Practitioners Meeting Schedule

The 2024 Practitioners Meeting will be organized around the theme Planning for Tomorrow: Where We Are Now vs. Where We Want to Be and will be held on July 18. All times listed are Mountain Daylight Time and all meals and sessions will take place in Interlocken A at the Omni Interlocken Hotel.

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Location: Interlocken A, Omni Hotel

8:00 to 8:30 a.m.

Hosted Continental Breakfast

8:30 to 9:00 a.m.

Welcome and Update on National Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) Initiatives

Gary O’Neal, Jr. CFM, NHMA President
Director of Mitigation Grant Services, Tetra Tech

9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

Opening Plenary: Update on National Mitigation and Resilience Policy and Guidance

Victoria Salinas, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator, FEMA
10:00 to 10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Panel I: NHMA Partnerships for Mitigation: Research to Practice

This panel includes two presentations detailing how two of NHMA’s key partnerships are putting research to practice.

Presentation I:

Moderator:
Tom Hughes, Director, Emergency Management Mitigation, Insurance & Resilient Communities Office, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

Panelists:
Virginia Silvis, Climate Change Adaptation Research, Penn State University
Nicole Sturges, Assistant Director, Center for Survey Research, Institute of State & Regional Affairs, Co-chair, Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Penn State Harrisburg

Presentation II:

Moderator:
Ed Hecker, Director of Operations, NHMA

Panelists:
Rachel Riley, Director, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program Oklahoma Climatological Survey University of Oklahoma
Caroline Cunningham, Associate Vice President, Strategy Lead for Resilience Practice, Dewberry
Shanene Thomas, Hazard Mitigation Planner, FEMA Region 6

Initial findings will be presented from a research project that focused on building capacity for hazard mitigation planning and practice in under-resourced, disadvantaged communities. The presentation will be followed by a discussion amongst the panelists and audience. The project is a collaboration amongst representatives of academic, non-profit, federal, and local organizations. Audience members will learn about some of the hazard mitigation planning and capacity solutions that are in development and be asked for additional suggestions that can be explored. The solutions can potentially benefit both communities and those with whom they interact.

11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Hosted luncheon buffet with Keynote Address presented by:

Derrick Hiebert, Assistant Administrator Hazard Mitigation Directorate, FEMA Office of Resilience

1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Panel II: Enabling Resource Strategies for Community Resilience

Moderator
Caroline Cunningham, Associate Vice President, Strategy Lead for Resilience Practice, Dewberry

Panelists
Tom Leatherbee, Senior Director, Conservation Funding and Partnerships, National Audubon Society
Kate Norris, Hazard Mitigation Planner, Witt O'Briens

This panel will discuss strategies that will help to lead to long-term mitigation success for communities. Our presenters will showcase the benefits of applying their respective resiliency efforts found through research and application. These efforts include:

  1. Fund mapping as a strategic process that matches the universe of unmet needs with the universe of available funding opportunities, allowing the resulting matches to be prioritized based on factors including project impact, administrative capacity, availability of non-federal match and likelihood of success.
  2. Understanding that states are not spending their HMGP dollars on the types of projects they prioritize in their State HMPs (but rather providing funding to whoever can afford to develop an application, submit on time, and provide the match) and using that information to focus on how states can use mitigation planning processes to properly set communities up for success.
2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon Plenary: Current Challenges and Future Direction of Hazard Mitigation from a State Perspective

Moderator
Erin Capps, Project Director, Emergency Management Market Sector Lead, AtkinsRealis

Panelists
Josh Davies, SHMO, Texas Division of Emergency Management
Mark Thompson, SHMO, Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Laura Dhuwe, Chief of Mitigation, Florida Division of Emergency Management
Rick Deal, SHMO, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
Jeffrey Giering, SHMO, Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Hear from state leaders in mitigation on lessons learned in reviewing applications and working with communities to help foster success in FEMA's BRIC program. This panel will also discuss practical lessons learned for crafting stronger applications with best practices.

3:00 to 3:15 p.m.

Break

3:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Panel III: Training and Tools for Hazard Mitigation

Moderator
Wendy Blackwell, Climate and Resilience Senior Lead, SWCA Environmental Consultants

Panelists
Katie Skakel, Community Engagement & Outreach Specialist, Colorado State University
Khai Hoan Nguyen, Climate Resilience Senior Specialist, Denver's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, Resiliency
Sydney Brown, Associate VP, Disaster Recovery Program Management, AECOM

This panel will highlight the understanding that Hazard Mitigation Planning does not have a “one size fits all” solution. Communities must identify what their unique vulnerabilities and hazards are in order to properly make any mitigation decisions. The presenters on this panel have identified problems and have taken action to develop tools that can be integrated into resiliency planning with a focus on the specific needs of the local community. The panel will emphasize the importance of communication between local entities, researchers, and decision-makers. This panel will also touch on how vulnerable and at-risk populations can be thoughtfully considered in mitigation plans and recovery efforts. The information presented hopes to increase public risk awareness, support policy advocacy and reform, provide a consistent basis for city-level planning, and promote accountability and transparency in how decisions and resources are prioritized.

4:15 to 4:45 p.m.

Closing Plenary – Round Table Discussion on Evolving Policy