IAEM Talks

Show Description

In November, the emergency management profession comes to Long Beach. Host Todd DeVoe talks with Duane Hagelgans, JD, Chair of the IAEM-USA Conference Committee, about the IAEM 74th Annual Conference & EMEX. The conference runs November 6–12, 2026, at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center and the Westin Long Beach. This year’s theme is “Charting through Preparedness: Anchored in Resilience.” Duane explains how the theme shaped the program and what it takes to build a conference for thousands of practitioners. He also covers how first-timers and veterans can get the most out of the week, from pre-conference training to the EMEX floor.

Show Notes

In this episode:

* How the Conference Committee chose and built around the 2026 theme

* What goes into planning the program, from session selection to speaker lineup

* The shape of the week: core program Monday through Wednesday, with pre-conference training Friday through Sunday and post-conference training on Thursday

* What to expect in the EMEX exhibit hall, the poster showcase, and EMvision Talks

* The IAEM-USA President’s Reception, Banquet, and Certification & Awards Ceremony

* Advice for first-time attendees and students making their first trip

* Why showing up in person still matters for the profession

Guest:Duane Hagelgans, JD, Chair, IAEM-USA Conference CommitteeContact: [email protected]

Conference Details:

* What: IAEM 74th Annual Conference & EMEX

* When: November 6–12, 2026

* Where: Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802, and the Westin Long Beach

* Theme: Charting through Preparedness: Anchored in Resilience

Links:

* Conference site: https://www.iaemconference.org/

* Program and schedule: https://www.iaem.org/usconf/program/

* IAEM-USA Committees: https://www.iaem.org/usa-committees/

* Program and speaker questions: Conference Director Julie Husk at [email protected]

Host:Todd T. DeVoe, CEM, 1st Vice President, IAEM-USA

Sources:

* IAEM 2026 Registration

* IAEM 2026 Program

IAEM 1st VP, Todd T. DeVoe, CEM, sits down with IAEM Executive Director Nicole Blankenship, MBA, CAE, to talk about how the association actually runs, who she is, and what she brings to the job. Then they get to the reason for the visit: the upcoming IAEM membership survey. Members' answers will shape programs, conference planning, certification, advocacy, and where IAEM puts its time and money next. If you have ever wished your association understood what your job looks like on the ground, this is the moment to tell it.

Show notes

Episode: Inside The Shop: Nicole Blankenship on IAEM and the Upcoming Member Survey

Host: Todd T. DeVoe, CEM, 1st Vice President, IAEM-USA Guest: Nicole G. Blankenship, MBA, CAE, Executive Director, IAEMAir date: 9-25-26

Overview

Most members know IAEM through what it produces: the conference, the CEM, the Bulletin, advocacy on the Hill. Fewer know how those things get built or who builds them. In this episode, Todd talks with Executive Director Nicole Blankenship about the work behind the work, how staff and elected leadership share the load, and what she has learned in her first year leading an association of emergency managers.

The second half focuses on the upcoming membership survey. Associations make decisions with whatever information they have. When participation is thin, the picture tilts toward whoever answered, and the programs follow. A strong response rate from every region, every career stage, and every sector is how IAEM gets an accurate read on where the profession actually is.

Segment run order

1. Who is Nicole Blankenship? Her path into association leadership, what drew her to IAEM, and what surprised her about working with emergency managers. [Add prior roles once confirmed with Nicole. I have worked in the association management space for my entire career, spanning over 3 decades. I spent many years as the Director of Chapter and District Relations at the American Academy of Pediatrics, followed by a Senior Vice President of Affiliate Relations role at the American Osteopathic Association. What drew me to my current position was how the job posting was worded: “this is a unique opportunity for a senior executive to serve as the executive director of an organization dedicated to saving lives and property,” or something along those lines. The word “unique” caught my attention, and the rest is history. What surprised me most were 2 things: how essential collaboration and relationship-building are in this profession. Emergency managers are expected to work with a wide variety of partners, and the time they spend building those relationships BEFORE a crisis is absolutely critical. The second is planning and organization, and what surprises me most is how important it is to be able to “see the big picture” or “vision,” while also having the skill to create very detailed plans. Most people are either one or the other - visionary or detail-oriented. Emergency managers have to be both.

2. Talking shop. How IAEM operates day to day. The relationship between staff, the association management company, and elected volunteer leadership. What an executive director actually does and where members see the results.

3. Year one. What she has been listening for, what she has heard, and the priorities taking shape.

I’ve been soaking up anything and everything available. In my first few months, I went on a “listening tour” - visited Josh, Todd, and Mary Jo - and met with all the staff together and individually. Many have been with IAEM for many, many years and have educated me more than I could ever explain. I am so grateful to them for their patience with me as I learned and continue to learn the rich history of this association.

4. The membership survey. What it is, when it opens, how long it takes, and who should take it. [Survey window: open date is October 8 and the close date is November 2.] [Estimated completion time: the survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and covers a wide variety of topics, including membership, annual conference, professional development, certification, member benefits, regions, advocacy, and communications. In addition to members, we are also sending this survey to nonmembers as well, which will help us understand why someone makes the decision not to belong, in the hopes of addressing their concerns and ultimately getting them to join!

5. Why participation matters. How the results feed program decisions, conference content, certification, advocacy priorities, and member services. Why the voice of the county coordinator with a one-person shop counts as much as anyone’s. Regardless of one’s office size, population served, or any other criteria, our members are all important to us. We need to be able to, first of all, identify the different professional settings in which our members work, which our new database allows us to do beautifully, and also be willing to provide tailored benefits for all of our member types. A benefit to one member may not benefit another, so relevance matters. There is a book called Race for Relevance that was published a while back - at least a decade - and the book focuses on how associations need to be more focused, nimble, and member-centered. These remain true to this day.

6. Closing. What members can expect to see in the results, and how IAEM will report back.

We are working with a research firm on this project, and we should receive some high-level, preliminary data by early December. We have an ad hoc strategic planning committee that will conduct an environmental scan and help us with a SWOT analysis, and the Board will synthesize and use this data to create the 2027 - 2030 Strategic Plan. This will allow us to address the issues most pressing for our members and work with all of our groups, including our caucuses, committees, commissions, and consortiums, so we can make a real difference and move the needle on the most important issues our members are asking us to address. For how we will report back, I envision an article in the Bulletin, an email to the membership about what we learned, and how we plan to use the findings to make data-informed decisions.

Key takeaways

The executive director role is where member needs, board strategy, and daily operations meet, which makes member input the raw material for most of what IAEM decides.

A survey only represents the people who fill it out. Low participation from any group means that group’s needs get underweighted. The survey is one of the few moments when every member, regardless of title or region, has the same size voice. Results should come back to members. Ask what changed because of the last one.

Call to action

Take the IAEM membership survey when it opens on October 8- participants will receive a link in that email, and again, the survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. Then tell one colleague to take it too.

Resources

IAEM staff directory: iaem.org/staffIAEM-USA leadership: iaem.org/iaem-usa-leadership[Survey link] not available yet - will be in the email on October 8

Feed Description

Twenty-five years ago, 2,977 people died and an entire profession was rebuilt around that morning. Host Todd T. DeVoe, CEM, who was working as a paramedic in Southern California that day, is joined by three IAEM regional leaders who carry different pieces of that history. Anthony S. Mangeri, MPA, CPM, CEM, Past President of IAEM-USA Region 2, was the Operations Chief at the New Jersey Emergency Operations Center on September 11, 2001, coordinating the state’s response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Michael Prasad, MA, CEM, President of IAEM-USA Region 2, has spent his career on the policy, mass care, and professionalization side of what came after. Joseph J. Leonard, Jr., MS, CEM, a retired Coast Guard Commander and President of IAEM-USA Region 6, brings the maritime and Gulf Coast view, including the half-million-person boatlift out of Lower Manhattan that most of this field has never been taught. Together they look at what the field got right, what it overcorrected, what it is quietly forgetting, and what it still owes the responders who are dying from that day.

About the Guests

Anthony S. Mangeri, MPA, CPM, CEM

Chief Operating Officer and Principal at Mangeri Group, LLC, and faculty in disaster science and emergency management at Rowan University and American Military University. He has more than 40 years in emergency management and public safety. During the response to and recovery from the September 11, 2001, attacks, he was the Operations Chief at the New Jersey Emergency Operations Center, where he coordinated the state’s response. He served as New Jersey’s State Hazard Mitigation Officer for over a decade, later served as a town manager, and has been a volunteer firefighter and EMT for more than 35 years, reaching assistant chief and safety officer. He holds an MPA from Rutgers and is a Past President of IAEM-USA Region 2.

Michael Prasad, MA, CEM

President of IAEM-USA Region 2, covering New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is a senior research analyst at Barton Dunant Emergency Management Training and Consulting and executive director of the Center for Emergency Management Intelligence Research. He has held director-level emergency management positions with the State of New Jersey and the American Red Cross, and has served in leadership roles on more than 25 disaster response operations, including Superstorm Sandy. He serves as a liaison officer for ESF #6, Mass Care, for FEMA Region 2 during declared disasters. His first book, Emergency Management Threats and Hazards: Water, was published by CRC Press in 2024.

CDR Joseph J. Leonard, Jr., MS, CEM, USCG (ret.)

President of IAEM-USA Region 6, covering Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, and President and Chief Operating Officer of Unified Services Consulting Group, LLC, in Houston. A retired Coast Guard Commander, he has served in incident management and planning roles across major Gulf Coast responses, including Hurricane Harvey, where he worked as an incident management team coordinator and planning section chief and later as an ESF #10 liaison across sixteen counties during the post-storm hazardous materials response. He served as Region 6 Vice President from 2020 to 2024 and has been a Certified Emergency Manager since 2015. [Confirm preferred bio language with Joe before publication.]

Episode Overview

There is now a cohort of working emergency managers who were toddlers on September 11, 2001, and students entering EM degree programs who were not born yet. For them, 9/11 is not a memory. It is a chapter. That is not a criticism of them. It is a problem for the rest of us, because most of what they are being handed was designed in response to something they have to take on faith.

This episode puts four vantage points in the same room. Anthony Mangeri was in the seat that morning, running operations at the New Jersey EOC while the state stood up its response across the river. Michael Prasad has spent twenty-five years working the consequences: mass care, mitigation, intelligence, and the long argument over whether emergency management is a profession or an assignment. Joe Leonard brings the maritime line and the Gulf Coast, a region that inherited a security architecture written for terrorism and had to turn it toward hurricanes, ports, and petrochemical complexes. And host Todd DeVoe was working as a paramedic in Southern California, where it was not yet six in the morning and where nothing local could be done, but where every mandate that followed would land anyway.

That last vantage point is the one most of this field actually shares. Region 2 lived the event that wrote the doctrine. Region 6 inherited it and had it stress-tested against a different hazard every few years since. Region 9, and most of the country, received the requirements without the context that produced them. Putting all three on the same call is the point.

Segment Structure

* 1. That morning, four vantage points. Anthony opens from the New Jersey EOC. What it was actually like to walk into a state operations center with no playbook for this, with the airspace closed, with a neighboring state’s incident becoming your mass care and transportation problem inside of an hour. Then the far side: Todd on a rig in Southern California before six in the morning, going on shift into a country that had already changed, with no call to run and nothing to do about it. Both are real experiences of that day and the field has only ever told one of them.

* 2. The command problem. Anthony leads. Two agencies operating in the same vertical space on incompatible radio systems, no unified command, no accountability for personnel who had self-deployed into a collapsing structure. Every one of those is still a live failure mode in 2026.

* 3. The water. Joe leads. The boatlift, and why an evacuation of more than half a million people executed largely by private mariners is not in most EM curricula. Then what followed: the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, the Coast Guard’s move from Transportation into DHS in 2003, Area Maritime Security Committees, and TWIC.

* 4. The building spree and the overcorrection. DHS in 2002, FEMA absorbed in 2003, HSPD-5 and NIMS, ICS moving from a wildland tool to a national requirement tied to grant eligibility. Terrorism-first posture by 2005, Katrina exposing what it cost, PKEMRA in 2006 putting all-hazards back in the language. Todd’s entry point is the WMD awareness and NIMS training that arrived in California ambulance bays for an event that happened 3,000 miles away. Anthony’s decade as State Hazard Mitigation Officer is the other, because mitigation is the function that gets starved first.

* 5. Two regions, one doctrine. Region 2 lived the event that wrote the doctrine. Region 6 inherited the doctrine and had to turn it toward hurricanes, ports, and petrochemical complexes. Sandy and Maria against Ike, Harvey, and Laura. Michael and Joe lead together.

* 6. The long tail. The World Trade Center Health Program, and the fact that more responders have now died of 9/11-related illness than died on the day itself. Exposure tracking as an operational task, not a paperwork task.

* 7. Professionalization, and teaching the generation that wasn’t there. All four teach or train. Where the argument over professionalization stands now, whether the CEM means what it was supposed to mean, and what has to be transmitted deliberately once it stops being lived experience. Close here.

Key Takeaways

* Doctrine written in response to one event carries that event’s assumptions inside it. Know which assumptions you inherited.

* The mandate reached every jurisdiction. The context did not travel with it. Most of the people carrying this doctrine were nowhere near the event that produced it.

* Interoperability is a governance problem wearing a technology costume. Buying radios did not solve it. Agreements and discipline did.

* The largest evacuation of that day was executed by capacity nobody had planned for. Your plan should account for the help that shows up whether you invited it or not.

* The pendulum between specialized threat focus and all-hazards capability has swung twice in twenty-five years. It will swing again. Build a program that survives the swing.

* Consequences do not end when the incident closes. Exposure tracking, responder health, and mass care documentation are operational tasks.

* Institutional memory is not automatic. If it is not taught, it is gone in a generation.

Discussion Questions for Your Team

* Which of your current plans exist because of 9/11, and would you write them the same way starting today?

* If two agencies had to operate in the same footprint tomorrow, what would actually fail first?

* Your neighbor’s catastrophe becomes your problem in the first hour. What is your version of that, and have you planned for it?

* What capacity in your community would self-organize before you asked, and does your plan have anywhere to put it?

* Which of your requirements arrived from somewhere else, and does your staff know why they exist?

* What are you documenting about responder exposure that someone will need in 2050?

* Who on your staff has no direct memory of 9/11, and what have you deliberately transmitted to them?

Resources

* The 9/11 Commission Report (2004)

* HSPD-5, Management of Domestic Incidents (2003)

* Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002

* Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (2006)

* National Incident Management System, current edition

* World Trade Center Health Program, CDC/NIOSH

* Emergency Management Threats and Hazards: Water, Michael Prasad, CRC Press

* Center for Emergency Management Intelligence Research, cemir.org

* Mangeri Group, LLC

* Unified Services Consulting Group, LLC

* IAEM-USA Region 2, Region 6, and Region 9

Video IAEM USA Remembers: 25 Years Later: How September 11 Changed Emergency Management

Episode Show Notes

Guest: Jeremy Greenberg, President, Provincial Strategies; Senior Advisor, Aspen Digital; former Director of Response Operations and Chief of the National Response Coordination Center, FEMA

Host: Todd T. DeVoe, CEM, DPP, 1st VP IAEM USA

Episode Description

Two lines have been converging for the last several years. Disasters are getting more frequent and more intense, and the demands on emergency managers keep climbing. At the same time, artificial intelligence has been moving faster than any technology most of us have worked through. The Markle Foundation saw those lines crossing and decided to find out what was actually happening at the intersection.

The result is the AI for Disasters and Emergencies (AIDE) Initiative, a partnership between Markle, Aspen Digital, and RAND. This week, the initiative released three reports: a RAND landscape assessment of the AI product market, an Aspen Digital summary of practitioner workshops, and an overall AIDE report on where the work goes next.

Jeremy Greenberg spent more than twenty-three years in federal service, including five in the Senior Executive Service, and led FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center from 2020 until his departure in 2025. He joins Todd to walk through what the research found and, more importantly, what it means for the coordinator who is already underwater.

The headline finding is not what most people expect. There is no shortage of products. RAND identified 1,179 AI-enabled products from 717 companies. The problem is the barrier to buy, the barrier to train, and the barrier to adopt. And the jurisdictions making the most interesting progress are not always the ones with the biggest budgets.

Key Takeaways

* The product gap is not the real gap. Jeremy’s most surprising finding was that the market is not empty. Companies are already building for emergency management, particularly in preparedness and exercise design. What is missing is the pathway from availability to working capability inside a jurisdiction.

* Adoption is bimodal, not linear. Large, well-resourced jurisdictions have embraced predictive analytics, forecasting, and drones. But so have very small shops, the half-person and one-and-a-half-person offices, where a single person can meaningfully expand capacity with a language model. The jurisdictions that seem most stuck are in the middle, and often the constraint is permission rather than capability.

* The differentiator is not size. It is structure. The jurisdictions making real progress tend to have embraced the idea of a chief innovation officer, a chief adoption officer, or a chief AI officer. Someone whose job is matching the right tool to the right task.

* Start with the objective, not the product. Do not open a procurement pipeline and go shopping. Ask what task you are trying to offload, what work is repetitive and systematic enough to suit a language model, and build capacity around that answer.

* AI is broader than the chatbot. Predictive analytics, computer vision, drone imagery, and forecasting are all in the suite. As Jeremy puts it, if you checked the weather this morning, you have already interacted with AI.

* We hold machines to a standard we never held ourselves to. Junior staff produce sixty or seventy percent accuracy and get coached up. People expect 100% from a computer on the first try. Jeremy offers a reframe he has come to like: intelligence augmentation rather than artificial intelligence.

* Somebody still has to know what a T-card is. Todd and Jeremy agree on the hill they will die on. Training pipelines have to keep producing people who understand the old way well enough to know when the new way is wrong.

Notable Moments

There’s not necessarily a gap in product. There’s a lot of product out there. The tools are out there. It’s the barrier to buy, the barrier to train, and the barrier to really adopt. Jeremy Greenberg

It’s not size and scope, interestingly. It’s not the bigger ones are better. It’s where people have embraced the concept of a chief innovation officer or a chief adoption officer or chief AI officer. Jeremy Greenberg

If they could go back and rename artificial intelligence, it should be intelligence augmentation. Jeremy Greenberg

Don’t just go buy a system. Don’t just open up the pipeline to a particular product. What objective are you trying to achieve? Jeremy Greenberg

I had a printed map of the New York City subway system and the path trains, and I was holding them up, and I was hoping the scales would be right. Jeremy Greenberg, on Hurricane Sandy

The demand signal far outpaces our supply right now. Jeremy Greenberg, on appetite for AI training in the field

Resources

* AIDE Initiative reports, summit registration, and workshop requests: aidinitiative.org

* RAND, AI and the Future of Emergency Management: Market Supply and Adoption Pathways. Jessica Jensen, Jessie Riposo, Leah Dion, and Glen L. Woodbury, RR-A4625-1, available at www.rand.org/t/RRA4625-1

* AIDE Summit: September 8 and 9, 2026, Austin, Texas

* Aspen Digital workshop findings report and the overall AIDE synthesis report, both released this week.

About the Guest

Jeremy Greenberg is President of Provincial Strategies LLC and a Senior Advisor to Aspen Digital. He teaches in the University of Chicago’s Threat and Risk Management Program. He served for more than 23 years in federal service, 5 of them in the Senior Executive Service.

At FEMA, he directed the Response Operations Division, overseeing the National Watch Center, the FEMA Operations Center, the National Response Coordination Center, and the National Urban Search and Rescue System. He served as FEMA Team Leader for the Domestic Emergency Support Team. Before FEMA, he managed the Department of Transportation’s National Response Program and served as Deputy Manager of DOT’s Crisis Management Center.

IAEM Is All About You: The Power of Membership

At its core, the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) exists for one reason: its members.

In this episode of IAEM Talks, First Vice President Todd DeVoe explores what makes IAEM more than just another professional association. From students entering the profession to seasoned emergency managers leading organizations around the world, IAEM is built by members, for members.

Join us as we discuss how volunteering, networking, certifications, conferences, advocacy, and professional development all begin with one simple idea: members investing in one another. You’ll hear why the association’s greatest strength isn’t its board, its committees, or even its programs—it’s the thousands of emergency management professionals who share their time, knowledge, and experience to make the profession stronger.

Whether you’ve been a member for twenty years or you’re considering joining for the first time, this episode is a reminder that IAEM isn’t something you simply belong to—it’s something you help build.

Because when members engage, the entire profession advances.

Show Notes

IAEM Talks

Episode: IAEM Is All About You: The Power of Membership

In This Episode

* Why IAEM exists to serve its members.

* The value of being part of a global emergency management community.

* How volunteering creates leadership opportunities.

* Professional development through conferences, webinars, and training.

* The importance of the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®) program.

* Networking that extends beyond conferences into lifelong professional relationships.

* How member voices shape IAEM’s advocacy efforts.

* Why giving back strengthens both the association and the profession.

* Encouragement for members to become involved at the committee, caucus, and regional levels.

Key Takeaways

* IAEM is driven by volunteers.

* Every member has something valuable to contribute.

* Professional growth comes through engagement, not just membership.

* Relationships are one of the greatest benefits of belonging to IAEM.

* The future of emergency management depends on members who are willing to lead, mentor, and serve.

Memorable Quote

“IAEM isn’t about the logo on your membership card. It’s about the people standing beside you before, during, and after disasters.”

Resources

* Learn more about IAEM membership.

* Explore the CEM® program.

* Find your regional council and committees.

* Register for upcoming IAEM conferences and training opportunities.

Connect

Follow IAEM for upcoming educational opportunities, advocacy updates, and future episodes of IAEM Talks.

See you in Long Beach (Click Here for more information)

August is National Emergency Management Awareness Month — a new IAEM initiative spotlighting the people who keep communities running before, during, and after the worst days. Todd T. DeVoe, CEM, and Spencer Hawkins make the case for why emergency managers need to stop being the best-kept secret in public safety. He unpacks what NEMAM is, why IAEM launched it, how it differs from September’s National Preparedness Month, and — most importantly — what practitioners can actually do this August to raise the profile of the profession, from telling your own story to advocating for the resources your program needs. If you’ve ever been asked, “so what do you actually do?”, this one’s for you.

SHOW NOTES

Recorded live — Friday, July 17, 2026, 0900 PT Host: Todd T. DeVoe, CEM

In this episode:

* What National Emergency Management Awareness Month (NEMAM) is, and why IAEM created it

* Why “behind the scenes” has become a liability for the profession — and how visibility drives funding, staffing, and authority

* The IAEM toolkit: social media templates, outreach materials, and advocacy resources available to members

* Apply this August — three concrete moves:

* Tell one story publicly about the work your program did that no one saw

* Brief an elected official or executive on what your office actually delivers

* Bring one colleague or newcomer into the conversation about the future of EM

Resources mentioned:

* IAEM – National Emergency Management Awareness Month: https://www.iaem.org/Events/National-Emergency-Management-Awareness-Month

IAEM Talks Episode June 5 2026

Volunteer Leadership in IAEM: Why Members Step Up and What It Brings Them

Episode Description

Why do emergency managers volunteer their time to lead within IAEM? What motivates busy professionals to take on additional responsibilities, serve on committees, mentor colleagues, and help shape the future of the profession?

In this episode of IAEM Talks, host Todd DeVoe, CEM, explores the rewards and opportunities of volunteer leadership in the International Association of Emergency Managers. From professional growth and expanded networks to lifelong friendships and the satisfaction of giving back, volunteer service often provides benefits that extend far beyond a résumé.

Join us as we discuss why members step forward to serve, how volunteer leadership helps strengthen both the individual and the profession, and why some of the most meaningful career experiences come from serving others. Whether you are a new member looking for ways to get involved or a seasoned leader reflecting on your journey, this conversation highlights the value of leadership through service.

Show Notes

IAEM is powered by volunteers. Behind every committee, initiative, certification program, conference session, and advocacy effort are members who choose to invest their time and talents in advancing emergency management.

In this episode, we discuss:

* Why emergency managers choose to volunteer and lead.

* The personal and professional growth that comes from service.

* Building meaningful relationships and professional networks.

* Developing leadership skills outside of your day job.

* The role of mentorship in strengthening the profession.

* How volunteer service creates opportunities for career advancement.

* Contributing to the future of emergency management.

* The satisfaction of helping others succeed.

* Lessons learned from serving on committees, caucuses, and boards.

* Advice for members considering involvement in IAEM leadership.

Key Takeaway

Volunteer leadership is more than giving back—it is an opportunity to grow, learn, connect, and help shape the future of emergency management. The relationships formed, lessons learned, and impact created through service often become some of the most rewarding experiences of a professional career.

About IAEM Talks

IAEM Talks is the official podcast series of the International Association of Emergency Managers, featuring conversations with leaders from across the profession. Each episode explores leadership, professional development, emerging issues, and the people working to advance emergency management worldwide.

Tags

#IAEM #IAEMTalks #EmergencyManagement #VolunteerLeadership #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #Mentorship #EmergencyManagers #CEM #CareerDevelopment #AssociationLeadership #CommunityResilience #PublicService #Networking #LeadershipDevelopment

In this episode of IAEM® Talks, host Todd DeVoe, CEM®, IAEM-USA 1st Vice President, sits down with IAEM-USA Region 2 President Michael Prasad, CEM®, for an in-depth conversation about the state of emergency management across Region 2 and the challenges and opportunities shaping the profession today.

The discussion explores regional priorities, membership engagement, professional development, advocacy efforts, and the evolving role of emergency managers in an increasingly complex risk environment. Michael shares insights into the work happening throughout Region 2, the importance of building stronger professional networks, and how IAEM continues to support practitioners at every stage of their careers.

The conversation also highlights the importance of leadership, collaboration, and innovation as emergency managers navigate disasters, climate impacts, technological disruptions, and the growing expectations placed on the profession. From local emergency managers to federal coordination, this episode provides a valuable perspective on where the profession is headed and how IAEM members can stay engaged and involved.

Whether you are a seasoned practitioner, a new emergency manager, or a student entering the field, this episode offers insight into the future of emergency management and the role IAEM plays in advancing the profession nationwide.

Key Topics Discussed:

* The current state of emergency management in Region 2

* Leadership priorities and regional initiatives

* Membership engagement and professional growth

* The importance of advocacy and public policy

* Emerging threats and evolving disaster challenges

* Building the next generation of emergency managers

* Strengthening collaboration across agencies and disciplines

* The future vision for IAEM and the profession

Hosted By:

Todd DeVoe, CEM® IAEM-USA 1st Vice President

Guest:

Michael Prasad, CEM® IAEM-USA Region 2 President

Mike mentioned in the podcast a few items to be added to the show notes:

- It was the State University of New York - Albany, which just had an IAEM-USA student chapter approved.

- The article Mike mentioned in the "Journal of Emergency Management" about the SOC codes at the U.S. Department of Labor, has been published. It can be found for free at https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.1035

About IAEM Talks:

IAEM Talks is a podcast series focused on the people, ideas, and issues shaping the future of emergency management. Featuring conversations with leaders from across the profession, IAEM Talks provides insight, leadership perspectives, and discussions on the evolving challenges facing emergency managers today.

IAEM® and CEM® are both registered trademarks of the International Association of Emergency Managers - USA.

Show Notes

Episode Summary:In this episode of IAEM Talks, we take a closer look at the exciting transformation underway within the International Association of Emergency Managers. With the launch of a fully integrated membership database, a redesigned website, and an enhanced online community platform, IAEM is stepping into a new era of connectivity and service.

This conversation explores what these upgrades mean for members across the globe, from improved access to resources and events to stronger collaboration across regions, councils, and student chapters. More than a technology update, this is a strategic investment in the future of the profession, one that aims to strengthen engagement, elevate knowledge sharing, and bring the emergency management community closer together.

As IAEM continues to grow in both scale and influence, these changes signal a commitment to delivering greater value and creating a more connected, informed, and empowered membership.

Key Topics Discussed:IAEM’s new integrated membership database and what it means for member experienceThe redesigned IAEM website and improved access to programs, events, and resourcesThe evolution of the IAEM online community and opportunities for collaborationHow digital infrastructure supports global engagement across regions and councilsWhy this transformation matters for the future of emergency management as a profession

Why This Matters:Emergency management is built on relationships, information, and trust. By modernizing its digital ecosystem, IAEM is reinforcing its role as the central hub for professionals across disciplines and geographies. These upgrades are not just about convenience, they are about building a stronger, more unified voice for the profession.

Call to Action:Stay engaged with IAEM as these updates roll out. Explore the new tools, connect with peers, and take full advantage of the expanded opportunities to collaborate and lead within the emergency management community.

Stay Connected:Follow IAEM for updates on the official launch and upcoming features. More details are coming soon as we step into this next chapter together.

IAEM Talks – Region 1 Spotlight: Leadership, Identity, and Building the Pipeline

In this episode of IAEM Talks, host Todd DeVoe sits down with IAEM-USA Region 1 President Chelsea St. George, MS, MPH, for a thoughtful conversation on what defines a region, how engagement is built and sustained, and why developing the next generation of emergency management leaders is critical to the profession’s future.

Chelsea shares her perspective on Region 1’s unique identity, highlighting the strengths, challenges, and opportunities that shape emergency management across the Northeast. From dense urban environments to rural communities, she discusses how regional diversity influences coordination, preparedness, and professional collaboration.

The conversation explores what meaningful engagement looks like within IAEM at the regional level, moving beyond attendance to active participation, mentorship, and creating space for emerging professionals to step into leadership roles. Chelsea also reflects on her own leadership journey, offering insight into how IAEM can continue to cultivate a strong and sustainable leadership pipeline.

Todd and Chelsea discuss the importance of cross-disciplinary connections, the role of regional leadership in advancing IAEM’s mission, and how Region 1 is creating value for its members through programming, outreach, and professional development.

This episode is a must-listen for IAEM members, aspiring leaders, and anyone interested in how regional engagement strengthens the association as a whole.

Key Themes:Regional identity and what makes Region 1 uniqueBuilding and sustaining member engagementDeveloping the next generation of emergency management leadersThe role of regional leadership within IAEMStrengthening connection and value for members

About the Guest:Chelsea St. George, MS, MPH, serves as the IAEM-USA Region 1 President and brings a strong background in public health and emergency management. She is committed to advancing the profession through collaboration, mentorship, and regional engagement.