Disaster Tough Podcast

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What do the Los Angeles Dodgers, United Nations, Facebook, and hit TV show "Stranger Things" have in common?

All are entities close to the heart of this week's guest in the Disaster Tough Podcast.

Nathan Miller is the Founder and CEO of Miller Ink, Inc.,

For more than a decade, Nathan and his team have handled a variety of communications services for their clients including crisis management, media training, and social media, along with research and analytics, among other things.

Before founding his own company, Nathan worked in strategic communications in both the private and public sectors including working for Homeland Security and on staff for an Ambassador to the United Nations.  Part of his work in the private sector included creating the official Facebook page for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In this episode, Nathan and host, John Scardena discuss how important communication is during times of crisis, be it public image, or disaster-related.

Moral of the story: It's almost impossible to catch up once you're behind the communications side of things.  

How does Nathan and his team ensure his clients accomplish this, and what advice does he have for Emergency Managers, communicators, and other stakeholders?  All of that and more is discussed in this week's episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast.

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"You don't need to know everything.  You do need to be able to make things happen."

This week's guest in the Disaster Tough Podcast, Christopher Godley has been doing this for decades.

As the Director of Emergency Management at Stanford University, Chris believes that keeping the school's buildings standing isn't enough.  Instead, he thinks it is crucial to consider the human element and be ready and open to evolving with the overall setup of the program for better success.

In this episode, Chris and host John Scardena discuss applying these concepts to Stanford's Office of Emergency Management.  He emphasizes soft skills, and other ideas to make sure the Emergency Management efforts and philosophy at Stanford continue to evolve and grow in an ever-changing world.

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“It isn’t enough to think outside the box. Get used to acting outside the box.”  

This quote attributed to renowned entrepreneur and investor, Tim Ferris describes the thinking behind how today’s guest in the Disaster Tough Podcast conducts training for response.  

Lee Nelson is the Director of the Ambipart Response Training Center (ARTC) near Pueblo, Colorado. 

As such, he and his team conduct real-world Hazmat training and exercises involving train derailments, highway emergency response, compressed gas, and transfer specialization, among other things.  

Not only do their training exercises replicate disaster scenarios in theory, but also in practice. Their remote facility outside of Pueblo is equipped with train cars, gas containers, and explosives.  

The Readiness Lab and other Emergency response professionals will see the benefits of such training firsthand in October during their Emergency Management Response for Dynamic Populations course (DyPop).  

During the exercise, Ambipart will use live explosives to replicate a real-world train derailment and HazMat situation. Such extreme measures aim to see how these emergency response professionals respond during such conditions.  

In this episode, Lee explains the benefits of such training and how it applies to the real world. He and host John Scardena also preview the upcoming DyPop exercise with Ambipart from October 22-24.  

Registration for DyPop 2024 will be opening soon.  

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One of the main goals of the Disaster Tough Podcast is to stay current regarding issues facing the world of emergency response, and overall leadership.

Today's episode is no different as we tackle the continuing problem of drugs entering the U.S. with longtime DEA Agent, Chip Cooke.  

Chip has been with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for nearly 25 years, and currently serves in the role of Assistant Special Agent in Charge. 

Before joining the DEA, Chip also served as a US Border Patrol Agent.  

As such, he is well acquainted with the issues facing the country when it comes to drugs making it across the border and into the United States.  

In this episode, he and host John Scardena discuss more on this issue, and how effective leadership principles apply to fighting the war on drugs at the border, and Emergency Management as a whole.

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Sometimes our passion grows from facing our fears. Today's guest in the Disaster Tough Podcast, Rob Dale, relates to this sentiment.

Rob Dale is an Emergency Manager, Meteorologist, and Adjunct Professor based in Ingham County, Michigan.

After a formative incident in his youth involving a major weather event, Rob worked toward becoming one who helps others know what to expect and what to do in major weather incidents. He started his career as a broadcast meteorologist in Lansing, Michigan for the CBS affiliate, WLNS.

After 10 years, he moved to Regional Planning and Emergency Management in the public and private sectors.

As the Deputy Emergency Manager for Ingham County, he has dealt with ice storms, the COVID-19 Pandemic, and other major incidents.

He has also acted as a liaison for incidents affecting the surrounding area including Lansing, Dehli Township, and Michigan State University.

In this episode, he and host John Scardena discuss various topics relating to effective leadership and Emergency Management in times of disaster, including mass notifications, weather concerns, and a variety of other topics.

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In disaster readiness and response, experience may be the most necessary, but also unfortunate attribute needed. 

This week's guest in the Disaster Tough Podcast, Jake Babb has recently lived this reality.

As the Senior Emergency Preparedness Specialist for Omaha Public Power, Jake was responsible for ensuring safety and business continuity during the recent tornadoes in the area. 

In this episode, Jake shares the best practices that the Omaha Public Power District has learned for dealing with the various weather and disaster events that the state sees. 

He also shares how his perspective on disaster readiness and mitigations has evolved over the years as he has transitioned from the military to the local power district. 

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Even those who protect us need protection.  

John Conklin knows this well and with more than 30 years of experience as an Emergency Management practitioner, he works hard every day to ensure that the dedicated men and women at the highest levels of government are in good hands and well-protected.

John is the Branch Chief of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.  As such, he is in charge of the Emergency Management Division Operations, Plans, and Preparedness overseeing the safety and security of The Pentagon.

He has also worked in Emergency Preparedness and readiness with other government agencies including the USDA and FEMA, along with County Administration on two occasions.

In this episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast, Branch Chief Conklin talks about the leadership lessons he has learned from those at the highest levels of government that he works to keep safe.  

He also passes down wisdom to those looking to diversify and move to the next level in their careers.

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It's been said that three is a crowd, but four is a party.  

This week's episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast lives up to that moniker as four Emergency "Momagers" get together to discuss balancing the demands of motherhood and successful Emergency Management careers.  

Whether it's raising young children, young adults, or even the single-motherhood perspective, Ashley Lauria-Golden, Vanessa Flores, Cori Smith, and Michelle Chechowski bring varying life experiences to this insightful and entertaining discussion on the connections between motherhood and Emergency Management.

Ashley Lauria-Golden brings more than a decade's experience to the field of Emergency Management and response working mainly in Georgia.  As she has transitioned to the role of mother to a young toddler, she has been able to continue to work more on the subject matter expert side of Emergency Management both for Doberman Emergency Management and recently for the Lafayette Group.  

Vanessa Flores has a 9-year-old daughter and currently serves as the Deputy Director of Emergency Management at UC Irvine in California.  Before that, Vanessa spent more than a decade as an Emergency Management professional in the US Air Force.  

Cori Smith also spent time in Emergency Management with the Air Force before eventually landing in her current role as the Executive Director of Enterprise Resiliency for Wells Fargo.  She is also the mother of children of varying ages.

Michelle Chechowski serves as the Director of Emergency Preparedness for the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, the Executive Director and Symposium Lead for the Florida HazMat Symposium, and works as an Instructor of upper-level classes at the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM).  Her children are in their teens and are either in college or their last years of high school.  

Does work-life balance exist?  Does working in Emergency Management make you a better mother, or is it the other way around?  How do you stay present for your child(ren) in this increasingly connected world?  

All of these questions and more are answered in this special Mother's Day edition of the Disaster Tough Podcast.  

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“They are a mile ahead” is a common way to describe when someone is doing things more effectively than others.

In Colorado, this saying is true every day just by their location.  The way they operate their Emergency Management and readiness efforts is another way they make this statement come to fruition.

Under the guidance of Director Michael Willis for the past six years, the department has had to deal with disasters and emergencies of all varieties, from the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 to a major cybersecurity breach of the Department of Transportation in 2018, and various wildfires and other major weather events.

As a Retired Brigadier General in the US Air Force, Director Willis brings an extensive background to his role as Colorado’s Director of Emergency Management.  Before retirement from the military, Brig. Gen. Willis was deployed in Desert Storm, Bosnia, and Iraq along with multiple years in the National Guard.  

In this episode, he shares the leadership lessons he has learned over his decorated career in the military and the public sector.  

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Doing the right thing even when no one is looking is often believed to be the best way to determine a person’s true character.  

In this episode of the Disaster Tough Podcast, we learn more about how frequent guest, Chief Walt Lewis of the Orlando Fire Department lives by this mantra both professionally and personally.  

Chief Lewis has been with the Orlando Fire Department for nearly 30 years and currently serves as a Board Member and Conference Chair for the State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance.  As such, he is heavily involved in the planning, organization, and execution of the Annual National US&R and Medical Special Operations Conference in Orlando.  

In this episode, Chief Lewis provides a brief look-ahead to the 2024 edition of the conference happening in November of this year.  

He and host, John Scardena also reflect on the people who have made a difference in their professional and personal lives and how gratitude, humility, and paying it forward are the best ways to find success and fulfillment in your career.  

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