Katie is a well-respected professional with over 20 years of emergency management experience across the health and transport sectors at the federal and municipal level in Canada. She has led the development and modernization of local and national programs while maintaining a focus on systems thinking and standards integration. Katie’s context-tailored tactics, natural leadership and engagement style allow her to foster connection and collaboration with diverse teams and advance toward common goals.

A life-long learner, Katie has extensive technical training in human and physical security, disaster behavioural health, and incident management.  She holds a master’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management and is an Associate Business Continuity Professional.

Michael is a disaster management data specialist with significant experience developing and implementing information management solutions, early warning systems, and comprehensive risk statistics for governments, private sector infrastructure owners, regional disaster response agencies and multi-lateral institutions.  He has worked with clients in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Eastern Africa to design and build local technical capacity for climate change adaptation, disaster preparedness and post-disaster recovery.
 
Michael has worked across various data management and analysis platforms, including ArcGIS, SPSS, PANDAS/Jupyter, PowerBI and PostgreSQL, to improve resilience and public safety outcomes.  He is actively involved with the development of open-source software and data, including training teams to use these tools and platforms in context to ensure sustainable capacity. Michael holds a Master of Science in Applied Science as well as an Advanced Diploma in Geographic Information Systems.

Barbara Minguez Garcia is a Disaster Risk Management and Cultural Heritage Specialist, with over 13 years of international experience. She has worked at the UNESCO Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit, the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) in several countries and projects, including Central America region, Ecuador, Myanmar, Bhutan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Japan, among others. Before she worked at the Cultural Offices of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C. and the Spanish Consulate in New York, N.Y., and collaborated with the U.S. National Parks Service (NPS). Barbara is member of the International Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICOMOS-ICORP), and mentor for ICCROM’s First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis and Net Zero: Heritage for Climate Action Programs.

Bob is an internationally recognized leader in disaster communications and crisis management  including extensive consultation experience with governments and resilience partners in developing nations and fragile states.  He has led global teams with up to 2,500 personnel across multiple disciplines and locations and directed large-scale projects from ideation to completion. Prior to beginning his work in the private sector, Bob was the Deputy Director of External Affairs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States and held a senior leadership role for the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Bob is highly regarded for his public communications leadership during response operations. He has deployed four times to combat zones and has led communication efforts for major disaster responses including Hurricanes Ike and Sandy, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the Deepwater Horizon crisis.

Simon has 25 years experience in the international development sector, during which he has worked in approximately 20 countries in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia. His specializations include water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), environmental assessment and management, watershed management and climate resilience. Recent assignments have included environmental assessment and planning for several large health, education and livelihoods programs implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation, coordinating and co-editing the UNICEF/WHO publication “State of the World’s Sanitation” and major programmatic evaluations and strategic reviews for clients including the World Bank, the African Development Bank and WaterAid UK.

Wes is a capable, results-oriented disaster manager and development professional who strikes the right balance between operational program realities and strategic resilience objectives. He has significant experience in Africa where he managed large-scale USAID critical infrastructure reconstruction and hardening projects as well as volcanic eruption relief programs.

Through his academic pursuits in engineering technology and disaster risk management, Wes is well positioned as a knowledge bridge for multiple disciplines. He holds a Master’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management as is a certified Project Management Professional.

Mēsha Richard is a Senior Associate with McAllister & Craig Disaster Management Inc. with focused expertise in emergency planning as well as organizational safety and security program design. She has deep experience leading and supporting the infrastructure sector and the arts, culture, and heritage sector to improve their resilience to acute disruptions. Accomplished across the full cycle of business continuity programs, Mēsha ensures an iterative, continuous improvement approach to ensure client readiness.

Ms. Richard holds a Master’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management, a Certificate in Crisis Communications, and through academic and applied learning, has a strong command of the Incident Management System.

One of Europe’s leading academic voices in disaster management, Dr. Tedim has introduced novel approaches to build resilience at local and regional scales. As a thought leader for disaster risk, she has embraced climate change adaptation to inform national understanding of current and future risks posed by natural hazards and evolving social vulnerabilities.

Fantina holds a doctorate in Human Geography and as a professor she designs and delivers courses on disaster risk assessment. She is the assistant editor for a leading international disaster risk journal and is a reviewer for over twenty additional refereed publications. A much sought-after speaker and author, Dr. Tedim has presented at over 60 events and has over 50 publications credited to her name.

Nigel Thomas is an architect based in Trinidad and Tobago. He is a long standing member of the Trinidad & Tobago Institute of Architects (T.T.I.A), and the Board of Architects Trinidad & Tobago (BoATT). Nigel is a respected strategic thinker and an accomplished project manager within the global community. He has provided technical input into ‘Build Back Better’ initiatives following natural disasters in Dominica, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Trinidad. Nigel follows international standards and building codes coupled with social vulnerability considerations to ensure structural integrity and functional utility of critical infrastructure. He is a leader in the practice of using hazard mitigation resiliency and hardening measures against earthquake, floods, hurricanes and other hazards in the context of the jurisdictions in which he works. Leveraging his extensive network of urban planners, engineers, and environmental scientists, Nigel ensures that ‘Build Back Better’ and ‘Build Better Before’ projects are implemented in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Dechen is McAllister & Craig’s Regional Lead Associate for South Asia. An experienced disaster risk management professional and civil engineer, her work focuses on resilient infrastructure development, climate adaptation, early warning systems, risk finance and world heritage conservation. Dechen masterfully integrates structural and non-structural measures to address the most intractable risk reduction challenges at local, national and regional scales. Prior to joining McAllister & Craig, she led senior-level interdisciplinary disaster risk management teams at the World Bank. She has regularly and successfully collaborated with bilateral foreign aid organizations, multi-lateral development banks and various United Nations agencies.

Trevor is a developing leader in disaster and risk finance. He recently completed his Honors Business Administration degree at Ivey Business School at Western University where he developed a multidisciplinary background in disaster risk, social sciences, management, and finance. Through his domestic and international internships, including the Aga Khan Hospital Nairobi and Deloitte Corporate Finance, Trevor applied his academic background to generate practical management solutions. As part of the McAllister & Craig team, he provides emerging analytical insights for macro and micro disaster risk financing that are contextual and sustainable.