
Pete Gaynor,
Experience In
Disaster/Risk/Resilience
Disaster/Risk/Resilience
-
StateRhode Island
-
Zipcode02835
-
Job TitleSenior Vice President and Director National Resilience, Response and Recovery Programs
-
CompanyGEI Concultants Inc.
-
AssociationsInternational Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)
-
How Far Are You Willing to Travel?Nationwide
-
COVID-19Crisis Leadership; Leading the All-of-America response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
I’ll share first-hand insights leading at the highest levels of government, from FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the White House during the historic 2020-21 pandemic, hurricanes, wildfires and more. -
Disaster Services GovernmentNavigating the Complexities of a Disaster.
Having served two mayors, a governor, and a president, and led response and recovery for hundreds of presidentially declared disasters, I have had first-hand knowledge as a consumer of governmental disasters services as well as the responsibility to deliver those critical services to disaster survivors. I have also had the honor to lead a diverse set of chief executive officers through the complexities and chaos of disasters. As emergency management programs across the Nation continue to mature, emergency managers are being asked to do more. From public health emergencies to natural disasters, it is imperative that your emergency management program is ready to tackle the next unknown. I can help you understand the ever-changing landscape of our field. The best solutions are built in blue skies times - let me help you get there. -
Leadership, Communication & MotivationalLeaders are made, not born. Every leader has their inherent strengths and weaknesses.
I have led our Nation’s Finest across the globe as a United States Marine, led tens of thousands of FEMA professionals during the country greatest disasters and the Department of Homeland Security during a tenuous transition of executive power. I have used my experience to fuel the constant improvement of current leaders and development of the next group ready to step in. Your team can never be left to survive on one person's shoulders - you must build that bench strength now. The future is now, and I’ll be able to guide your leadership team to meet any challenge head on.
Visit Pete at www.femapete.com to learn more.
Poor Organizational Communications is your Achilles Heel.
No matter how good you think your operations or response may be going behind the curtain, what matters is how you communicate what you are doing in clear, concise, and believable terms at the public podium. Your investment in training and preparing for this very real possibility will set you apart from your competitors and improve your reputation with the public. Let me help you prepare for the next unknown. -
Preparedness, Continuity, & Contingency PlanningContinuity is King.
Sustaining your team's ability to operate at all times without a break in capability is paramount in today's world. Having a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) or Continuity of Government (COG) plan written does not guarantee success when the time comes to use it. Your ability to operationalize those plans in a way that minimizes confusion and disorder is what makes all the difference. I have led continuity operations at the highest levels in the military during the 9-11 attacks and in the federal government executive branch during the unprecedented and historic crises of 2020-21. My experience can help you safely navigate uncertainty in what tomorrow may hold to always keep your organization ready. -
Program Development, Assessment & Staff ManagementYour greatest investment must be in your people.
All too often organizational and corporate investments are in technology, facilities, and equipment and not in the people that make your success possible. Having a lifetime of leading people under a diverse environments and conditions, I can show you where you can make critical “investments” to turn your workforce around to improve both human and fiscal performance. -
ResilienceResilience; Moving from the buzzword to meaningful, tangible, life-saving results.
We all have heard and have probably used the resiliency buzzword in conversations with co-workers, clients, and the community. In my previous role as the FEMA Administrator, we designed programs such as Community Lifelines (a lifeline that enables the continuous operation of critical government and business functions and is essential to human health and safety or economic security) and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) to “aim” federal funding on things that matter such as critical infrastructure. Need to better understand where and how to make investments that matter? Reduce Risk? Save lives and reduce destruction to property? Need to demonstrate a tangible return on investment? I can help. -
LinkedIn
-
Website
-
SummaryPete joined The LiRo Group in April 2021, in the newly created position of Senior Vice President and Director, National Resilience Response and Recovery Programs. In leading LiRo’s national disaster response, Pete oversees recovery programs that help clients prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters by delivering outcome-based innovative practical solutions. He is an accomplished professional emergency manager who has led a wide variety of challenging disasters at the local, state, and federal levels during his long career. Most recently, Pete served as the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, FEMA Administrator and Deputy FEMA Administrator. During his time at FEMA, he led the agency’s response to more than 300 presidentially declared emergencies and major disasters. During 2020, he oversaw FEMA’s first-ever operational response to a nationwide pandemic while simultaneously responding to a record number of historic natural disasters.
Pete is a Certified Emergency Manager and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Rhode Island College and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, RI. He is also a graduate of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leaders Program. Prior to his experience as an emergency manager, Pete served for 26 years as an enlisted Marine and Commissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Pete was recently awarded the Department of Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal and the United States Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Medal for his service at FEMA. -
HighlightsPete is a professional emergency manager who has led a wide variety of challenging disasters at the local, state, and federal level. Most recently he served as the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, FEMA Administrator and Deputy FEMA Administrator.
Pete understands that every disaster is unique and requires the ability of leaders to adapt to the challenge at hand at a moment’s notice. In today’s demanding environment leaders must be ready for the unthinkable. -
May Waive FeeYes
-
Session Types
- Keynote
- Workshop
- Panel
- Planning/Meeting Facilitation
- Remote/Webinar/Live Video
- Consulting
-
Cancellation PolicyModerate: Full refund up until 14 days prior to event, except fees (travel and service)
-
Price Range$7500 To $25000
-
Experience14 Year(s)
Events Last Year 1 -
LanguagesEnglish
Event Title | Event Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Plenary Speakers IAEM Annual Conference | November 19, 2019 | Savannah, GA |
International Fire Chiefs Association (IAFC) | August 09, 2019 | Atlanta, GA |
Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Expo (NDEM) | November 18, 2021 | Emergency Management: A View From The Top |
User reviews
Already have an account? Log in now
Jorge R.
Overall rating 4.0Overall 4.0Content 4.0Delivery 4.0
Session or Topic : View from the Top
Overall rating
4.0
Overall
4.0
Content
4.0
Delivery
4.0
Randal C.
Overall rating 5.0Overall 5.0Content 5.0Delivery 5.0
Session or Topic : Emergency Management: A View From The Top
Overall rating
5.0
Overall
5.0
Content
5.0
Delivery
5.0
Event
Event Name
Natural Disaster and Emergency Management (NDEM) Expo
Event Location
New York City, New York
Event Date
November 18, 2021
Preparation and Content
I believe that Pete's preparation and content was really just relying on his experience as the FEMA Administrator which is all he needed for this presentation. He clearly experienced a once in a lifetime opportunity that all emergency managers would like to ascend too. He was clear and concise in his answers allowing everyone inn the room to learn vicariously through him.
Presentation and Delivery
Pete was asked questions by a moderator. It was casual and conversational. Pete's answers were relevant and interesting and afforded advice for all emergency managers. He did a good job at answering the questions deliberately while not falling into rabbit holes. I appreciated his candor and his willingness to share, humbly, about the challenges of being a FEMA Administrator.
Any other comments or recommendations?
I would love to hear Pete in a specific presentation where he is solo and has a prepared presentation. I think he has much to share to all emergency managers and has insights into the challenges that emergency managers face that can make each one of us better at our job.
Seamus L.
Overall rating 5.0Overall 5.0Content 5.0Delivery 5.0
Session or Topic : Emergency Management: A View From The Top
Overall rating
5.0
Overall
5.0
Content
5.0
Delivery
5.0
Event
Event Name
Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Expo
Event Location
NYC
Event Date
November 18, 2021
Any other comments or recommendations?
Pete is a consummate professional and a true leader in the field of Emergency Management.
Pete and Craig Fugate's talk at the Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Expo in NYC was very informative and provided a great strategic perspective of the emergency management community.
Witt R.
Overall rating 5.0Overall 5.0Content 5.0Delivery 5.0
Session or Topic : Emergency Management: A View From The Top
Overall rating
5.0
Overall
5.0
Content
5.0
Delivery
5.0
Event
Event Name
Natural Disaster and Emergency Management (NDEM) Expo
Event Location
New York City, New York
Event Date
November 18, 2021
Preparation and Content
Pete was an outstanding contribution to the conversation led by Todd De Voe, alongside Craig Fugate. The content was organized as a small sit-down discussion/fireside chat format that made the conversation flow very naturally and organically. Pete brought a great wealth of knowledge and experience to the conversation, providing rich education and strong insight into how public and private sector organizations can more effectively respond to critical events and better implement recovery processes. He also put a fantastic focus on leadership, how to effectively prioritize mission-critical goals and objectives, and how to define and determine success. I particularly liked his advocacy to have emergency and disaster plan exercises be pushed to the failing points, citing that so much can be learned by those failures in a safe, simulated event.
Presentation and Delivery
I was constantly engaged with the session. Pete has a very dynamic way of speaking to express the importance and priority of the elements he discussed. He expertly addressed each question posed to him and even expanded further showing his passion and his personal level of engagement in the conversation. He was also very authentic, working in conversational humor that made him relatable as a speaker and a joy to watch rather than feeling scripted or robotic.
Any other comments or recommendations?
Lisa
Overall rating 5.0Overall 5.0Content 5.0Delivery 5.0
Overall rating
5.0
Overall
5.0
Content
5.0
Delivery
5.0
Price Range
$7500To
$25000
Experience
14 yearsEvents
Last Year
1