The NEMA Webinar Series Presents - Emergency Management Virtual Learning Lab
In 2021, the month of March will be known for two epic events. The NCAA College basketball tournament known as "March Madness" and the NEMA Webinar Series Presents: Emergency Management Virtual Learning Lab.
NEMA will host the webinar series which will include two webinars and one social event each week for the month of March. The topics have been chosen by NEMA Associate Member Sponsors and we are deeply gratified to have such experience and expertise to draw from during these remarkable times. The webinars will be held from 2:00 to 3:30 pm eastern time.
In addition to these eLearning sessions, we'll enjoy some time in the NEMA Networking Lounge Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm eastern time. This will be an opportunity to relax, visit with colleagues and friends and do something fun together. This will be similar to the evening social events that were held during the NEMA Summit last fall. The cooking demo, cocktail making and trivia were so fun and we could all use a little more fun these days!
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, registration for all 12 sessions will be complimentary to NEMA members. Non-members will be charged a registration fee of $99. You only need to register once for access to all sessions. You will receive a confirmation of your registration and a reminder message with a secure link to the NEMA Zoom platform prior to each session.
Registration
Registration for the Emergency Management Learning Lab webinar series in now open and, thanks to our generous sponsors, all 12 sessions will be complimentary to NEMA members. Non-members will be charged a registration fee of $99. Registration fee is waived for everyone!! You only need to register once for access to all sessions.
If you do not have a website log in, you'll need to create an account before you are able to register. Click Register Now below to do so.
You will receive a confirmation of your registration and a reminder message with a secure link to the NEMA Zoom platform prior to each session.
Emergency Management Virtual Learning Lab Agenda
Tuesday March 2, 2021
2 pm
NEMA Welcome
Speakers
- Trina Sheets, NEMA Executive Director
- Sima Merick, NEMA President
2:15 pm
Long-Term Resilience from 2020 Lifeline Lessons Learned presented by AECOM
No one could have foreseen the multitude of changes we would endure in 2020. Every community was impacted, and everyone pivoted in a variety of ways to create continuity of services. Some created virtual meeting spaces to continue working and others switched gears to focus on critical supply chain challenges. Hear from a diverse panel on how the events of the last 12 months have shaped state’s priorities on a range of different lifelines; what actions were taken to minimize impacts; and what strategies and funding opportunities are being used to make communities more resilient.
Speakers
- Moderator: John Dorman;
- Persia Payne-Hurley, North Carolina Emergency Management Agency
- Kyle Overly, Maryland Emergency Management Agency
- Allegra Tartaglia, Maryland Emergency Management Agency
- Abby Browning, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
Thursday March 4, 2021
2 pm
Accelerating Response and Recovery in the Context of Climate Change and Emerging Risks: Rationalizing the Federal, State and Local Support presented by ICF
Climate change, public health and infrastructure conditions have impacted disasters. They are more frequent, severe, highly visible, deeply scrutinized, the recoveries too long, too slow, and too complicated – stranding local communities without critical infrastructure (roads, hospitals, schools) for spans measured in years and creating new challenges with lifeline supply, medical and financial distributions. While some responsibility for these challenges sits with the Federal government program designs, the truth is that there is much that state & local emergency mangers can do to speed up disaster response and recovery. A recovery should never outpace the competence and preparation of the local team.
Speakers
- Karl Burchhaus Superintendent of Education Calcasieu Parish, LA;
- Manuel A.J. Laboy Rivera, PE, MBA, Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3) Puerto Rico;
- Alex Amparo, Acting Deputy Administrator FEMA Resilience;
- Dan Kaniewski, Marsh & McLennan, former Deputy Administrator FEMA;
- Jeff Byard, former Alabama EMA and former FEMA Response and Recovery;
- Jessie Handforth Kome, Director of the Office of Block Grant Assistance HUD
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
7 pm
Virtual Networking Lounge
Join us for an intimate experience of magic and sleight of hand by world renowned magician Matthew Holtzclaw. Matthew has appeared on The Discovery Channel, VH1, and the CW show Penn & Teller: Fool Us! On March 4th at 7pm he is performing an exclusive show just for us! This interactive 30 minute display of magic and mindreading is appropriate for the whole family.
Tuesday March 9, 2021
2 pm
Long-term Cost Recovery: Ways to Maximize Federal Funding for Response to and Recovery from Disasters presented by Hagerty Consulting
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government continues to actively provide reimbursement and stimulus funding to equip state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments with the financial tools and resources required to combat the spread of COVID-19 and, now, to distribute and administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Moreover, with disasters occurring more frequently and with higher levels of financial impact, many states are faced with managing long term recovery across multiple events.
While the maze of federal funding can be difficult to navigate, planning your cost recovery now will help maximize federal reimbursement opportunities in the future. This session will cover best practices in recovery strategic planning, managing simultaneous events, recovery streams, and program tracking systems.
While the maze of federal funding can be difficult to navigate, planning your cost recovery now will help maximize federal reimbursement opportunities in the future. This session will cover best practices in recovery strategic planning, managing simultaneous events, recovery streams, and program tracking systems.
Speakers
- Meghan Tosto, Deputy Director of Recovery at Hagerty Consulting
- Tanya Shannon, Deputy Director
- Ari Renoni, Deputy Director
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
Thursday March 11, 2021
2 pm
Congregate Disaster Housing and Shelters During a Pandemic and in a Post-COVID World presented by Harbor Industries
This interactive and audience participatory session will outline lessons learned over the past several years of natural disasters and the pandemic and provide insights on how to improve in the face of change.
Speakers
- Moderator: Jon Barry, PMP, Product Director of Wellness & Emergency Response, Harbor Industries;
- Sam Bradley, Host of The Disaster Podcast;
- Dr. Joe Holley, Medical Director, Tennessee Department of Emergency Medical Services; Ryan Broughton, Vice President of Emergency Management Solutions, Deployed Resources, LLC;
- Alex Rose, Senior Associate for Response Strategy, American Red Cross Disaster Cycle Services
- Invited: IniObong Nwoko, Environmental Protection Specialist CRC , FEMA
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
7 pm
Virtual Networking Lounge
Join us for the most fun you've ever had networking! Harbor is hosting a game of Psych! It blends trivia and bluffing for maximum hilarity, challenging everyone in the room to craft an answer to each question. Then these options are paired with the correct one, and players have to pick which they think is right. Can you trick people with a believable response? Or would you rather crack them up with outrageous nonsense? Either way, a great time is guaranteed." We will be providing an Amazon gift card to the highest score!
Tuesday March 16, 2021
2 pm
Inspiring Mitigation Action During the Pandemic through Behavioral Science Techniques presented by Guidehouse
As our communities continue their public health response to COVID-19, Guidehouse has sought insight from industry experts on how to best share risk and mitigation information with key audiences to drive optimal behaviors. At the forefront of innovative communication is behavioral science-based messaging. Developing risk communications rooted in behavioral science research will help to ensure trusted voices in society communicate critical messages that inspire action and keep people safe. To move people to a new tomorrow, we must understand people’s states-of-mind and use empathetic communication to move people forward. This virtual event will discuss the Mindstates Behavioral Model and how this model can be applied to the COVID-19 environment, and how to effectively communicate your message to your intended audience.
Speakers
- Adam Lucas, PMP, CSM, Guidehouse Managing Consultant
- Alyx Colgan, MPH, Guidehouse Senior Consultant
- Will Leach, TriggerPoint Founder & CEO
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
Thursday March 18, 2021
2 pm
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Emergency Management and Homeland Security presented by IEM
Emergency management as a field has struggled with diversity and inclusion. Disaster response and recovery is meant to support survivors and help them and their communities build back stronger. However, issues of equity and inclusion in emergency management and homeland security persist, and disaster recovery often leaves vulnerable and lower-income populations more adversely impacted. As a community, emergency managers have tried to address issues of equity and diversity, yet there is still much to be done to look like the communities they serve and to produce more equitable solutions in the field. IEM’s panel of experts will discuss how the emergency management community can push forward to be more inclusive and thus better support survivors who are often overlooked and underserved. Experts will examine emergency management laws currently in place through an equity lens to identify how policies influence at-risk communities and how to better integrate equity into doctrine and programs. Equity needs to be the foundation for future emergency management programs to serve the vulnerable and create standards to understand how grants affect equity over time.
Speakers
- Chauncia Willis, Co-Founder & CEO, Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM)
- Patrick Sheehan, Director, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
- Francisco Sánchez, Jr., Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management
- Manuel Soto, Emergency Manager, City of Orlando, Florida
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
7:30 pm
Virtual Networking Lounge
Don’t let social distancing put a stop to your wine exploration. Join IEM for a Virtual Wine Tasting with John Sporing, the Owner and Founder of “A Life Well Drunk”. During this hour-long “Wine 101” session, John will discuss the basics of tasting wine, provide an overview of white and red wines, showcase 3-4 distinct varietals and their flavor profiles, and answer any questions you might have about wine. A Life Well Drunk provides bespoke luxury, small-group, tours to the world's best wine regions and exclusive tasting and pouring events (virtual and, when able to, in person) for private individuals, corporate clients, non-profits, and restaurants. John has an Advanced Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust of London and holds the titles of Certified Specialist of Wine from the Society of Wine Educators, Sommelier from the Guild of Sommeliers, and Certified Sherry Wine Specialist from the Sherry Regulatory Council. Click here for the wine list.
Tuesday March 23, 2021
2 pm
COVID-19 Response: Lessons Learned from Managing Points of Distribution presented by Buffalo Computer Graphics
As the vaccination distribution continues to ramp up, understanding the nuances within the management of points of distribution (PODs) is critical. Through this lens, traditional incident management tools can be adapted to meet the needs of POD management. Learn how creative adaptations of those tools help to track vaccines, track assets, and communicate situational information.
Speakers
- Brian Head, Buffalo Computer Graphics;
- Tim Masterson, Buffalo Computer Graphics
- Chris Breitbach, MN-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT);
- Paul Krogh, Pharmacy Services at North Memorial Health
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
Thursday March 25, 2021
2 pm
NEMA Remarks
Thank you for participating.
Speakers
- Trina Sheets, NEMA Executive Director
- Sima Merick, NEMA President
2:15 pm
Are You Ready? The Role of Resilience in Emergency Management Wellness presented by Firstnet Built with AT&T
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.” In this session, Capt. Scott Mendoza, U.S. Air Force veteran and a member of the FirstNet Program at AT&T, speaks about his experience with PTSD and the tools he used to develop resilience. And Dr. Anna Courie will discuss the concepts of readiness and resilience that help you develop the habits of the resilient responder. When we adapt as we face adversity, we can learn and grow from the experience. We can adopt the learned principles into our new behaviors. And we can use the capabilities we gain from that experience to face new threats. This is the process of adaptive resilience and post-traumatic growth.
Speakers
- Dr. Anna Fitch Courie, Director, Responder Wellness, FirstNet Program at AT&T
- Capt. Scott Mendoza, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development, FirstNet Program at AT&T
3 pm
Q&A or Breakouts with facilitated discussion
4 pm
Virtual Networking Lounge
Join Olivia Mead, Founder and CEO of Yoga For First Responders along with Ryan Fields-Spack (Fire captain and paramedic, ret.), for a fireside chat on how yoga, meditation and mindfulness can be the key training tools for a sustainable career in public safety. Yoga, meditation and other proactive resilience techniques have been shown to improve cognitive ability and overall performance. This discussion will address common misconceptions around yoga and meditation that keep people from trying these valuable practices, the missing skill set in public safety training models, and a breakdown of simple and effective techniques you can start immediately. Time will be available to ask questions and to learn how to continue practicing.
Need Assistance?
If you do not receive a confirmation when you register or need assistance with your registration, please contact NEMA Headquarters.
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