Jim Chesnutt began his career in broadcast news as a local television reporter in Minnesota. He later became the spokesman for the American Red Cross in Denver. His career eventually lead him to New York in September of 2001, to the site of the World Trade Center attacks.

The day after the attacks, a perimeter was established around the site and journalists were barred from the area.  At the time, Chesnutt was employed by The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For the next three weeks he and three other photographers served as the official pool photography team that documented the rescue and recovery effort. Each day their video and still images were fed to media throughout the world via satellite and to this day is the primary source of video footage of this important event in U.S. history.

While with FEMA, Chesnutt worked as public information officer on more than 35 presidentially declared disasters. He honed his skills working some of the most challenging events in recent history, from the Columbine school massacre to the World Trade Center, and more recently Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast.  

He still keeps one foot in the world of journalism by periodically taking on freelance projects related to raising the visibility of humanitarian emergencies in developing countries.  He has covered famine, war and refugee situations in seven countries in recent years.

Chesnutt’s work has been featured on CNN, CBS 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, ABC Evening News, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, Dateline, The Early Show, The Los Angeles Times, BBC Online and the National Geographic Explorer program, among others.

Gary Gleason has worked in transportation safety and security since 1990, and in the broader context of emergency management planning, training and exercises since 1998. Named a Fulbright in Civil Protection in 2008 by the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars, Gleason has emerged as an internationally recognized expert in transportation safety, security and disaster planning. Gleason has served as a public information officer (PIO) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), working on more than 20 national disasters including hurricanes, fires, floods, tornadoes, and severe winter storms. Assignments of note include work on the National Interagency Wildfire Prevention Education Team in 2000 and 2002, media liaison work for FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces at Ground Zero, and subsequent crisis communications planning for the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Prior to his work with FEMA Gleason served the communications and planning director for the Roaring Fork Transit Agency in Aspen, Colorado, and served as president of the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies. Most recently Gleason was responsible for developing the Threat and Vulnerability Toolbox and the Safety Training And Rural Transit (START) modules for the National Rural Transit Assistance Program, as well as Transit Emergency Planning Guidance for the state of California. As a Fulbright Scholar Gleason studies emergency management systems and lessons learned from past disasters in Belgium, France, Germany Holland, Portugal and Spain. A report on his studies is expected out this spring.

In addition to his work with Communique, Gleason serves an adjunct professor in emergency management at Colorado Mountain College teaching incident command, risk communications and transit safety and security. He is also an adjunct professor for the University of Chicago/Argonne National Laboratory Risk Communications Division where he provides training and technical assistance to emergency management officials responsible for the United States chemical stockpile program. He has provided training and or technical assistance in transportation emergency management and/or emergency planning in over half of the United States including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Mr. Gleason a certified trainer in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). He is also certified, as a Wilderness First Responder (WFA), and is a Type 2 Fire Information Officer (IOF-II).

In addition to his skills as a trainer and his experience in emergency management, Gleason is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. In October, 2008, Gleason was a featured speaker at the European Congress on Disaster Management in Bonn Germany.

Steve Howard has over 30 years of fire and EMS experience, working his way up to the rank of Fire Chief for fire departments in New York and Colorado. He is now retired from full-time fire service duty but stays active as a volunteer firefighter and spends his summers working as a Division Supervisor in the federal wildland fire system. The rest of his year is spent as the Training and Safety Director for Aspen Skiing Company and providing consulting services in emergency planning and incident management including work for Communique. He has developed emergency response plans, tabletop exercises and full-scale disaster exercises for local emergency responders, corporations, regional planning councils, hospitals and airports. Always a trainer at heart, he spends much of his free time on the road teaching classes in ICS, emergency response and technical rescue.

Steve has participated in many high profile incidents in his career including the South Canyon fire in 1994 and the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport crash of a Gulfstream jet in 2001. He responded to the World Trade Center incident in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as a Search Team Manager for Colorado Task Force-1, one of FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Teams. He is carded as an Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief and Plans Section Chief.

From 1988 through 1996, Beverly Krieger served as Marketing Director and Senior Program Consultant for DataMed International, a major third party administrator of drug and alcohol testing program management. She soon became the organization's compliance expert, establishing internal programs to ensure the integrity of clients' drug and alcohol programs. Since 1996 she gained recognition as a consultant and national expert in the implementation and management of both DOT regulated and non-regulated programs. Bev is one of 125 professionals in the United States certified as a Certified Substance Abuse Program Administrator (CSAPA).

Bev found the synergy of emergency preparedness and safety programs was a natural development. As a result of more than ten years of oversight responsibilities she has a unique understanding of the challenges facing municipalities with their safety, security and emergency preparedness programs. Resourceful and capable, Beverly served as Operations Chief for the trainings. Beverly's company, Precision Compliance, is a registered WBE enabling Communique to fulfill its Women Business Enterprise commitment to Cook County.

Liz graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a B.A. in Government & Politics, focused on environmental policy; certificate in Women’s Studies; and Honors Program notation.  After graduating Liz served as the Director of Youth and Family Services for a small non-profit in Durango, Colorado.  She ran a program for at-risk middle and high school girls, and served as a Family Advocate, utilizing a family support/strengths model to empower low-income families to develop and achieve their goals.  She also served as a counselor for the Volunteers of America Durango Community Shelter and domestic abuse Safehouse. In 2003 Liz joined the staff at Jazz Aspen Snowmass as Development Manager.  Her role there included soliciting and managing donations; developing and implementing major events; grant-writing; and intensive donor relations.  Joining Communiqué in 2007, Liz is the finance and administrative chief for the California Department of Transportation Rural Response & Recovery Conference Series, in addition to projects in public relations, marketing and business management.

Michelle graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Biology and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management at Harvard University. Her professional experience spans such areas as research, technical writing and editing, event planning, advertising/marketing, graphic design and market analysis. Masone is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and holds certificates in Computer Modeling and Business.

Michelle’s interests focus on the socioeconomic and security implications of climate change, climate policy, clean energy and sustainable transportation solutions.  Most recently, she contributed as Associate Editor and Data Analyst to a major scientific report titled Climate Change and Aspen: An Assessment of Impacts and Potential Responses, which was honored with the U.S. EPA’s highest regional award was cited in testimony to the United States House of Representatives as part of the Massachsetts vs. EPA Supreme Court case. 

A team member with Communique since February 2006, Masone assisted with the preparation of the Transit Emergency Planning Guidance report for the California Department of Transportation.  She hopes to continue to pursue issues at the intersection of national, human, and environmental security.

Michael graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 1973. He was employed in public transportation as the Manager of the Cambria Area Rural Transit (CART) in Patton, Pennsylvania and the Assistant General Manager of the Cambria County Transit Authority (CAMTRAN) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Michael is the former Manager of PennTRAIN, a project of the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute at Penn State University. This program provides training resources and technical assistance to public and private transportation providers. Since 1992 Michael has organized workshops for one of the most comprehensive professional transit drivers' instructor programs in America. He is nationally recognized in the areas of safety and security, training, and risk management. Michael has been elected to offices in both Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association and is also a former member of both the Pennsylvania and National Rural Transportation Assistance Programs' (RTAP) Advisory Committees. He is a founding member of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) and has served on various committees of the American Public Transit Association (APTA). Michael is currently a member of the Board of the Cambria County Transit Authority.

Francisco was appointed Metrolink’s Manager, Media & External Communications in February 2001 after serving nearly a year as interim manager. His department of 6 is responsible for all printed and electronic communications to internal and external audiences. This includes several monthly or quarterly newsletters, press releases, the agency website, passenger timetables and ride guides as well as community relations, construction-related public affairs and local governmental affairs activities. With Metrolink since January 1993, Oaxaca has specialized in passenger rail crisis communications and also worked in marketing, special events, community relations, local government relations and media relations.

He has overseen the development of the crisis communications plan for the sixth largest commuter rail agency in the United States and has been the leader of the Metrolink crisis communications team during the agency’s four largest incidents including the Northridge Earthquake of 1994 and the Glendale train derailments of 2004 that involved two passenger trains and a freight train and resulted in 11 passenger fatalities and over 200 passenger injuries. Francisco has participated in several local and state tabletop crisis scenario exercises and also served as a moderator team member at the 2006 Caltrans Response & Recovery Conference. Fluent in Spanish, Oaxaca has also served as the lead Hispanic and general market media spokesperson for Metrolink since 2001. Before joining Metrolink he was Vice-President, Corporate Development of Coronado Communications, a broadcasting, advertising and public relations firm based in Southern California.

Francisco received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Southern California and a Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in information technology from the University of Redlands. He was also selected in 2001 as one of 25 transportation industry professionals from across the country to participate in the American Public Transit Association’s Leadership APTA program.

David Ofwono escaped from the political turmoil of Uganda in 1976. In 1980 he joined the United States Navy where he served as an Operations Specialist and Military Police Officer and was honorably discharged in 1988. Since that time he has become a leading expert in Hazardous Materials preparedness, prevention, response and recovery.

As the Emergency Preparedness Specialist for the NASA Ames Research Center in California, Mr. Ofwono helped design, facilitate and evaluate tabletop, functional and full-scale exercises involving hundreds of responders from dozens of jurisdictions. David was also instrumental in the implementation of the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) at NASA Ames and the creation of an Emergency Response-Specific Radio communication system that is ICS/NIMS compliant.

An emergency preparedness consultant with Communique since 2006, Mr. Ofwono holds an Associates Degree in Environmental Hazardous Materials Technology from Mission College and a Bachelors degree in Management from Saint Mary’s College. Both degrees were earned while working full time for NASA Ames.

Mr. Ofwono is certified in emergency management, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) procedures and protocols, the Incident Command System (ICS), the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the National Response Plan (NRP), hazardous materials response, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and Continuity of Operations (COOP). He is a California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) certified HazMat instructor to Technician level, and is carded for Confined Space Rescue, Rescue Systems I & II and Respiratory Protection Program Administration. David is a member of FEMA's California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force-3, based in Menlo Park California. His company, Precision is a registered DBE enabling Communiqué to fulfill its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise commitment to Cook County.

Marilyn is a public affairs specialist whose clients include the Colorado Department of Education, Denver Public Schools, and Jefferson County Public Schools. She also serves as an adjunct professor of public relations management for Colorado State University.

An intermittent staffer with Communique, Marilyn retired after 20 years as manager of communications services for Jefferson County Public Schools, Colorado's largest school district. Her responsibilities there included crisis communications; media relations; publications; internal communications; community relations; and communications counseling, training, and planning. While this will be her first foray into transportation, Marilyn has worlds of experience from the lead communications role she played in the Columbine High School tragedy.

Marilyn holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and a bachelor's degree in foreign languages from Brooklyn College, New York. She will assist with research and outreach on the SACOG Emergency Preparedness, Business Continuity and Travel Options Study.

M. Scott Sanders graduated cum laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1986 with a degree in Political Science. After working a variety of jobs, he returned to C.U. and completed an education degree in Social Studies and History. In 1994, he completed his Masters Degree in Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Since 1992, he has been employed by the Boulder Valley School District as a Special Education teacher at Nederland Middle-High School in Nederland Colorado. In 2000, Scott joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a temporary intermittent disaster assistance employee. He has worked disasters in Colorado, Kentucky, Georgia, South Dakota, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana. He is currently the Special Education department chair, an active member of the school's Safety and Security Team, and a special assistant to Communique's president Gary Gleason on a variety of emergency preparedness initiatives. He brings a unique insight into school districts crisis management issues.