Sean Johnson

• Currently serve as Chief of Staff for the wing, leading and supervising critical staff members and operational/emergency response functions of eight squadrons across North Dakota supporting both the state and nation
• Serve as a decision-making member of the wing finance committee, overseeing federal and corporate funding along with a state appropriation
• Commanded the Bismarck Composite Squadron, initiating one of the most successful Wreaths Across America veteran commemoration programs worldwide; and prepared the squadron at the individual, collective, and leader levels for exemplary performance during the 2009 flood disaster
• Led and guided strategic planning processes at the Wing and Squadron levels to realign CAP towards seizing the initiative in several new emerging mission sets, ultimately posturing the organization as a leader in emergency response  
  
• Led and guided agency Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning efforts in conjunction with contributions to the overall state EMAP Accreditation Program

• Past Chair
• Life Member
• Testified in support of and lobbied for legislation at the state and national levels
• Developed and secured the passage of critical legislation at the state level

• Oversaw Continuity of Government (COG) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) planning efforts of the agency, as well as support for similar efforts within the Whole of State Government
  
• Innovated the reconstruction of the State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) into a truly guiding, proactive document nested in the National and State Preparedness Goal to address Whole Community prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery priorities, needs, capabilities, and gaps. These efforts included (1) extensive successful collaboration with multiple local, state, federal, private sector, and nongovernmental organization stakeholders; each bringing diverse interests, capabilities, and needs to the planning table, and (2) the research of best practices for reference as benchmarks and implementation/implementation with modification where beneficial

• Led numerous collaborative strategic, operational, and tactical planning processes; inclusive of developing, maintaining, and fostering relationships with as well as integrating stakeholders from across the Whole Community; culminating with efforts to successfully bring the Dakota Access Pipeline Unlawful Protest to a close, and respond to Drought/Wildfire, Flooding, and Pandemic concerns

• Led or assisted in leading the development and evaluation of several tabletop, functional, and full scale exercises designed to test the ability of the Whole of State Government to deliver critical Core Capabilities regardless of hazard or threat; as well as numerous plan orientations to local, state, federal, private sector, and nongovernmental organization stakeholders 
• Developed, led, facilitated, and innovated Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) strategic processes at the state, local, and tribal levels; and influenced federal policies refining THIRA and SPR on a national basis
  

• Led and guided critical aspects of agency Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) compliance efforts, including (1) assurance of meeting key standards (inclusive of COG/COOP planning) prior to, during, and after the assessment team visit, (2) advising the Accreditation Manager and Team on crucial facets of the overall EMAP initiative in North Dakota, (3) leading the post-assessment satisfaction process, interpreting the feedback of key stakeholders for consideration in future accreditation efforts, and (4) providing key insights and recommendations for the revision of standards related to the integration of the THIRA and SPR process to EMAP senior leaders

  Provided formal and informal technical assistance and training to local and tribal governments on emergency/disaster plan development on numerous occasions. Always earned highly satisfactory assessments of instruction and assistance provided
• Developed and implemented several highly successful Unified Command Systems and processes, inclusive of the COVID-19 Pandemic Whole of State Government response
• Fully integrated NDSU Emergency Management Program interns into the COVID-19 Pandemic Whole of State Government response, providing mentorship in stride with exposure to a unique and dynamic response environment
• Led agency strategic planning efforts inclusive of a major revision addressing new and emerging challenges within the emergency management enterprise
• Led the State Unified Command Planning Section during State Emergency Operations Center activations on numerous occasions in response to natural, technological, and adversarial exercises, emergencies, and disasters; and evaluated the implementation and execution of the SEOP including determining recommendations for revision

• Led, managed, and executed the development and maintenance of a Common Operating Picture (COP) (which included development and dissemination of incident summaries and other disaster-related documentation) and appropriate information/intelligence products on a day-to-day basis as well as during emergencies and disasters. Innovated COP practices have been benchmarked by other states for inclusion in their processes

• Established, maintained, and fostered positive relationships both within the agency; and with the leadership and staff of North Dakota state agencies, the Legislature, federal, other state, local, and tribal agencies
• Researched and developed policy, emergency, and disaster executive orders; and provided key support for requests for Presidential Emergency and Major Disaster Declarations
• Provided testimony and expert analysis to influence and inform key decision makers on a myriad of policy matters 
• Developed and advocated for proposals for legislative action 

• Researched, monitored, shared situational awareness of, and provided policy recommendations to senior leadership for emergency management and homeland security issues and initiatives of an international to local/tribal scope

• Served as the State Search and Rescue (SAR) Coordinator, innovating several creative approaches to Whole Community Mass SAR Core Capability delivery which have been replicated in other states

• Led a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional effort consisting of a diverse group of stakeholders to bring collaborative relief to the Devils Lake Basin, and prevent the loss of the city of Minnewauken to closed basin lake flooding 

• Directly lead and supervised three planners on a day to day basis while assigned as the Planning Section Chief; inclusive of managing and monitoring workflow; training, coaching, and mentoring them individually and as a team, and evaluating performance

• Lead and supervised duty officers while serving as the Operations Officer, coordinated multi-agency Whole Community responses to a variety of emergencies, and performed similar supervision and coordination functions for the section as a whole in absence of the Chief

• Lead and supervised two Hazard Mitigation Specialists day to day while assigned as a deputy to the Recovery and Mitigation Section Chief, inclusive of managing and monitoring workflow; training, coaching, and mentoring them individually and as a team, and evaluating performance

• Led and guided agency review and approval efforts of local and tribal multi-hazard mitigation plans, inclusive of assessments for compliance with federal standards prior to submission to FEMA
• Led and guided critical aspects of State Enhanced Multi-Hazard Mitigation plan development, inclusive of THIRA integration and contractor procurement and collaboration
• Mentored and developed planners and other emergency management professionals from a diverse background of experiences and levels of government, and instilled solid approaches to planning nested in established decision making processes
  
• Considered a "go-to" agency expert on Microsoft Office 365 (including MS Teams) and other computer programs and technology

Served as both a traditional (01/1992 - 02/2011) and full time Soldier (04/2000 - 02/2010)

• Developed and honed leadership, management, and decision making capabilities while successfully guiding organizations at the platoon, battery, battalion, brigade, division, and state level (inclusive of command responsibilities)
• Directed, assigned, trained, mentored, and evaluated a professional staff of up to 5 people, and indirectly performed the same actions over 10 professional staff members from the operations/ training staffs of subordinate organizations
  
• Innovated several processes and new initiatives, including the formation of a Civil Support Team and the alignment and synchronization of training strategies with the Army Force Generation model
• Led and guided several multi-year strategic planning processes which ultimately assured the readiness of multiple diverse organizations to excel at the accomplishment of federal, state, and community missions  
• Provided key contributions to North Dakota National Guard submissions to the Army Performance Improvement Criteria (APIC)/Army Communities of Excellence (ACOE) program, which is the United States Army's version of the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) nested in Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award criteria. Was also selected for and served as an APIC/ACOE Assessor, with the responsibilities of evaluating the compliance of other state National Guard and United States Army Reserve organizations with APIC/ACOE standards
• Represented organizational leaders at numerous engagements and critical coordination events, and acted on their behalf within established broad constraints 
• Served full time primarily in the capacity of the chief Operations and Training Officer at the major command and state level
• Managed budgets in excess of $14 Million, and lead the business operations within organizations assigned

  
  

• Evaluated funding needs of subordinate organizations based on strategic goals and objectives, decentralized funding to their levels to enable achieving these goals and objectives, and monitored compliance with fiscal law and regulatory requirements
  
• Implemented, administered, monitored, and evaluated a wide variety of formal readiness enhancing programs at all levels of the ND Army National Guard; inclusive of individual, collective, and leader training as well as major exercises and validation efforts