Topic Committees
2020 NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE TOPIC COMMITTEES
ACCESSIBILITY & FUNCTIONAL NEEDS
Elizabeth A. Davis, CO‐CHAIR, EADS & Associates, LLC, Brooklyn, NY
Michael Weston, CO‐CHAIR, SerVision, Inc., Miami Shores, FL
Georgianne Cherry, Florida Department of Health, Kissimmee, FL
Steve Detwiler, Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management, Miami, FL
Kathryn Gerk, CEM, Richmond Fire Department, Richmond, CA
Kelly R. McKinney, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY
Jenny Mincin, SUNY Empire College, Staten Island, NY
George Tokesky, Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, Dania Beach, FL
AMATEUR RADIO
John McHugh, CO‐CHAIR, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL
Robert Macedo, CO‐CHAIR, VoIP Hurricane Net, New Bedford, MA
Julio Ripoll, CO‐CHAIR, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL
Dennis Dura, FEMA Region II, New York, NY
Bobby Graves, Hurricane Watch Net, Brandon, MS
Bob Robichaud, Canadian Hurricane Centre, Falls River, Nova Scotia, Canada
BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & ECONOMIC RESILIENCY
Mickie Valente, CO-CHAIR, Valente Strategic Advisers, LLC, St. Petersburg, FL
Justen Noakes, CO-CHAIR, H-E-B Corporation, San Antonio, TX
M. Lewis (Lew) Fincher, CHAIR EMERITUS, Hurricane Consulting, Inc., Friendswood, TX
Kathy Fulton, American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), Lakeland, FL
Jeff Partin, The Home Depot, Atlanta, GA
George Sambataro, PC Weather Products, Marietta, GA
ENGINEERING: BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES
Laura E. Ghorbi, EIT, CFM, CHAIR, AECOM, Germantown, MD
Tony Gibbs, CEP Limited, Bridgetown, Barbados
Marc L. Levitan, Ph.D., National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Hamid Naderi, PE, CBO, ICBO Southern Resource Center, Austin TX
EVACUATION PLANNING
Jay Baker, CHAIR, Hazard Management Group, Tallahassee, FL
Stewart Baker, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Richmond, VA
Don Lewis, Atkins Global, Tallahassee, FL
Christopher Penney, USACE Baltimore District, Baltimore, MD
Mike Schuster, USACE Baltimore District, Baltimore, MD
John D. Wilson, Consultant, Ft. Myers, FL
Brian Wolshon, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
FIRE-RESCUE/LAW ENFORCEMENT
William Wagner, III, CHAIR, Fire Chief Islamorada, FL (ret), Founder/COO, Early Alert, Inc, Rome, GA
Lisa Watson, Co-CHAIR, Fire Captain, Marathon, FL (ret), EM Director, Early Alert, Inc, Crawfordville, FL
John Baroni, Chief, Nassau County Fire Commission BEOCC, Long Island, NY
Brian Head, Buffalo Computer Graphics, Buffalo, Ret. NY OEM Coordinator
Bob Koenig, Ret, State of Texas, Longview, TX
Victoria Koenig, Ret. City Manager, Longview, TX
Rob McDaniel, Senior Fellow, Center for Disaster Risk Policy, EM & HS Academic Program, FSU, Tallahassee, FL
Penny Phelps, Captain, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Key West, FL
HEALTH CARE
Richard Smith, CHAIR, Veoci, New Haven, CT
Larry Green, All Children’s Hospital/John Hopkins Medicine, St. Petersburg, FL
John Wilgis, M.B.A., RRT, Florida Hospital Association, Orlando, FL
HURRICANE HISTORY
Chris Landsea, Ph. D., CO‐CHAIR, NOAA TPC – NHC Technical Support Branch, Miami, FL
M. Lewis (Lew) Fincher, CO‐CHAIR EMERITUS, Hurricane Consulting Inc., Friendswood, TX
Stan Blazyk, Hurricane Consulting, Inc., Galveston, TX
Pat Fitzpatrick, Ph. D., Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
Ethan J. Gibney, National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC
Cary Mock, Ph. D., University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
David Roth, NWS Hurricane Prediction Center, Camp Springs, MD
George Sambataro, PC Weather Products, Marietta, GA
Al Sandrick, NWS WFO Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
Gabriel A. Vecchi, NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ
William “Billy” Wagner, Jr., Early Alert, Duck Key, FL
INSURANCE
Lynne McChristian, CHAIR, Insurance Information Institute, Tampa, FL
Robert Detlefsen, National Assn of Mutual Insurance Companies, Indianapolis, IN
Brooke Kelley-Hunt, Property Casualty Insurers Assn of America, Chicago, IL
Brenda O’Connor, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, Tampa, FL
Willem Rijksen American Insurance Association, Washington, DC
MASS CARE
Katherine Galifianakis, CHAIR, American Red Cross, Washington, DC
Carlos Castillo, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Washington, DC
Mark Cooper, Wal‐Mart, Little, Rock, AR
Jeff Jellets, The Salvation Army, Atlanta, GA
Michael Russell, South Carolina Emergency Management Division, West Columbia, SC
Rick Schofield, American Red Cross, Houston, TX
Michael Whitehead, CEM, COL (USA Ret) American Red Cross, Fairfax, VA
METEOROLOGY/HYDROLOGY
Rick Knabb, Ph.D., CHAIR, Hurricane Expert, The Weather Channel, Atlanta, GA
Brandon Bolinski, FEMA Region IV, Atlanta, GA
Dan Brown, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL
Chris Landsea, National Weather Service, Miami, FL
Jamie Rhome, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL
MITIGATION
Leroy Thompson, CHAIR, Effective Mitigation Management, LLC, Tallahassee, FL
Leslie Chapman‐Henderson, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH), Tallahassee, FL
Gavin Smith, Ph.D., Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters, UNC – Chapel Hill, NC
John D Wilson, Consultant, Fort Myers, FL
PUBLIC EDUCATION/MEDIA
Greg Padgett, CHAIR, ICF-FEMA Individual & Community Preparedness, Region IV, Atlanta, GA
Derrec Becker, Chief of Public Information and External Affairs, SC Emergency Management Division, West Columbia, SC
David Bernard, Chief Meteorologist, WVUE TV, New Orleans, LA
Erin Burns, Mayor’s Office of Communications, New Orleans, LA
Leslie Chapman‐Henderson, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH), Tallahassee, FL
Greg Flynn, Public Affairs Director, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Pearl, MS
Neil Frank, Retired, KHOU TV, Houston, TX
Tom Iovino, Communications Director, Florida Department of Public Health, Bradenton, FL
Rick Knabb, Ph.D., CHAIR, Hurricane Expert, The Weather Channel, Atlanta, GA
Rebeca Mueller, APR, Voce Communications, Brandon, FL
Bryan Norcross, The Weather Channel, Miami Beach, FL
Margaret Orr, Chief Meteorologist, WDSU-TV, New Orleans, LA
Greg Robinson, Public Affairs Director, Alabama Emergency Management Agency, Clanton, AL
Nancy Silvestri, Press Secretary, NYC Office of Emergency Management, New York, NY
Mike Steele, Communications Director, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, Baton Rouge, LA
Chris Tarantino, CEO, Epicenter Media & Training, Rochester, NY
Bruce Thomas, National Spokesperson, Midland Radio, Kansas City, MO
Michael Walter, Public Information, City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, Houston, TX
RECOVERY
Teresa Carter, CHAIR, Consultant, Raleigh, NC
David K. Brauner, CDM, New Orleans, LA
Daniel A. Craig, Tidal Basin Governmental Consulting, Washington, DC
Ted Litty, FEMA Office of Response and Recovery, Washington, DC
RESPONSE
Rupert H. Lacy, CHAIR, Harrison County Emergency Management, Gulfport, MS
Dexter Accardo, St Tammany Parish, Covington, LA
Tim Gordy, MEMA, Oak Grove, MS
Thomas L. LaCrosse, Defense Support of Civil Authorities, Washington, DC
Michael Lowder, US DOT, Washington, DC
Chip Patterson, Coxwell Disaster Services, Jacksonville, FL
Mike Patterson, The Salvation Army, Charlotte, NC
Katie Webster, NC Department of Public Safety, Raleigh, NC
Randall (Randy) Webster, Horry County Emergency Management, Conway, SC
TROPICAL ISLANDS/LATIN AMERICA
Clive Lorde, CO-CHAIR, USAID/OFDA/IRG, Bridgetown, Barbados
Audrey Mullings, CO-CHAIR, USAID/OFDA/IRG, Kingston, Jamaica
Cecil Shillingford, CO-CHAIR, USAID/OFDA/IRG, Roseau, Dominica
Derek Haines, Dart Enterprises, Ltd, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
John Kimbrough, OFDA/USAID/LAC, San Jose, Costa Rica
Silvanico Pauletta, Sint Maarten Fire Department, Sint Maarten, Dutch Caribbean
UTILITIES
Anthony L. Hurley, CHAIR, Witt O’Brien’s, Georgetown, TX
Tony Puzzilla, CO‐CHAIR EMERITUS, Retired DHS, La Plata, MD
George R. Gacser, PEPCO, W. Bethesda, MD
Bill Howell, Jr., Entergy, Jackson, MS
Jane Pritchard, APR, North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, Raleigh, NC