Emergency Management Presenters

Emily Bentley, J.D., assistant professor & director, Savannah State University Homeland Security and Emergency Management Program

Ms. Bentley is director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Program at Savannah State University, the only bachelor’s degree program in homeland security or emergency management in the state of Georgia.  She currently oversees a DHS-funded grant project on improving outcomes for vulnerable populations in Chatham County. Ms. Bentley previously served as executive director of the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP), a national standards and assessment program for state and local government emergency management.

A former journalist and lawyer, Ms. Bentley has a broad background in public policy, particularly in comprehensive emergency operations and continuity of operations planning as well as state-to-state cooperation to address issues of national interest. Ms. Bentley received her bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and juris doctorate from the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University.

Phillip Webber, Emergency Management Consultant, James Lee Witt Associates

Phillip Webber has more than 30 years of hands-on experience with public and private sector safety, disaster mitigation, emergency and recovery, continuity of operations, homeland security, and emergency management.  A respected and sought-after leader in the discipline of emergency management, Mr. Webber is committed to the responsibility and integrity of the profession, with an understanding of how emergency management interacts with all aspects of society. Mr. Webber has a proven record in developing partnerships and team-building across government agencies, the first responder community, private sector, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and citizens. This experience combined with executive-level leadership in all aspects of public sector emergency program management provides him with a unique understanding of and sensitivity to senior officials in both the public and private sectors and the ability to bridge diverse interests in development of cohesive strategies to achieve community-wide goals.  Mr. Webber provides consultation to the public sector at both local and state levels and to non-profit organizations in emergency preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.  He assisted in problem resolution and situational awareness to the Louisiana State Coordinating Officer (SCO) in response to Hurricane Gustav.  Mr. Webber was the lead consultant, on behalf of the Director of Louisiana’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), to the Hurricane Ike Shelter and Evacuation Task Force.  This group prepared the State of Louisiana in reloading its capability to evacuate and shelter at-risk populations from the threat of Hurricane Ike, just days after the landfall of Hurricane Gustav.  The task force successfully completed its mission by leveraging the combined capacity of local, state, and federal public sector entities along with the resources of private sector, volunteer, and non-governmental organizations.  Additionally, he was the Iowa state liaison to ESF14 Long Term Community Recovery, serving as a liaison on behalf of the Rebuild Iowa Office to five communities in northeastern Iowa.

Drew Sachs, Vice-President for Crisis and Consequence Management, James Lee Witt Associates

Andrew Sachs is Vice-President for Crisis and Consequence Management at JLWA.   Mr. Sachs provides senior leadership, technical assistance, and support in the implementation of Public Assistance, Mitigation, and Long Term Recovery projects. His unique professional experience includes resolution of critical issues and disagreements with FEMA, representation of applicant and State needs and communication with applicants. Mr. Sachs was recently the senior management staff leading JLWA’s project to assist the State of Iowa in its recovery efforts from the recent flooding. While in Iowa, he designed and managed the implementation of the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO), which became a newly-established entity within the Governor’s Office tasked with coordinating all recovery efforts and leveraging resources related to the severe storms and flooding that impacted Iowa during the summer of 2008. Mr. Sachs also led JLWA’s team which supported the implementation of a nearly $1 billion infrastructure repair and $185 million hazard mitigation program.

Previously Mr. Sachs was one of three senior management staff leading the JLWA team in Louisiana. In this role, he helped design and implement the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), an entity established to coordinate overall recovery efforts, establish priorities, receive and distribute appropriated relief funds, and provide a single voice for the State on recovery issues. He is a senior advisor for the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission, which is advocating for the funding and spear-heading the State’s recovery efforts.  Mr. Sachs has since served as a senior advisor to both the Governor and Executive Director of the LRA on matters related to disaster response and recovery, including how to maximize Federal assistance to the State and local governments and how best to work with FEMA to achieve results. While in Louisiana, Mr. Sachs led the State's long-term community recovery planning effort with the 26 most impacted parishes, and developed and implemented regional and statewide planning activities designed to address issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries.

Greg Fenton, Director of Operations, Southeast Region, James Lee Witt Associates

Greg Fenton currently serves as the Director of Operations for James Lee Witt Associates’ (JLWA) Southeast Regional Office. Mr. Fenton served as the Project Manager for the update of the LA Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness COOP and the development of their Pandemic Flu Annex to the COOP.  He was the Project Manager for the University of Louisiana – Lafayette, Disaster Resistant University. Mr. Fenton is also the Project Coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Health Pandemic Flu Annex update.  He manages the JLWA training program focused on providing private companies, state and local governments, law firms, hospitals, universities and other clients with disaster management training in the following areas: Executive Level Seminars, NIMS/ICS/NRF Training, Debris Management, Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation. He is also working with several of our clients to bring new technologies into various emergency management areas to improve interoperability, information management and situational awareness.  Mr. Fenton helped design and stand up the Rebuild Iowa Office that was created by Governor Culver to coordinate Iowa’s recovery efforts following the devastating floods in 2008.  He helped develop, coordinate and execute all of the events leading up to the Governor’s 45 day report that highlighted unmet needs and proposed some term recommendations.  He also served as the State Liaison to FEMA’s ESF 14 Long Term Community Recovery Team, and was responsible for coordinating the efforts in Cedar Rapids and Palo, two of the most ravaged communities

Lans P. Rothfusz, Meteorologist in Charge, National Weather Service Peachtree City Georgia

Lans P. Rothfusz (pronounced Lance ROTE-foos) is the Meteorologist in Charge of the National Weather Service's (NWS) Weather Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia.

Mr. Rothfusz earned his Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1982) and his Master of Science degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma (1985).  After two years of postgraduate work at the University of Oklahoma, he began his tenure with the NWS in 1987.  With the NWS, Mr. Rothfusz has served in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Fort Worth, Texas; as the Meteorologist in Charge of the offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma and now MIC of Peachtree City, Georgia.

The office Mr. Rothfusz supervises has been recognized often for its successes, including a Department of Commerce gold medal for its performance during the active hurricane season of 2004, and DOC bronze medals for performance during Hurricane Katrina and the 1 March 2007 Americus tornado event.

Mr. Rothfusz has been personally honored with the DOC’s Silver Medal for co-developing “StormReady,” a severe weather preparedness program for communities.  Since its inception in 1999, StormReady has spread to over 1,200 communities nationwide and has had a noticeable affect on reducing weather-related fatalities and injuries.  The American Meteorological Society presented Mr. Rothfusz with its prestigious Francis W. Reichelderfer Award for his leadership of a multinational team providing weather support to the 1996 Olympics.

Mr. Rothfusz is a member of several professional organizations for meteorology and emergency management, holds an amateur radio license (KD5EJN), is an active leader in his church, and enjoys songwriting, playing and recording with the praise band “GraceFlock.”  He resides in Fayetteville, Georgia with his wife, Kathy, and their two sons.

Brian McCallum

Brian McCallum graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s and masters degrees in civil engineering in 1992.  He worked as a student in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Altamonte Springs office in Florida while still in school.  In 1993, he started full-time with the USGS in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he helped establish the Louisiana HydroWatch, a statewide hydrologic monitoring network.  As part of the flood monitoring effort, he was co-author for the “Amite River Flood Tracking Chart”, a public-awareness tool that has a distribution of over 1 million copies and has been used in many other parts of the country.  In February 1999, he was selected as the USGS Federal Engineer of the Year by the National Society of Professional Engineers. 

In January 2000, Brian became the Assistant Director of Hydrologic Monitoring for the USGS in Atlanta, Georgia.  Brian continues to be active in the National Hydrologic Warning Council, a group representing hydrologic warning system operators and data users.  In Georgia, he was co-author of the “Surface-Water Data for Georgia”, a GIS-based cd-report that helped redefined the USGS publication approach to basic data reports.  In May 2003, Brian was awarded the William A. Jump award that is given annually to one Federal employee under the age of 37 for exemplary service in Public Administration.

Brian loves spending time with family, Nebraska football, coaching softball, and traveling.  He has been married since 1992, and has two daughters.

Chris Walsh

Chris Walsh is a Georgia Certified Emergency Manager and the Hurricane Program Manager with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). Chris also retains status as a Disaster Assistance Employee with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and has facilitated this position by serving as a Hazard Mitigation Specialist with FEMA Region VI and as a member of the Hurricane Liaison Team (HLT) having been deployed to the National Hurricane Center during Major Hurricane’s Charley (2004) and Rita (2005). 

Chris Walsh attained a Bachelor of Science degree and pursued graduate studies in Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. While attending college, Chris served in multiple capacities to include: graduate research intern with the Storm Prediction Center, graduate research assistant with the Center for Spatial Analysis, undergraduate research intern with the Naval Research Laboratory,undergraduate research intern with the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, participated in the Thunderstorm Electrification and Lightning Experiment with the National Severe Storms Laboratory, and volunteered with the Lake Thunderbird Micronet. 

Dan Stowers

Dan Stowers joined GEMA in August of 2007 and became the Planning Section Director in April of 2008. He came to GEMA after serving as the Deputy Director for Chatham Emergency Management Agency in Savannah, Georgia for eight years and Assistant Fire Chief for the City of Pooler. Prior to entering his public safety career, Dan served ten years in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, with assignments worldwide to include Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

While serving as the Deputy Director for Chatham County, Dan held numerous titles and filled many challenging roles. In 1999 he was designated as the evacuation coordinator for Chatham County and spearheaded the general population evacuation of Savannah and Chatham County for Hurricane Floyd, which at the time was the largest evacuation in U.S. History. In 2003, Dan was appointed as the lead planner for Chatham County and oversaw planning efforts for the 2004 G8 Summit, a Level I National Special Security Event.

Dan’s military and public service experience includes key planning and operational leadership positions in large-scale responses to hazardous material incidents, mass evacuations, residential and commercial structure fires and high level criminal investigations. Dan operated an administrative logistical operations center for Desert Shield and combat operations in Iraq during Desert Storm in 1991.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration. He has completed numerous programs at the National Fire Academy and Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Dan has served as an assessor for the Emergency Management Accreditation Program and completed assessments of numerous emergency management programs. As an Incident Command System instructor, Dan has been asked to teach ICS courses for municipal government and non-government organizations all over the United States. His enthusiasm in the classroom, broad experience in emergency management and natural desire to help organizations prepare and respond to all types of disasters, have made him a popular outside instructor to assist organizations in implementing the principles of the National Incident Management System.He is married to Nichole Stowers, formerly of Seymour, Indiana. They have two sons and one daughter. They reside in Henry County, Georgia and are actively engaged in supporting youth athletic and church programs with their children.

William Klein, Fire Science Coordinator, Brevard Community College, Cocoa, FL

William Klein is responsible for all aspects of the daily operation of the AS Degree program and the Fire Training Academy.   Appointed in 2002, William enacted noteworthy program changes culminating in the College being recognized as the Florida Fire Training Center of the Year for 2006.  Committed to public service, William entered the fire service in 1967 with the Levittown Volunteer Fire Department, NY.  In 1975 he moved to Terryville, NY where he continued his public service with the Terryville Volunteer Fire Department eventually attaining the rank of Captain.  As a career Police Officer, William served with the Laurel Hollow Police Department, New York State Park Police Department and Nassau County Police Department before retiring in 2001.

Believing education is the key to success, William received his Bachelors Degree from the New York Institute of Technology where he also earned Masters Credits in Labor Relations.  William is currently working toward his MA Degree in Management & Leadership at Webster University and plans on graduating in fall 2010.  William also maintains his Fire Service Instructor III certification with the State of Florida through continuing education. 

William’s commitment to the public is further evidenced by his receipt of two distinguished awards, one received as a Police Officer for Heroism in 1986 and the other received as a Firefighter for Heroism in 1997.  William is married to Deborah Klein, together they have five children and one grandchild.  William is a U.S. Army combat veteran having served from 1969 to 1971.

Laurie Wood

NO BIO SUBMITTED

Bob Bolz

Bob Bolz, now retired after 34 years with Georgia DNR has been involved in well over 100 searches. He served on the DNR Search & Rescue Team from 1979 until 2009 and held the team Chief position from 1987 until 2009. He has managed, served operationally and trained personnel extensively for not only lost person searchers but also helicopter operations, swift water, cliff and waterfall rescues. He is a certified FEMA/OHS instructor for ICS and the Exercise & Evaluation Train-The Trainer Program. A former SAR Tech II, and past National Association for Search & Rescue Instructor for Fundamentals of Search & Rescue, Managing the Search Function, and Managing the Lost Person Incident. He continues as a volunteer member of the DNR Search & Rescue Team and currently resides in Dawsonville, GA.

Allen Padgett

Allen Padgett, now retired from Georgia DNR after 34 years has been personally involved in over 100 searches. Is currently training officer for the DNR SAR Team. As a Captain with Walker County Fire-Rescue manages cave rescues, cliff rescues and lost person searches. As chairman of Search and Rescue Dogs of Georgia deploys trained dogs to searches across North Georgia. He is a SAR Technician evaluator for the National Association for Search and Rescue and past instructor. Is co-author of "ON ROPE" a resource for high angle rope use.  He currently resides near Lafayette Georgia.

Jeff Morrison

Jeff Morrison began working in the emergency response arena in 1974 as a firefighter/EMT for the City of Riverview, Michigan. He remained at the fire department for 16 years where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant. During that period Jeff also received a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Detroit.

While serving as a firefighter, Jeff began a second career with Delta Air Lines in August of 1976. After 16 years of service, Jeff resigned from the fire department and accepted a transfer with Delta from Detroit to Atlanta, Georgia. During his tenure with Delta he held a variety of assignments, although the majority of his 30 year career was spent in the Flight Operations Division.

Jeff’s duties for Delta Air Lines in Atlanta included Security Compliance during the 1996 Olympic Games and 3 years as the Atlanta Worldport Emergency Response Coordinator. In November of 2000, he began serving as the Delta Air Lines North American Emergency Response Program Manager. Jeff’s primary function in this role was to assist local station personnel to effectively and efficiently respond to an aircraft accident through participation in training and a variety of emergency response exercises.

Jeff retired from Delta Air Lines on September 1, 2006, upon which he accepted a position with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) as the Program Director, Statewide Exercise – Operations. Jeff’s duties at GEMA include delivering, coordinating and oversight of the on-going management of a cross- discipline comprehensive exercise program in All- Hazard preparedness and response within the Operations Division.

Trace Sargent

Tracy “Trace” Sargent is a Program Director for the Terrorism Emergency Response and Preparedness Division. As a 17-year veteran for public safety, she is a POST certified law enforcement officer and instructor, licensed EMT and firefighter and certified Emergency Program Manager. She holds a Masters from the University of Birmingham at Alabama and Bachelors from Samford University. Within the exercise arena, she has developed, facilitated, coordinated, evaluated and participated in all types of exercises at the local, state and federal levels involving a variety of scenarios. She is also the Exercise Authorized Agent for the State of Georgia and coordinates training and exercises among local, state and federal parties.

Greg Swanson, EM Director, Gwinnett County, Georgia

Greg Swanson began his public safety career in 1987 and has experience at the state and local level. Mr. Swanson joined the Gwinnett County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in 2006 and was appointed to the position of EMA Director in 2009.

Mr. Swanson rose up through the ranks at the Hall County Fire Department where he served as the Division Chief of Administration and Emergency Medical Services. In 1998 he was selected as the State of Georgia Emergency Medical Services Director of the Year. Mr. Swanson also worked in the Operations Division of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and was involved in the coordination of statewide response to many natural and man made disasters.

Mr. Swanson’s experience and executive skills have led to his involvement in many regional, state, and national professional programs and initiatives. These include the North Georgia EMS Council, the Governor’s EMS Advisory Council, Georgia Office of Homeland Security All Hazards Council, and the Metro-Atlanta Urban Area Security Initiative. Mr. Swanson is an invited speaker at conferences and workshops and has presented at the Governor’s Emergency Management Conference which draws over 1200 attendees. He is an accreditation manager and assessor with the Emergency Management Accreditation Program and is currently leading Gwinnett County in the attainment of EMAP accreditation.

Mr. Swanson is a Certified Emergency Manager and is currently completing a Masters Of Public Administration Degree. A Gwinnett County native, he currently resides in Dacula with his wife Brandy, daughter Brittany, and son Andrew.

Tod Keys

As the Georgia Emergency Management Agency’s (GEMA) area school safety coordinator, Tod Keys provides all-hazards emergency management consultation services, including reviewing emergency operations plans, designing innovative training exercises and conducting comprehensive site surveys for school systems, child care centers, technical colleges and private organizations in North Georgia since 2003. Tod is currently the project manager for the EOD K-9 Grant for GEMA-OHS. He has over 20 years of K-9 training experience and was Commander of the North Georgia K-9 Task Force for eight years before joining GEMA.

Dan Yeargin

Dan Yeargin began his public safety career in 1975 serving as an EMT with Hart County EMS. He was appointed as the Hart County EMS / EMA Director in 1983 where he served until 2001 when he became employed by GEMA as the Area One Field Coordinator. He is a certified firefighter serving with the City of Hartwell Fire Department, A Master Emergency Manager and a paramedic. He is a life-long resident of Hart County. He and his wife Pam recently celebrated their thirty-fourth wedding anniversary. They have one son, Matt and daughter-in-law, Regina. Dan and Pam are greatly anticipating the arrival of their first grandchild in June 2010.

Allen Robinson

Allen Robinson began work in emergency management while employed with the Georgia Forestry Commission, where he served as the Wayne County Forest Ranger and as the District Ranger in Waycross, Georgia. His first experience with Wayne County Emergency Management was that of Rescue Chief, later the Operations Chief, and then Deputy Director before his appointment as EMA Director in 1990. His background experience dates back to 1980 when he first became active in emergency management. He is a Master Certified Emergency Manager. Allen began his work with Georgia Emergency Management Agency in 2000.

Tim Senn

Tim Senn has worked for United States Department of Agriculture for 32 years. Mr. Senn began his career with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1977. He is currently in the engineering section, where he has worked since 1991. NRCS is responsible for the design and installation of soil and water conservation practices on private and public land. In 1994 Mr. Senn was appointed to the position of Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Coordinator. From the emergency headquarter office in Americus, GA he was involved with over 300 EWP contracts resulting from the 1994 Floods. After the emergency office was deactivated in 1997, he has served in a collateral position coordinating emergency work in 36 Southwest Georgia counties and other sections of the state as needed. Mr. Senn is a native of Dawson. GA, where resides with his wife, Julie. He has one son, Eric, who resides in Americus, GA.

David Carmicheal

David Carmicheal is Director of the Georgia Division of Archives and History, the office responsible for the state archives and the Georgia Capitol Museum. From 2005 to 2006 Mr. Carmicheal served as president of the Council of State Archivists. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he led a nationwide effort to assess the ability of state archives to protect the essential records of government. The report, Safeguarding a Nation’s Identity, provides a state-by-state framework for protecting government records from natural and man-made disasters. He is the author of CoSA’s 2007 publication, Rescuing Family Records: A Disaster Planning Guide, and a 2009 companion volume, Rescuing Business Records. Mr. Carmicheal is chair of the advisory committee overseeing CoSA’s $2.6 million FEMA grant project, Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records.