Bryan Koon is the former director at the Florida Division of Emergency Management and serves as IEM’s Vice President of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Koon is the former chair of the Multi-hazard Mitigation Council (MMC), an independent, non-governmental entity of leading experts in mitigation that helps inform policy and advocates for smart mitigation practices nationwide and current chair of the MMC TurboGrantsTM Advisory Board. Koon has spent his career focused on improving emergency response operations and engaging communities in becoming better prepared for emergencies and disasters. Koon joins IEM with a well-rounded background of military, consultant, corporate business, and public sector experience. Koon was appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott in 2011 to be the state’s director of emergency management. In this position, Koon managed the division’s responsibilities in planning for, responding to, and recovering from natural and human-caused disasters. This included preparing and implementing the statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, conducting state and local exercises and training to improve preparedness capabilities, and acting as liaison between the Florida Division of Emergency Management and federal and state agencies. Koon’s priorities included relationship-building and better communications between the private and public sectors as well as improved cross-over between state preparedness and recovery efforts. In his role, Koon was also the chair of the State Emergency Response Commission and vice chair of the Domestic Security Oversight Council.