Dear Stakeholder,
Over the past two years, we have all witnessed the terrible impacts to our communities and businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and the incredible advancements in the levels of collaboration, coordination, and innovation that emerged in response. It seemed evident to us that momentum should be harnessed and captured formally. We are excited to announce the establishment of the Private Sector Emergency Management Association (PSEMA). Because of your organization’s leadership in the emergency management space, and we are inviting you to become an early member.
Historically, private sector and non-governmental organizations have provided vital support to communities devastated by disasters. In 1906, the San Francisco Earthquake first responders included the business community, family, friends, neighbors, as well as non-governmental organizations. More recently, the criticality of private sector and non-governmental organizations involvement in disaster response has been demonstrated in events such as 2005 Hurricane Katrina, 2010 Joplin Tornado, 2012 Hurricane Sandy, and 2017 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Time and again, the business community has demonstrated their ability and dedication to support communities when disasters happen.
Public sector organizations have made leaps and bounds integrating private sector efforts at planning for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. But to harness true whole community capabilities, further support for private-public coordination is needed. That is the mission of the Private Sector Emergency Management Association.
PSEMA is a trade association that serves as a conduit between its business organization members and the communities they support and call home. The association partners with its members to craft integrated preparedness, risk reduction, and response realities between all stakeholders, including but not limited to other businesses, emergency industry representatives, and government agencies at all levels and across the United States. This approach provides access to network of experts and reduces negative effects and undesired outcomes when major emergencies and disasters occur.
The Association will have a formal rollout in early June. By joining the association early, you will play a role in building an association that focuses on communication, collaboration, coordination, and connecting the business community to build on the momentum gained from the pandemic. Together we can take our resilience to the next level. For more information and to become a member go to PSEMA.org, or contact one of the founders below.
Kindest regards,
PSEMA Founders
Mary Ann Adams, OnStar
Beverly Byerts, Florida SBDC
Kathy Fulton, American Logistics Aid Network
Justen Noakes, H-E-B
Julie Roberts, JK Roberts
Richard Seline, Resilience Innovation Hub
Tom Serio, ChenMed
Shandi Treloar, EM-Partners
Joel Thomas, SPIN Global