Committee Members

Emergency Preparedness Committee Membership

Adapted from Takoma Park Municipal Code 2.16.250:

2.16.130        Membership.

The Committee will be composed of up to nine residents appointed by the Council, one member selected by the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department, and one member selected by the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. (Ord. 2021-39 § 1, 2021)

Emergency Preparedness Committee Members

Table: Current Emergency Preparedness Committee members

About the Committee Members

Claudine Schweber

• Collaborated with online professionals just after Hurricane Katrina to provide continuity of education; special program developed within 2 weeks by linking with universities around the country!
• Organized workshops combining FEMA, MEMA (Md) and university leadership in this area to develop connections and preparedness plans and developed a website with linkages regarding higher education preparedness.
• Wrote articles and gave presentations in the USA and W. Europe about the need for preparedness awareness, planning and practice, especially for students& families.
• Completed Montgomery CERT Training; Participant in annual Emergency Management Institute (June).

Chris Beck

• Chief Scientist and Vice President for Policy at EIS Council, where he has worked since May 2011. He is responsible for the analysis, design, and promotion of critical infrastructure resilience for widespread, long-duration power outages initiated by Black Sky threats.
• Dr. Beck is a technical and policy expert in several homeland security and national defense related areas including critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, science and technology development, WMD prevention and protection, and emerging threat identification and mitigation. Dr. Beck served as the Subcommittee Staff Director for Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Science and Technology and was the Senior Advisor for Science and Technology for the House Committee on Homeland Security (CHS), US House of Representatives, where he worked from May 2005 to May 2011. Prior to CHS, he worked in the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for three years, beginning as a Congressional Science Fellow and then as a legislative assistant.
• Before government service, Dr. Beck was a postdoctoral fellow and adjunct professor at Northeastern University. He holds a PhD in physics from Tufts University (2001) and a B.S. in physics from Montana State University (1994). He served in the Marine Corps Reserve for five years (1987 – 1992).

Dianne Cherry

• After earning the doctorate in Mass Communication Research, Dianne L. Cherry joined the Communication faculty at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, studied the uses of images and icons in the Inuit First Nations, led several professional organizations, and, chaired the Department of Journalism at Norfolk [VA] State University.  She has been a writer in the Voice of America’s Special English Section.
• Currently an adjunct professor at Montgomery College, she long has been an active researcher into the roles journalism may play in social and political justice causes.
•  Prior to joining the Takoma Park EPC, Cherry’s experience in planning and executing preparedness training and programming for Montgomery County residents included six years as a member of the Emergency Response Team of the Montgomery County Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service organization.

Jim Della-Giacoma

• International consultant analyst on fragility, conflict, and violence analyzing country-level risks and responses to a range of natural and human-induced challenges. This work includes advising international agencies and their government partners on planning, budgeting, and implementing policies and programs to increase national and community-level resilience.

• Community-level activist, organizer, and communicator, interested in contributing to the EPC not only in developing the City’s emergency preparedness policies but also improving the way these are communicated with the Takoma Park community.

Ron Hardy-City Emergency Preparedness Manager

• FEMA-Certificate of Achievement for Advanced professional Series for Emergency Management
• Member of the Maryland Emergency Management Association
• 33 years of Law Enforcement experience, including Active Shooter training and teaching

Kathe Quinn

•   Serves as an expert advisor dealing with the notification, communication, dissemination of information, and the mobilization / direction of emergency response resource capabilities regarding Federal response to all types of intentional and/or unintentional crises, disasters, other humanitarian emergencies, hazards, or natural and man-made/technological (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, high-yield explosives) incidents.
• Provides technical guidance, training, and emergency preparedness planning and coordination including the use of Incident Command System (ICS) to ensure National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance by the organization.
• Serves as a resource for all Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRNE) events.
• Coordinates with federal, state, and local agencies to integrate preparedness efforts in an effort to achieve the desired level of readiness.