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Here is a preview of some of the featured speakers, listed in alphabetical order by last name, who will present at the 2019 IAEM-Canada Conference.
Suzanne Bernier, CEM, CBCP, MBCI, CMCP President, SB Crisis Consulting Author of Disaster Heroes Internationally known crisis communicator, speaker, and author www.suzannebernier.com | Download full bio A former journalist and government press secretary, Suzanne is now a multi-certified, award-winning and internationally-recognized crisis management consultant, trainer, speaker and author, who has helped governments, communities and companies plan for, respond to, and recover from disasters for more than 20 years. She was named 2016’s ‘Continuity & Resilience Consultant of the Year – North America’ by the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), and had the honor of being a guest speaker at The White House during FEMA’s 2016 Individual & Community Preparedness Awards ceremony. Throughout her career, Suzanne has been professionally and/or personally involved in helping communities respond, rebuild or recover from numerous crises, including the Manchester, San Bernardino, Brussels, and 9/11 terror attacks, the 2016 Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfire, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, the H1N1 pandemic, the 2003 Northeast Blackout, the 1998 “Ice Storm of the Century” in Eastern Canada, as well as numerous floods, fires, and severe storms. More recently, Suzanne has been helping disaster survivors, including terror and mass attack survivors, recover and heal through her volunteer work as Global Ambassador of Stars of HOPE USA, and as an advocate for the San Bernardino terror attack survivors and bereaved families.
W. Craig Fugate Past FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate served as President Barack Obama’s FEMA Administrator from May 2009 to January 2017. Previously, he served as Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s Emergency Management Director from 2001-2009. Fugate led FEMA through multiple record-breaking disaster years and oversaw the Federal Government’s response to major events such as the Joplin and Moore Tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana flooding. Fugate set a clear and compelling vision, mission, and priorities for FEMA and relentlessly drove the Agency to achieve better outcomes for survivors. FEMA’s effectiveness in dealing with more than 500 Presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies under Fugate’s leadership restored the faith of the American people in the Federal Government’s ability to respond to disasters. Prior to his tenure at FEMA, Fugate was widely praised for his management, under Governor Jeb Bush, of the devastating effects of the 2004 and 2005 Florida hurricane seasons (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma).
Chad Hymas Internationally renowned speaker Named "one of the most inspirational speakers in the world" by The Wall Street Journal www.chadhymas.com Chad inspires, motivates, and moves audiences, creating an experience that touches hearts for a lifetime. He is one of the youngest ever to receive the Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) and to be inducted into the prestigious National Speaker Hall of Fame. In 2001, at the age of 27, Chad’s life changed in an instant when a 2,000-pound bale of hay shattered his neck, leaving him a quadriplegic. But Chad’s dreams were not paralyzed that day – he became an example of what is possible. Chad is a best-selling author, president of his own communications company, and recognized world-class wheelchair athlete. In 2003, Chad set a world record by wheeling his chair from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas (513 miles). Chad’s speaking career in the areas of leadership, team building, customer service, and mastering change has brought him multiple honors. He served as president of the National Speakers Association Utah chapter and is a member of the elite Speakers Roundtable (one of twenty of the world’s top speakers). As a member of the National Speakers Association, Chad travels as many as 300,000 miles a year, captivating and entertaining audiences around the world. He has graced the stage of hundreds of professional and civic organizations, including Wells Fargo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T, Rainbird, IHC, American Express, Prudential Life, Vast FX, and Merrill Lynch.
Bob Jensen Senior Managing Director, Strat3 LLC www.strat3.com | Download full bio Bob Jensen brings more than 35 years of experience across a broad spectrum of assignments both inside and outside of the U.S. government, most recently as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He ensured U.S. government communication efforts had the effect and outcomes needed to save lives, maintain public confidence and address complex international situations. He also provided oversight and input to risk assessments and strategy development for U.S. national security issues including cybersecurity, natural disasters, pandemics, counter-proliferation and counterterrorism. He led the U.S. government’s on the ground crisis communications efforts after the massive earthquake in Haiti, for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and for more than 30 major disasters in the U.S. including Hurricane Sandy for FEMA. Leading deployed teams of up to 2500, Bob found solutions to challenges that included working in dangerous environments, overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers and quickly reaching a large set of diverse audiences at the local, national and international levels.
Mass Casualties in Emergency Management: Panel Discussion
Dr. Caroline McDonald Harker (moderator) Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Mount Royal University Dr. Caroline McDonald-Harker is a Sociologist and professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and a Faculty Affiliate with the Centre for Community Disaster Research at Mount Royal University. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Sociology from Queen’s University, her Master of Arts Honours Degree in Sociology from McGill University, and her PhD in Sociology from the University of Alberta. Her areas of research and expertise include disasters; family; parenting/parenthood; children & youth; trauma and resilience; and social equality/justice. Her work has appeared in a variety of scholarly outlets including The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts; Social Currents; and Demeter Press. She is also regularly interviewed by both national and local news and media. She is currently conducting three major community-based research studies in collaboration with 32 non-profit community partners, all of which examine the impacts of disasters on children, families, and communities. These studies include: 1)“The Effects of Environmental Disasters on the Family: Communicating, Coping, and Caring among Families Impacted by the 2013 High River Alberta Floods”, funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant, along with Dr. Timothy Haney; 2)“Alberta Resilient Communities Research Project: Engaging Children and Youth in Community Resilience Post-flood in Southern Alberta”, funded by an Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions (AIHS) grant, along with Dr. Julie Drolet and Dr. Robin Cox); and 3) “The Health Effects of the Alberta Wildfire and Evacuation: Pediatric Resiliency”, funded by a Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) grant, along with Dr. Peter Sivlerstone, Dr. Vincent Agyapong, Dr. Serdar Dursun, and Dr. Julie Drolet.
J.N. Armstrong, MD FRCPC (panelist) Consultant Anesthesiologist, Department of Anesthesia, Calgary Health Region Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta Dr. J.N. Armstrong is a consultant anesthesiologist in the Department of Anesthesia, Calgary Health Region, and an Associate Professor of Anesthesia at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada. Previously the Clinical and Academic Department Head in Anesthesia for the Calgary Health Region and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, in 2013 he took on the role of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS), and in 2018 also took on the role of Chief Aviation Officer (CAO). As the CMO/CAO, he is responsible for aviation and the medical care delivered by the organization for the transport of the critically ill and injured across six bases and three provinces.
Pamela Goulden-McLeod (panelist) Director of Emergency Management, City of Saskatoon Pamela Goulden-McLeod is the Director of Emergency Management with the City of Saskatoon. In this role she works with City of Saskatoon colleagues, community partners, government agencies, businesses, non-profit groups, first responders and citizens to promote and strengthen emergency and business continuity management. She works collaboratively with these groups to coordinate preparedness, planning, response and recovery with the goal of making Saskatoon a safer and more resilient community. Pamela is a Social Worker who worked with the largest school division in Saskatchewan for 20 years before moving to work with the City of Saskatoon. She has experience leading trauma and crisis response teams in large impact events and has developed policies, practices, resources and training related to emergency management, trauma response, violence threat risk assessment and business continuity management. During both the Humboldt Bronco’s bus accident and the shooting that occurred in the La Loche School and community, Pamela was invited in by Senior Leadership in these communities to assist with coordinating the trauma response and recovery in the aftermath of both incidents. She believes in partnerships and the expertise of others. In any event or incident, the work done pre-event to build on internal and external partnerships and capacities will ensure the best outcomes for all. Pamela lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with her family and their dog - Kipper (the best dog ever).
Jon Witt, MD (panelist) Emergency Physician, Trauma Team Leader, and Transport Physician Medical Director of the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment Program Dr. Witt lives in Saskatoon where he works as an Emergency Physician, Trauma Team Leader and Transport Physician. In his administrative life Dr. Witt was formerly the Medical Director of Royal University Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine and subsequently Medical Director of Saskatchewan Air Ambulance and currently is the Medical Director of the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment program. Dr. Witt was called in to provide clinical guidance and coordinate the transport of patients involved in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash and worked with the Incident Command Team during Saskatoon’s Code Orange response on the night of the bus crash.
David Parsons Principle Advisor, Crisis Management Australia Adjunct Lecturer, Australian Graduate School of Policy and Security Studies, Charles Sturt University Senior Fellow, Joint Centre for Disaster Research, Massey University David is the Principle Advisor Crisis Management Australia., an Adjunct Lecturer with the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security Studies at Charles Sturt University, and a Senior Fellow with the Joint Centre for Disaster Research at Massey University. David has had an extensive career in the emergency services and leading corporate emergency management and counter terrorism programs. He has presented at more than forty international conferences in the areas of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Business Continuity Management, Crisis Management, Organisational Resilience and Crisis Decision Making. David is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Emergency Services, an Honorary Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute, a Fellow of the Emergency Management Academy of New York, and a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers,
Richard Serino Distinguished Senior Fellow, Harvard University's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) Former FEMA Deputy Administrator Former Chief of Boston EMS and Assistant Director of the Boston Public Health Commission Moderator of the IAEM Think Tank events | Download full bio The Honorable Richard Serino is currently a “Distinguished Visiting Fellow” at Harvard University, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative and a Senior Advisor at MIT’s Urban Risk Lab. Mr. Serino was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 8th Deputy Administrator in October 2009 and served until 2014. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Administrator, he served as Chief of Boston EMS and Assistant Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. During his time at FEMA, Mr. Serino traveled throughout the United States to more than 60 disasters to hear directly from survivors, and build relationships with whole community partners. During his tenure, he saw flooding throughout the Midwest, fires in Colorado and Texas, tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri, tsunami destruction in the American Samoa, and the hurricane stricken areas in the south and along the east coast, including Hurricanes Irene, Isaac and Sandy. Mr. Serino was on scene at the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 as the highest-ranking official of DHS. At FEMA, he led the Whole Community and Survivor-centric themes at FEMA and throughout emergency management. The improvements he championed were focused on emphasizing financial accountability, improving the use of analytics to drive decisions, advancing the workforce, and fostering a culture of innovation. Under Mr. Serino’s leadership, FEMA started several notable initiatives, such as FEMA Corps, FEMA Stat, the FEMA Think Tank, a detailed budgetary process, and a Disaster Workforce and Workplace Transformation. While serving as Chief of Boston EMS, Mr. Serino served as incident commander for more than 35 mass casualty incidents and for all of Boston's major planned events, including the Boston Marathon, Boston's Fourth of July celebration, First Night, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Mr. Serino attended Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program in 2000, completed the Kennedy School's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative in 2005, and graduated from the Executive Leadership Program, Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School. Mr. Serino has received numerous local, national and international awards for heroism, leadership and innovation.
Shane Schreiber Managing Director, AEMA Shane Schreiber served Canada for 28 years in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). He spent the bulk of his career in command appointments in field units, including tours with the PPCLI Parachute Company and eventually commanding the Second Battalion PPCLI. He completed operational tours in Cyprus, Bosnia, and two tours in Afghanistan (2002, 2006), for which he received the Canadian and NATO Meritorious Service and the US Army Bronze Star medals. He also led units in disaster response in Manitoba (Floods, 1997 and 2011) and in complex security operations (Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics). After retiring from the Canadian Army in 2012, Schreiber joined the Government of Alberta, working at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and then the Flood Recovery Task Force. He was appointed to lead the Province’s efforts in response to the devastating floods in High River in June/July 2013. He is currently the Managing Director of AEMA, where he led Alberta’s response to the Wood Buffalo Wildfires in May 2016, the largest and most costly disaster of its kind in Canada. Academically, Schreiber is a critically acclaimed historian and author. He attended the Royal Military College of Canada, from which he holds an undergraduate and two Master’s degrees, as well as several awards. His work on the Canadian Corps in 1918, Shock Army of the British Empire, is highly regarded by military historians, and he has appeared in numerous television documentaries on the Great War. Schreiber lives with his long suffering wife, Kelly, his three wonderful children, two cats and two dogs in a very busy house in St Albert, Alberta.