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IAEM USA Region 6 Symposium 2026 Program

 

Home Program | Sponsors/Exhibitors | Travel/Lodging | Certification | Registration| Sponsorship/Exhibiting

 

“Local First: Driving Community Resiliency in Five States”

Great Wolf Lodge

Webster (Houston), Texas

Online registration is live!


Training and Program

Monday, February 9

8:30 am – 5:30 pm

MGT-318: Public Information in an All-Hazards Incident (Class 1)

Full to capacity and is no longer accepting online registration.

GW Ballroom III

 

MGT-318: Public Information in an All-Hazards Incident (Class 2)

Full to capacity and is no longer accepting online registration.

GW Ballroom II

 

MGT-461: Evacuation and Planning Strategies and Solutions

GW Ballroom IB

8:30 am – 12:30 pm

Facing Your Fear: Intro to Public Speaking for Emergency Managers

GW Ballroom IA

1:30 pm – 5:30 pm

MGT-340: Crisis Leadership

GW Ballroom IA

Tuesday, February 10

8:30 am – 5:30 pm

MGT-318: Public Information in an All-Hazards Incident (Class 1)

Full to capacity and is no longer accepting online registration.

GW Ballroom III

 

MGT-318: Public Information in an All-Hazards Incident (Class 2)

Full to capacity and is no longer accepting online registration.

GW Ballroom II

 

AWR-362: Flooding Hazards: Science and Preparedness

GW Ballroom IB

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

MGT-312: Senior Officials Workshop for All-Hazard Preparedness

GW Ballroom IA

Wednesday, February 11

7:00 AM – 8:30 AM

Registration

 

Pre-Function Area/Registration Desk

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

IAEM Leadership and State Reps

Opening Ceremony & General Session

GW Ballroom II

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Exhibitor Area Open

 

GW Ballroom III

Session 1 (60 minutes)

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM

Kathy Fulton & John Holdsworth
American Logistics Aid Network

Building Community Resilience Through Logistics Excellence

GW Ballroom IA

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM

Tonya Clarke, Houston OEM
Gary Flaharty, Texas Gulf Coast VOAD

Radical Collaboration: Where “Y’all Helpin’?” Becomes “We’ve Got This!”

GW Ballroom IB

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM

Julie Roberts
PSEMA

PSEMA Business Resilience Lifelines-Elevating the Private Sector’s Role in Emergency Management

GW Ballroom II

Session 2 (45 minutes)

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

Thomas Walmsley
Bernalillo County EM

How FEMA Lifelines Strengthen Planning and Real-Time Decision Making

GW Ballroom IA

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

Johnny Morales – La Porte OEM
Jamie Galloway – Deer Park OEM

Coordinated Response to a Pipeline Fire in La Porte and Deer Park: Lessons in Multi-Agency Collaboration

GW Ballroom IB

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

Ali Mostafavi
Texas A&M University

AI for Emergency Management

GW Ballroom II

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM

Lunch (Provided)

Restaurant

Session 3 (60 minutes)

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Gary Scronce
IEM International

Leading and Managing People in Blue and Grey Skies

GW Ballroom IA

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Andrew Boyarsky
Pinnacle Performance Mgt.

Bridging the Gap: How Project Management Builds Capacity

GW Ballroom IB

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Brian Mason, Houston OEM
Bernard Mendoza, Houston Host Committee

Hoston World Cup 2026

GW Ballroom II

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Exhibitor Showcase

 

GW Ballroom III

Session 4 (60 minutes)

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Tim Carter
Coconino County EM

Bridging the Gap: Advancing the Next Generation of Emergency Managers Through Academic-Practitioner Collaboration

GW Ballroom IA

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Michael Cassidy
Town of Holliston, MA

From Mentoring to Succession: Unlocking Leadership Potential in your Agency

GW Ballroom IB

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Ryan Steele
Richardson OEM

PM for EMs: Turning Chaos into Coordination with Project Management

GW Ballroom II

Thursday, February 12

7:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Registration

 

Pre-Function Area/Registration Desk

8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Exhibitor Area Open

 

GW Ballroom III

Plenary Session (60 minutes)

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Joshua Barnes & William Stefanov
NASA

A Bird’s Eye View: Supporting Disaster Response with NASA’s Open Satellite Data

GW Ballroom II

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Exhibitor Showcase & Coffee Break

 

GW Ballroom III

Session 5 (45 minutes)

10:30 AM – 11:15 AM

Michael Owens
US Navy

Most Common, Costly, & Critical Myths in Disaster Preparedness & Response

GW Ballroom IA

10:30 AM – 11:15 AM

Joe Laster
Burleson Fire/EMS

Having an Award-Winning CERT Program

GW Ballroom IB

10:30 AM – 11:15 AM

Nancy Carrouth
Arkansas Tech University

The Future Responds: A New Generation Enters the Field

GW Ballroom II

11:15 AM – 12:45 PM

Lunch – On Own

 

 

Session 6 (60 minutes)

12:45 PM – 1:45 PM

Lisa Spivey, SETRAC
Dr. Janeana White, Texas Women in HS
Chelsia Elmore, TCH

Stronger Together: How Local Partnerships Drive Multi-Agency Success in Complex Incidents

GW Ballroom IA

12:45 PM – 1:45 PM

Deb Zoran
Texas A&M VET Team

The Texas A&M VET: Preparing and Responding on Behalf of People and Animals

GW Ballroom IB

12:45 PM – 1:45 PM

Andrea Davis & Faith Newton
The Resiliency Initiative

How to Make Public-Private Partnerships Your Superpower

GW Ballroom II

12:45 PM – 1:45 PM

Vickie Travis
Tangipahoa Parish Office of Homeland Security Emergency Management

Empowering Jurisdictional Communication GW Ballroom IA

Session 7 (60 minutes)

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Michael Sharon
Millersville University

The Goldilocks EOC Structure: Finding What’s “Just Right”

GW Ballroom IA

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Esmeralda Valague & Richard Herrera
Houston METRO

Evacuating Persons with Physical, Cognitive, and Sensory Impairments utilizing Public Transit Systems

GW Ballroom IB

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Niki Bender
Friendswood Emergency Services

Collaboration Over Chaos: Dodging Pitfalls in the Planning Process

GW Ballroom II

Session 8 (60 minutes)

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Todd Livingston
EMAP

Capability, Capacity, Collaboration, and Credentialing: Strengthening Region VI Resilience Through Standards-Based Emergency Management

GW Ballroom IB

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Ali Rye & Thomas Sivak
New Mexico DHS&EM

Operationalizing AI- Creating a Sustainable AI Program for Emergency Managers

GW Ballroom II

Closing Session (60 minutes)

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

IAEM Leadership and State Reps

Closing Session

GW Ballroom II