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 to 17. 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: Omni Living Room and Terrace

5:45 to 8:00 p.m. MDT

Evening Reception with the Research and Practice Communities (Cash Bar and Snacks)

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Location: Interlocken A

8:30 to 9:15 a.m. MDT

Networking and Welcome Address

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

This session provides a meeting overview, National Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) updates, and succinct attendee introductions.

9:15 to 10:00 a.m. MDT

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

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

Darrin Punchard
Principal, Punchard Consulting

10:00 to 10:15 a.m. MDT

Break

10:15 to 11:45 a.m. MDT

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
Adrienne Sheldon, Mitigation Lead, Tidal Basin
Matthew Jacobs, Resilient Recovery Program Manager Colorado Resiliency Office

This panel will discuss recent updates to design standards (e.g., ASCE 24-14), Alabama's pioneering approach to hurricane resilience through the widespread adoption of the IBHS FORTIFIED Home™ program, Floodplain Management strategies in action, and Wildfire Mitigation Strategies before and after disasters.

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

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. MDT

Mitigation Planning at the State and Local Levels

Moderator:
Derrick Hiebert, Infrastructure Resilience Practice Leader, 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
Dinan Amin, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management
Lloyd Cubacub, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Guam Homeland Security, Office of Civil Defense
Additional speaker(s) pending

Hear from leaders in mitigation. Panelists will share perspectives on the current and future state of hazard mitigation.

2:00 to 2:30 p.m. MDT

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

Moderator:
Lori Peek, Director, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

Panelists:
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
Mary Angelica Painter, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder
Katherine Rowden, National Silver Jackets Program Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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. MDT

Break

2:45 to 3:15 p.m. MDT

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. MDT

The Future State of Mitigation

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

An interactive exercise to share ideas, advance camaraderie, and solution around the future of mitigation.

4:15 to 4:30 p.m. MDT

Closing Remarks

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