Thirty senior homeland security enterprise executives graduated from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leaders Program (ELP) in a ceremony at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, on Thursday, Feb. 27. Cohort 2401 included top executive leaders representing a variety of federal, state, local, and private agencies and organizations.
During the ceremony, CHDS Director Gregory Bernard acknowledged the “tough, uncertain times” facing senior leaders nowadays but urged the graduates to focus on taking care of their mission and their people. And, ELP Director Sara Kay urged the graduates to make use of the CHDS network, adding “you really are a part of us.”
Nashua, NH Director of Emergency Management Emily Martuscello, who also serves as a CHDS Executive Education Program subject matter expert, was named the cohort’s Ellen Gordon Award winner, chosen by her cohort mates as the program participant who exhibit the capacity to “seek knowledge beyond what is commonly known, to challenge the status quo. The award is named for the former longtime ELP Director who was a member of the first CHDS Master’s cohort more than 20 years ago.
Martuscello praised the Center’s broad reach into the homeland security enterprise, noting its ability to provide access to a plethora of leaders and experts in the field.
“The great thing about the Center is it doesn’t just exist here; it exists wherever we are out there as leaders, it exists as a community,” she said. “It’s difficult to get into and it’s also a huge commitment. But the real value is in the networking. [The cohort has been talking] about this being the last [in-residence] session, but it’s really just the beginning. We’re now part of the larger [CHDS] network. My job as an emergency management director is impacted by what happens across the nation and I need to be plugged into that as part of the network to serve my community. When I need expertise or to reach out to someone with experience I have that because of the Center here.”
Martuscello also noted the Center’s ability to offer access to some of the top leaders from across the nation, mentioning specifically legendary former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta and his chat with the cohort.
“This Center is so well respected that they’re able to bring in speakers with amazing experience and expertise,” she said. “This is where institutional knowledge is passed on and that’s the kind of thing that is so hard to replicate. It’s so important to build the next generation of leaders. Leaders came in and sat down and spoke with us, not to us. Now we can take that back to our agencies and pay it forward, and I think that’s such a value-added part of this program.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Intelligence Deputy Executive Director Kimberly Ramsey, who previously graduated from the CHDS Master’s Program (Cohort 1505/1506), said she decided to return for the ELP to refresh her leadership skills and restore her CHDS network.
“I learned a new set of skills and was challenged by my [ELP] peers,” Ramsey said, adding that one of her biggest takeaways from the program was to “take care of your people and they’ll take care of the mission.”
The Walt Disney Company Senior Global Security Manager Melvin Patterson, a former DEA special agent, said he didn’t know about CHDS until he was encouraged to apply for the program by a senior leader. “I came in as a neophyte and was really impressed by the way they think and the things they do,” Patterson said, adding that he was most impressed by what he called a “riveting” presentation on artificial intelligence by NPS/CHDS Prof. Rodrigo Nieto Gomez.
Arizona Division of Emergency Management Director Gabriel Lavine said CHDS was recommended to him by fellow senior leaders in various state agencies and he gained a “richer understanding of how homeland security partners all work together to make a positive impact.” Lavine said he would return to his agency and encourage his senior staff to pursue “professional growth opportunities” at CHDS and elsewhere.
Executive Leaders Program cohort 2401 participants:
- Ben Abes – Director of Public Safety, Lee County Government – Fort Myers, FL
- Marco Ayub – Supervisory Special Agent/ Chief of Staff, U.S Department of State/Diplomatic Security Service – Arlington, VA
- Eddie Buffaloe – Secretary, North Carolina Department of Public Safety – Raleigh, NC
- James Burack – Deputy Director, Colorado Department of Public Safety/Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management – Centennial, CO
- Hollie Chadwick – Chief of Police, Henderson Police Department – Henderson, NV
- Aaron Delano-Johnson – US Coast Guard Liaison Officer, U.S. Southern Command, DHS/United States Coast Guard – Miami, FL
- Cria Gregory – Branch Chief, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Atlanta, GA
- Kenneth Herrarte – Commanding Officer, New York Police Department – Queens, NY
- Jeannie Jeanetta – Chief of Staff – Joint Staff, Wisconsin National Guard – Madison, WI
- Gabriel Lavine – Director, Arizona Division of Emergency Management – Phoenix, AZ
- Jose Lizama – Emergency Management Specialist Operations Branch Director, DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency – Alexandria, VA
- Emily Martuscello – Director of Emergency Management, Nashua Office of Emergency Management – Nashua, NH
- Michael McCausland – Senior Global Threat Assessment & Special Investigations Program Manager, Airbnb – Port Orchard, WA
- Claire Moravec – Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to the Governor & Deputy Director of Homeland Security, Illinois Emergency Management Agency & Office of Homeland Security – Chicago, IL
- Brian O’Neill – Deputy Fire Chief and Executive Officer, San Antonio Fire Department – San Antonio, TX
- Maria Ovalles – Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Information Officer, DHS/United States Secret Service – Washington, DC
- Melvin Patterson – Senior Global Security Manager, The Walt Disney Company – Washington, DC
- Ashley Pennington – Chief of Planning and Coordination for the National Coordinator, DHS/Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – Arlington, VA
- Jarad Phelps – Chief of Police, City of Jacksonville Police Department – Jacksonville, NC
- Kimberly Ramsey – Deputy Executive Director, Office of Intelligence, U.S Customs and Border Protection – Washington, DC
- Erik Schipul – Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Office of Professional Responsibility, DHS/Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Long Beach, CA
- Jesus Serrano – Senior Liaison Officer to the U.S. Department of State, DHS/Transportation Security Administration – Tampa, FL
- Ally Sleiman – Emergency Management Director, City of Quincy, MA – Quincy, MA
- Pamela Smith – Chief of Police, Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department – Washington, DC
- Jason Stroud – EMS Chief, City of Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services – Virginia Beach, VA
- Moriah Washington – Director, Community Engagement, New York City Emergency Management – Bronx, NY
- Denise Whisman – Sr. Director, Emergency Management, Arizona State University – Mesa, AZ
- Jason Wilken – Epidemiology Field Officer assigned to the California Dept of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Alameda, CA
- Donnie Woodyard, Jr. – Executive Director, Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice – Thornton, CO
- Nicholas Worst – U.S. Coast Guard Liaison to USSPACECOM, DHS/United States Coast Guard – Colorado Springs, CO
