kuhr served in a number of senior level corporate positions in the financial sector, including Director of Finance, American Express, Office of the General Counsel; and, Director of Human Resources, Budgeting and Administration before that. In both positions, she was responsible for, and led business continuity and crisis management efforts. Prior to her tenure at American Express, Ms. Kuhr served with JP Morgan Chase & Co. performing financial management and auditing services with a special emphasis on fraud elimination and management.

Steven Kuhr Steve has extensive operational and consulting experience in guiding governments, agencies, and corporations throughout the nation in preparing for all hazards emergencies and catastrophic terrorism, especially those involving chemical and biological weapons. Mr. Kuhr served with the City of New York for 20 years before joining the private sector. As deputy commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, he oversaw and managed the City's catastrophic terrorism readiness, planning, and response programs, and directed planning for all-hazards, such as severe/tropical weather, and failures of critical infrastructure. Mr. Kuhr has served as an adjunct faculty member at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute and the Department of Defense - National Guard Bureau, National Interagency Civil Military Institute (NICI - Camp San Louis Obispo) where he instructed on a variety of emergency management and counter-terrorism topics. He has written, published and lectured on emergency management, counter-terrorism preparedness, and port security within the US and internationally.

Richard Liebmann Richard has been leading teams in fire and emergency medical services for 22 years. He prides himself on his expertise in command of operations for major fires or other large scale events, in his leadership abilities in motivating and coordinating multidisciplinary teams, in his ability to successfully research, analyze, plan and implement major projects, as well as his negotiation and administrative skills, and use of new technology. He is currently Division Chief – Emergency Medical Services for the Montreal Fire Department (Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal). Highlights of his career include Chief of Operations – Media Relations for the Montreal Fire Department; Division Chief, Emergency Medical Services for the Côte-Saint-Luc Fire Department; firefighter for the Côte-Saint-Luc Fire department. He also held a volunteer position as Chief of Operations for Côte-Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services.  Over the years, Liebmann has also been an instructor for many specialized courses in the emergency medical and rescue field. Liebmann has a B.SC from McMaster University, and a graduate diploma in Management from McGill University.  He also has several specialized training certificates involving paramedic and fire safety training, swift water and ice rescue, Counter Narcotics & Terrorist Operations Medical Support, and Special Weapons and Tactics.

Daniel Manny Daniel has more than 20-years experience as a project manager [this position carries the title of ' engineering specialist' with U.S. utilities] with one of the largest suppliers of hydro-electricity in the world. He has led field teams through multiple widespread power outages, including the Ice Storm of 1998. Daniel has also conducted extensive research on the realities of 'powering-up' disaster shelters for special needs clients. Daniel's work includes the design and layout of cost-efficient overhead and underground field distribution projects to current design standards and applicable codes, producing estimates for distribution projects, writing easements, providing design options and estimates for future system additions or modifications to asset management, technical support of construction teams for O&M and new construction activities, application of materials and application of construction standards, technical support of other engineering personnel and operations, project management process. Daniel's focus is always on the design of distribution systems to protect the public, his colleagues, the environment, and the assets of the utility. Daniel is a member of the TEMS Apocalypse [noun] scenariocraft group.

Bo Mayhew  Col [ret] H. E. 'Bo' Mayhew initiated his distinguished 32-year military career as an Artillery Officer until his selection for flight school in 1969. After receiving his wings he served as a Cavalry Troop Executive Officer and Cobra gun-ship pilot with the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Viet Nam during 1969-1970. His Army career included assignments in Asia, Europe, and Central America. As a senior Operations Officer for US Army South, Republic of Panama he worked with Embassies and Foreign Military General Staff’s throughout Central and South America in planning and conducting multiple large scale training operations. He culminated that assignment as Ground Force Operations Officer for Joint Task Force Panama leading the way for Operation Just Cause. His Pentagon level assignments included Chief, Military Support Branch followed by assignment as Chief of Operations for the National Guard of the United States. In these positions through the 1990’s he was directly responsible for assisting in the coordination of National Level response to emergencies such as Hurricanes Andrew, Marilyn, Opal, Fran and Floyd, the Los Angeles Riots, the Northridge and Loma Prieta Earthquakes, the Mid-West Floods, the Southeast Floods, and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Paul Penn Paul has more than 30 years of experience in the management and delivery of healthcare, emergency medical, fire/rescue, hazardous materials, and environmental management services. He serves on the California statewide Disaster Interest Group [a public/ private collaboration to address emergency management for healthcare] and was appointed as a member of the California Hospital Bioterrorism Planning and Preparedness Committee. During a decade of public service with the State of California, Penn served at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services where he managed implementation of the nation’s largest federal hazardous materials emergency planning and community right-to-know program. He served as the chief staff person for the California Chemical Emergency Planning and Response Commission. Penn authored the California Hazardous Materials Incident Contingency Plan and served as a member of the FIRESCOPE working group which developed the Hazardous Materials Module for the Incident Command System. Penn holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/ Community Health Services from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Mike Ramsey COL Forest 'Mike' Ramsey's career spanned more than 30 years of cumulative military service in addition to extensive experience in the civilian business and government sectors. His military career began in 1967, covered a tour in South Vietnam as an aviation unit commander, continued in the Army National Guard beginning in 1976, then extended through assignments in the international and domestic operations arenas, including Deployment Team Chief for DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM at U.S. Forces Command, culminating in assignments as Chief of Operations, Army National Guard, and then as Chief, National Guard Bureau Olympic Task Force, sending over 13,000 National Guard personnel to provide security support to the 1996 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Atlanta, and ending as the National Guard Bureau Special Officer for Combating Terrorism.

Roy Roper Roy is a Consulting Anthropologist in Cultural Integrity, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an Adjunct Professor in Anthropology, The Honors College and the Department of Sociology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (honors seminars: Gumbo Anthropology: Cajun Diaspora, Ethnicity, and Community Resilience; The Anthropology of Natural and Man-Made Disasters: Preparedness, Response and Recovery; The Anthropology of Human Vulnerability in Biological Disasters: Ducks, Pigs, Fowl, Flu and You; courses:  Introduction to Sociology; Introduction to Anthropology). Roper is an Adjunct Professor in Anthropology, Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania (course: Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective) and a Lecturer in Anthropology, Community College of Beaver County, Pennsylvania (course: Principles of Anthropology). He is the Assistant Managing Editor and Book Review Editor, Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management (ICDRM), School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Roper is an Instructor, Community College of Allegheny County and the Public Safety Institute, Allegheny Campus, Pennsylvania (courses: Shelter Operations, Shelter Simulation, Mass Care, Community Services, and Disaster Services Overview). Roper holds a B.A. in Social Psychology and Sociology from Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan. He earned his M.A. and the Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Thomas R. Runyon Tom is an Environmental Engineer and brings JVR Health Readiness customers over 24 years of specialized experience, including contingency/disaster preparedness, emergency response, and emergency management planning for “All Hazards” disasters. He is an expert regarding technical and health aspects of potable water supplies, hazardous materials/waste operations, medical waste treatment technologies, and the storage, handling, and assessment of chemical agent materials. He serves as a subject matter expert responsible for developing and testing emergency management plans for Department of Defense facilities. Tom became a Certified Business Continuity Professional in 1999. Subsequently, he developed a comprehensive, concise healthcare disaster preparedness plan for DOD/DA healthcare organizations. His plans exceeded JCAHO standards existing at that time. In 2001, JCAHO standards were revised to reflect the topics advocated in Tom’s initial guidance. Tom performs evaluations of emergency management plans as part of pre-JCAHO reviews, and assists in their revision for many healthcare organizations. He has performed several organizational and healthcare facility vulnerability assessments, as well as presented effective mitigation measures and developed and audited semi-annual emergency exercises. In support of Homeland Defense initiatives, he has served as a primary reviewer of DOD and DA emergency healthcare guidance and has been actively involved in the performance of emergency vulnerability assessments for select Army installations. Such work has led to the development of a “Commander’s Guide” to facilitate localized planning. Mr. Runyon has played an integral part in combating the threat of intentional contamination by biological warfare materials. He was responsible for much of the initial mailroom sampling for anthrax occurring in government offices around Washington, and was subsequently responsible for establishing national anthrax sampling and decontamination guidance and training information that was adopted by the CDC and the USEPA. He served as a key member of the Incident Command team deployed at the onset of anthrax contamination identified at the Brentwood Postal Facility and at the Department of State Overseas Mail Distribution Center. Currently, he serves as a SME for decontamination, monitoring, and mitigation of biological contamination, and fills the SME role on the DOD Smallpox Epidemiological Response Teams. In addition to his expertise and management experience in the areas of potable water supply systems; hazardous waste and Regulated Medical Waste characterization, mitigation, and disposal; human and ecological health risk assessment; and safety program development; Mr. Runyon served as the liaison officer between the Department of Defense and the Health and Human Service’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). During this time, he was responsible for determining/prioritizing the need for health assessment and toxicological studies amongst all three military Services and for overseeing the Congressionally-mandated support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He routinely briefed authorities from all listed organizations. Mr. Runyon has conducted onsite training and workshops providing guidance and instruction to administrative, engineering, and operations personnel pertaining to facility utility systems, emergency management, safety programs, and Weapons of Mass Destruction issues. This training has been performed throughout the U.S. and overseas.

James M. Rush Jim is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM). Jim has over 26 years of healthcare administration experience in the US Armed Forces, the US Public Health community and in the civilian healthcare industry. Most recently, he was the Region III Project Officer for the National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program. This is a Department of Health and Human Services program dedicated to assisting hospitals in preparing for “All Hazards” events. He was also the first logistics manager for the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile program, the forerunner of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the Private Healthcare Sector, Jim served as the Materials Manager for Children’s Hospital and Center for Reconstructive Surgery in Baltimore Maryland, Garrett County Memorial Hospital in Oakland Maryland and at the Barrow County Medical Center in Winder, Georgia. As a US Air Force Medical Service Corps (MSC) Captain, Mr. Rush served as the US Air Force’s Middle East Regional Chief, Medical Logistics Management, while stationed at Incirlik, Turkey from June 1977-April 1979. He later served as a logistics staff officer for the US Air Force Surgeon General in Germany, specializing in wartime medical supplies and equipment. He was the first 500-Bed wartime and contingency hospital administrator and was a pioneer in adapting the Israeli Defense Force’s 4-Echelons of wartime healthcare to the United States Armed Services in Germany. Mr. Rush received his BS in Health Services Administration from the University of Arizona. He also holds a Professional Certificate in Information Systems from the University of Southern California. He also earned a Certificate in “Decision Risk Analysis for Logisticians” from the US Army’s Logistics Management College.

Vivian C. Rush, MD, MPH Vivian is Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.  She graduated from the New York University School of Medicine in 1978. She performed her Internship at the University of Louisville, Department of Family Medicine in 1978-79. Her active duty career began in Primary Care with the United States Air Force in 1979 in South Korea and was later assigned to Zweibrucken Air Force Base in Germany. After her Air Force commitment, Dr. Rush served as an Emergency Room physician with Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center in Germany. Upon returning to the United States, Dr. Rush received her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Occupational Medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1996. She was Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 1997 and began her employment with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) a agency associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. While serving with ATSDR, Dr. Rush was a Physician Project Officer with Environmental Public Health programs such as Medical Monitoring of populations exposed to harmful agents and consulting with local physicians on a host of possible medical problems experienced by exposed persons. She was a medical expert in explaining the medical risks to affected communities and advising exposed individuals and groups. Dr. Rush has served two assignments with the US Army's Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (CHPPM) at Aberdeen Proving ground, Maryland. She has led teams of Public Heath experts in investigating suspected disease clusters and played major roles in "Town Hall meetings" for communities concerned about issues spanning chemical releases to perceived increased incidences of spontaneous abortions. Dr. Rush is a very thoughtful and caring physician who clearly and accurately depicts facts and risks in a way that engenders trust and facilitates a full understanding of all issues surrounding Community Public Health concerns and health affects associated with Biological, Chemical, Explosive or Radiological exposures.  

Ric Skinner, GISP Ric has nearly 35 years experience in environmental management & assessment and in applying GIS in environmental, health, and hospital related areas. In his current position with the not-for-profit Health Geographics Program he is responsible for technical coordination of GIS projects in a variety of application areas, including clinical research, health services, laboratory, logistics, emergency management and “hospital-land” security, and hazard vulnerability assessment. Ric was a Sr. Research Scientist and GIS Coordinator with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services/Cancer Epidemiology Services (CED) from 1999 - 2001. He was responsible for establishing CED’s GIS program to support epidemiology research and the NJ State Cancer Registry. He was also the DHSS representative on the Statewide GIS Committee. Ric provided GIS support to the NJ West Nile Virus program in 2000, and in 2001 he provided GIS support for the CDC investigation of their anthrax investigation at the Hamilton (NJ) Mail Processing Facility. During 1995 – 1998 Ric was a consultant providing health geographics services to several hospitals and a large health information company based in VA. Ric was employed by large electric utility companies in Michigan and Pennsylvania from 1976 – 1995, conducting environmental assessments at non-nuclear power plants, wetlands delineation, permitting, wetlands regulatory development, transmission line siting, NPDES permitting, and implementation of GIS for facility siting, economic development, and hazardous waste clean-up projects. Ric initiated the International Health Geographics Conference and co-chaired the first two conferences (Baltimore - 1998, Washington DC - 2000); co-authored the book "Geographic Information Systems Applications in Health"; serves on the Editorial Board of the online International Journal of Health Geographics; and has authored or co-authored over 100 publications, presentations and reports in health geographics and environmental assessment.

Michael Weston Mike is typically described as the “spirit and conscience” of any organization that he has been a part of, and has been creating and directing programs across the expanse of Human Services for the past thirty years. His accomplishments have been varied and diverse. He has been responsible for piloting a statewide initiative to enhance the quality of care in Florida nursing homes by expanding community involvement. Michael has created and directed numerous community based initiatives, and is the former and founding Director of Disaster Planning and Operations for the state’s Department of Elder Affairs. He currently serves as a Disaster Consultant to the U S Administration on Aging and in that capacity has been tasked by the Department of Homeland Security as the Federal Coordinating Officer over many recent presidential declared disaster events.