Rob coordinates FEMA’s efforts to engage, integrate, innovate, and operate with business, industry and infrastructure owners and operators. His expertise spans the public and private sectors in emergency management, business, and the military. He is passionate about building private-public partnerships.

Through the National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC), more than 800 national organizations coordinate and collaborate during disasters forming a nationa at all levels focussed on aligning efforts before, during, and after disasters. His leadership shifted FEMA’s focus private sector coordination into the operational realm following the historic 2017 hurricanes and wildfires where he spearheaded the approach that would eventually become the new Emergency Support Function (ESF)-14 – Cross Sector Business and Infrastructure. During the height of Hurricane Maria response, he formed the Puerto Rico BEOC to support lifeline stabilization, supply chain alignment, and the flow of commerce. He is a primary author of the ESF and leads FEMA’s role as Primary Agency.

As Homeland Security Advisor to Ohio’s Governor, he created the standing Cyber Security Working Group; wrote the first cyber-security strategy; and matured the collaborative review of homeland security progress through the States Homeland Security Advisory Committee to mitigate future threats. He integrated Ohio’s counter-terrorism, prevention, and infrastructure protection efforts into a cohesive statewide program improving information-sharing through three fusion centers and 936 law enforcement agencies.

In state emergency management leadership roles, Rob improved Ohio’s response and readiness. He led Ohio’s public affairs response to eight federally declared disasters; coordinated development of the initial Ohio pandemic response plan within 90 days; established the mechanism to coordinate information sharing between the state intelligence fusion and emergency operations centers; developed the state’s first common operating picture and private sector coordination cell in the State EOC; and completed Ohio’s first post-9/11 Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government plans.

At Booz Allen Hamilton, Rob advised clients in the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. He served on the National Emergency Managers Association (NEMA) Private Sector Committee. At a top 50 defense firm, he implemented the plan that enabled uninterrupted $1.3B contract support to operations in Afghanistan supporting the warfighter. As a consultant, he developed a national emergency management program for a Latin American country.

After 9/11, he left law school to attend Army Officer Candidate School and deployed to Iraq as an Infantry Officer where he developed and executed the theater blueprint for reintegration that contributed to the success of the Surge disrupting Al-Qaeda operations. He also led search and relief missions in Mississippi and New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina.

Rob earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Kent State University and an Executive Masters of Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He is an Honor Graduate of the US Army Infantry Center’s Officer Candidate School, trained as an Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) assessor, and also completed the 4th Cohort of the Emergency Management Executive Academy.