Robert Richards
Perry Hall,USA
Summary
Accomplished leader and manager with extensive expertise in project/program management, emergency management, public health, safety, and compliance. Recognized for strategic insight, risk assessment, training, and team leadership. Exceptional organizational skills, fostering team cohesion through mentorship and process development. Seasoned emergency management professional with a distinguished military background, retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2018. Specializes in crisis response, emergency planning, inter-agency coordination, and ensuring public safety with a collaborative and adaptable approach that consistently delivers results.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
SUPERVISORY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST (GS-13, TS/SCI Clearance, 40+ hours/week)
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE
05.2024 - Current
- Served as the Operations Section Chief within the Emergency Management Branch. Supervised four positions in the highly utilized APHIS Emergency Operations Center, known as the Dr. Jere L. Dick Operations Center. Served as senior editor of the Agency’s combined daily report delivered to senior agency and department leadership to inform leadership of APHIS’ current deployments and operational status. Served as the senior administrator for APHIS’ emergency notification system known as APHIS Alert. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Operations Section delivered 104 emergency messages and emergency preparedness messages for events such as hurricanes (Beryl, Milton, Helene), typhoons, wildfires, flooding, tsunami warnings, tornado warnings, active shooters, suspicious packages, continuity of government/continuity condition level changes, and earthquakes to APHIS personnel worldwide. Sent 31 personnel accountability messages through APHIS Alert to account for 2,878 persons during these events. Supervised three Geospatial Information System Specialist positions. These positions are responsible for the creation and operation of the Agency’s common operation picture known as APHIS Common Operational Reporting Experience (CORE). APHIS CORE relays personnel, facility data, and emergency response data and integrates real-world situational data and combines it into geospatial environment data. APHIS CORE allows Agency leaders and managers to view near real-time information to make data-driven decisions, maintain operational status, and understand and react to potential impacts to mission. Responsible for tracking operational data for diseases such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, feral swine and the New World Screwworm response in Central America. Managed the Agency’s Duty Officer Program, responsible for being on-call to coordinate with APHIS’ subject matter experts to provide official responses to other government agencies and the American public. APHIS Duty Officers are on-call twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. APHIS Duty Officers are responsible for monitoring world events to ensure that APHIS’ personnel and mission are notified of situations that may impact either.
- Supervisor, Joshua Locke, (240) 723-0872 (Yes, contact)
EMERGING INITIATIVES BRANCH MANAGER
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
10.2018 - 04.2024
- Served as the Emerging Initiatives Branch Manager, Consequence Management Directorate to develop and implement emergency management strategy and training programs for branch personnel, deliver disaster assistance, identify and support opportunities to engage whole community and equity partners by coordinating with federal, state, local government, and voluntary organizations to foster best practices and contribute to the development of department level strategic plans and guidelines to strengthen core competencies. Responsible for leading, evaluating staff work and providing direction regarding efficiency issues, evaluation of major administrative aspects of the team including branch recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts to ensure equitable and inclusive team growth, administrative support including time and attendance, purchase card and requisitions, and providing appropriate opportunities for professional development and actionable feedback on performance and conduct to staff to help ensure continuous improvement. Responsible for managing a team of subject matter experts that coordinate and collaborate across multiple programs and directorates, investigates technological advances for new approaches in spatial analysis and display technology to solve novel problems, provide oversight and direction for Branch projects and ensure project alignment with FEMA and FEMA Region 3 strategic priorities and goals that focus on the customer while assessing and evaluating the integration of federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, nongovernmental organization and community emergency management preparedness programs and plans related to grant projects. Collected and analyzed grant performance data, provided quarterly reporting to the grantor, and developed supporting data for a variety of forums including briefings, conferences, and department/agency meetings. Guided stakeholders in emergency environments, provided technical advice on preparedness activities associated with natural and/or man-made disasters pertinent to the delivery of short- and long-term disaster assistance programs and grants, and prioritizes projects across varied timelines and stakeholders. The branch had three federally funded grants: the five-year, $5.6M Grant for School Emergency Management (GSEM), the two-year, $693K Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant (TVTP), and the three-year, $1.338M Regional Catastrophic Planning Grant Program (RCPGP). Responsible for collaborating and fostering of relationships between federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector, their respective responsibilities, mechanisms, structures, and authorities in their respective jurisdictions to ensure that the Agency’s personnel and mission are notified of situations that may impact either.
- Supervisor, Marcia Deppen (302) 584-5948 (Yes, contact)
FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION/PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER
UNITED STATED ARMY
06.2017 - 08.2018
- Served as the Force Health Protection Officer for I (US) Corps, U.S. Army Pacific’s Joint Task Force headquarters in support of two divisions containing nine brigades, an Expeditionary Support Command containing two brigades, and joint base staff agencies comprising over 35,000 Soldiers and Airmen. Identified, developed, and validated force health protection requirements for contingency and operational plans and orders. Served as the principal public health advisor to the I Corps Surgeon, Commanding General, and staff. Prioritized, planned, and executed the management of force health protection and public health projects across varied timelines and stakeholders including the I Corps Surgeon, medical planners, and medical logisticians to ensure the health and well-being of approximately 50,000 soldiers, Department of the Army (DA) civilians, and families. Managed stakeholder relationships and expectations regarding occupational and environmental health surveillance, disease and non-battle injury prevention, and critical force health protection measures including emergency management planning, safety, preventive medicine, and public health core competencies. Performed data analysis on large and diverse data sets relating to occupational and environmental health surveillance, disease and non-battle injury prevention, and force health protection measures. Served as a member of the Protection Working Group comprised of senior military officers and DA civilians by advising leadership on policy issues pertaining to natural or man-made incidents. Guided the development and planning of emergency disaster preparedness assessments by collecting information regarding threats and hazards to ensure community-wide readiness and develop emergency management operations plans to protect JBLM. Conducts assessments of federal, state, and local risks, and evaluations of emergency capability gaps and recommends changes that address and prioritize critical shortfalls. Coordinated disaster response functions through region response managers in the federal, state, tribal, nongovernmental organizations, private sector, and internal stakeholders to ensure coordination of administration of disaster assistance programs. Facilitated high-profile, potentially contentious meetings to explain written determinations. Served as a member of the Senior Medical Council, Ready and Resiliency Committee, Community Health Promotion Council, and Health and Readiness Action Committee. Coordinated and collaborated with Installation Management Command to ensure all deployment/re-deployment planning and training are conducted safely and to standard.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LABORATORY SCIENCES DIRECTORATE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LABORATORY SCIENCES DIRECTORATE
06.2014 - 06.2017
- Led the largest comprehensive public health analytical laboratory within the Department of Defense (DoD), and coordinated with 6 laboratories across the U.S. Medical Command in the US, Germany, and Japan. Assisted with prioritizing projects across varied timelines and stakeholders utilizing an annual budget of over $9 million. Supported domestic and global readiness by prioritizing projects across varied timelines and stakeholders to ensure quality and timely analysis of water, air, soil, and disease vector samples from military installations and theaters of operation. Supported and advised senior leadership on strategic planning, budgeting, policies, and programs based on results of data analysis. Performed data analysis on large and diverse data sets, and supports the data analytical services, budgetary, and management practices over 80 military, civilian and contract personnel. Conducted assessments of state and local risks, and evaluations of emergency capability gaps and recommends changes that address and prioritize critical shortfalls. Served as a member of multiple DoD and DA laboratory and bio-surveillance working groups/steering committees within the Defense Health Agency. Assisted with building strategic partnerships with other DoD/DA entities such as Joint Program Executive Office-Chemical-Biological Defense, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, and the U.S. Army 1st Army Medical Lab.
PROGRAM MANAGER, BIOSURVEILLANCE
PROGRAM MANAGER, BIOSURVEILLANCE
06.2013 - 06.2014
- Served as the Program Manager for the Entomology/Disease Surveillance (Bio-surveillance) program for the Laboratory Sciences Portfolio, Army Public Health Center (Provisional). Developed, streamlined, and standardized team processes, workflows, sampling efforts, and other collaboration practices to ensure overall team success. Performed data analysis on large and diverse data sets. Coordinated customers across regions and improved worldwide communication providing timely and precise information/data collection/protection and improving the health of Soldiers, Families, and DA Civilians. Coordinated and collaborated with the Joint Program Executive Office-Chemical and Biological Defense on the Joint United States Forces Korea Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition (JUPITR), and the Global Bio-surveillance Technology Initiative (GBTI).
Education
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION -
University of Maryland University College
Adelphi, MD12.2017
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT - Emergency Management
University of Maryland University College
Adelphi, MD12.2016
MASTER OF SCIENCE - Zoology/Human Physiology
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL05.1991
Skills
- Incident command
- Emergency planning
- Training and education
- Interagency collaboration
Certification
- CERTIFIED EMERGENCY MANAGER (CEM)
- International Association of Emergency Managers | June 20, 2024
- PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PMP) CERTIFICATION
- Project Management Institute| October 24, 2023
Timeline
SUPERVISORY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST (GS-13, TS/SCI Clearance, 40+ hours/week)
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE
05.2024 - Current
EMERGING INITIATIVES BRANCH MANAGER
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
10.2018 - 04.2024
FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION/PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER
UNITED STATED ARMY
06.2017 - 08.2018
DEPUTY DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LABORATORY SCIENCES DIRECTORATE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LABORATORY SCIENCES DIRECTORATE
06.2014 - 06.2017
PROGRAM MANAGER, BIOSURVEILLANCE
PROGRAM MANAGER, BIOSURVEILLANCE
06.2013 - 06.2014
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT - Emergency Management
University of Maryland University College
MASTER OF SCIENCE - Zoology/Human Physiology
Eastern Illinois University
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION -
University of Maryland University College
Training
- NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT BASIC ACADEMY
- Emergency Management Institute | March 2022
- LEAN SIX SIGMA YELLOW BELT
- U.S. Army Public Health Command | Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD | October 2014
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