Practitioners Meeting Schedule

The 2025 Practitioners Meeting will be organized around the theme The Mitigation Revolution: Practical Ways Communities are Reducing Risk and held on July 16-27. All times listed are Mountain Daylight Time and all meals and sessions will take place in Interlocken A at the Omni Interlocken Hotel.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Location: TBD

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Pre-Meeting Network Gathering

Casual gathering of the National Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) and non-NHMA members.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Location: Interlocken A, Omni Hotel

8:30 to 9:00 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions

Caroline Cunningham, NHMA Treasurer and Board Member, and Vice President, Dewberry

This session provides a meeting overview, NHMA updates, and succinct attendee introductions.

9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

Opening Plenary I: Mitigation Insight—Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

Moderator:
Caroline Cunningham, NHMA Treasurer and Board Member, and Vice President, Dewberry

Panelists:
Darrin Punchard, Principal, Punchard Consulting
Additional speaker(s) pending

10:00 to 10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Panel I: Designing for Risk

Moderator:
Jennifer Haney, Associate Professor, Bloomsburg University

Panelists:
Carol Friedland, Director, LaHouse Research & Education Center, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center
Julie Shiyou-Woodard, President and CEO, Smart Home America
Brooke Troxmondo, Planning & Policy Specialist, Smart Home America
Lars Powell, Director, Center for Risk and Insurance Research, University of Alabama
Additional speaker(s) pending

This panel will discuss recent updates to design standards, e.g., American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE 24-14), and present findings from Alabama's pioneering approach to hurricane resilience through the widespread adoption of the IBHS FORTIFIED Home™ program.

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

Hosted Interactive Luncheon Buffet: Helping to Drive the Future Direction of NHMA

Moderators:
Brandy Bones, NHMA Vice President and Vice President, ICF
Melanie Gall, NHMA Board Member and Co-Director, Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Arizona State University

1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Plenary II: Mitigation Planning at the State and Local Levels

Moderator:
Jae Park, Vice President, AECOM

Panelists:
Laura Dhuwe, NHMA Board Member and Chief of Mitigation, Florida Division of Emergency Management
Mark W. Thompson, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Additional speaker(s) pending

Hear from state and local leaders in mitigation. Panelists will share best practices when reviewing applications, working with communities, and leveraging mitigation funding to help foster success in project implementation.

2:00 to 2:30 p.m.

Research and Practice Panel II: Past, Present, and Future of Silver Jackets

Moderator:
Mary Angelica Painter, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

Panelists:
Katherine Rowden, National Silver Jackets Program Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Jennifer Dunn, National Silver Jackets Program Manager, Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Carson MacPherson-Krutsky, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder
Lori Peek, Director, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

This interactive session will lay the groundwork for an upcoming larger convening focused on the past, present, and future of the Silver Jackets program. Panelists will discuss the history of the program, assess the current state of the program and key challenges, identify partners, and draft a vision and identify priorities for the next phase of the program. This session will engage participants through interactive activities designed to share information and gain insights from people in the audiences.

2:30 to 2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45 to 3:15 p.m.

Panel III: An Alternative Model for Enhancing Community Resilience

Moderator:
Brad Bartholomew, NHMA Board Member and Project Manager at CDM Smith

Panelists:
Michelle Bohrson, SBP
Sherry Risk, SBP
Sara Hambrick, SBP
KayLynn Larrison, SBP

This panel and roundtable discussion provides an overview of the SBP Disaster Resilience Fellows Program, which utilizes philanthropic funding to add capacity and resources to small and medium-sized communities that need support to pursue and receive federal and state grant funding. 

3:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Interactive Plenary III: The Future State of Mitigation

Facilitator:
Caroline Cunningham, NHMA Treasurer and Board Member, and Vice President, Dewberry

4:15 to 4:30 p.m.

Closing Plenary

Caroline Cunningham, NHMA Treasurer and Board Member, and Vice President, Dewberry
Grace Olenzak, Associate Engineer, Pennoni