CYNTHIA (CINDY) A. MONTZ, LEM

DOTD Emergency Operations Director

Cindy Montz began her career in emergency management in 1991 with the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness, now the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP). She was the Senior Planner for her last seven years with GOHSEP. In that capacity, Ms. Montz was responsible for developing and updating state and regional plans. She was appointed as liaison to the Louisiana Mass Fatalities Task Force, the Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, and served as the State Community Relations Coordinator in federally declared disasters. She led the first animal in disasters planning team and was instrumental in the creation of the Louisiana Urban Search and Rescue Commission. 

Cindy has responded to over twenty-one (21) federally declared disasters and numerous emergencies. She has completed FEMA’s Professional Development Series and obtained her Louisiana Emergency Manager certification in 2004, which was conferred upon her by the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association.

Ms. Montz was employed by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) in February of 2006 to organize a comprehensive emergency preparedness program within the Department. DOTD has responsibility for two Emergency Support Functions under the State Emergency Operations Plan; ESF-1 Transportation and ESF-3 Public Works and Engineering. The Department also supports eleven other ESF’s.

Cindy is a representative on the DHH CDC Advisory Committee.  She gained emergency field experience as part of a voluntary search and rescue dog team.  Her K-9 partner was retired after a severe leg injury.  Cindy enjoys gardening, reading, boating and dancing in her spare time.

Eric S. Deroche, LEM

Director of Emergency Preparedness
Saint James Parish OEP/Convent
(225) 562-2346

Eric has been in public safety for approximately 22 years. He started out in the fire service in 1985 as a volunteer firefighter. In 1990 he began working at Saint James Parish Emergency Operations Center (EOC) where he is currently the Director of Emergency Preparedness. He is a member of the Saint James Industrial Mutual-Aid and also active in the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and Saint James Parish CAER. He was instrumental in starting the Saint James Explorer Post for law enforcement, fire service and emergency management for the youth in the parish. He has served on the LEPA board for the past six years and served as President in July 2005 - June 2006.  He is a certified Fire Fighter and a certified Louisiana Emergency Manager.

Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Baton Rouge, LA
jmonier@ohsep.louisiana.gov
(225) 358-5656

Jerry T. Monier, Jr. is a 17 year Emergency Management Professional having worked at the Parish, State, and Federal levels of government.  His emergency management career began in 1992 working as an original member of the Louisiana Delta Service Corps assigned to the Lafourche Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness.  While working with the Lafourche Parish Council he developed a community preparedness education campaign and assisted with Coastal Zone Management projects.  In 1994, he began a career with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.  During his ten year career he worked his way through the ranks obtaining the rank of Lieutenant-Deputy Divisional Commander in 1998.  In addition to supervising the Support Services Division, he was responsible for all emergency management and homeland security projects within the Sheriff’s Office.  He was instrumental in the creation of the Region 3-River/Bayou Parishes Mutual Aid and Assistance Task Force, the only regional homeland security collaborative in the State of Louisiana.  In 2003, the Department of Health and Hospitals-Office of Public Health asked Monier to serve as Plans and Training Officer for the newly created Bioterrorism Program.  In this position, Monier was responsible for plan development and managing several statewide public health focused exercises.  In 2005, Monier served as a Senior Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Consultant for a national Engineering and Consulting firm.  In this capacity, Monier provided consultative services to several State Emergency Management Agencies in developing comprehensive and integrated emergency response plans.  He also provided consultative services to local jurisdictions in the States of Louisiana, California, Missouri, and Alabama in the development of community based All-Hazards Plans.  On July 14, 2008, Monier was appointed by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to serve as the Plans Branch manager.  In this capacity, Monier is responsible for the preparation of strategic and tactical emergency response plans for the State of Louisiana, and providing technical assistance to local governments in the preparation of emergency response plans.  Monier has also served as an Emergency Management Specialist with the US Department of Health and Human Service’s Incident Response Coordination Team.  Monier and his wife, Carrie, are the proud parents of 2 daughters and reside in the Baton Rouge Area.

John Boudreaux, LEM

Director
Assumption Parish OEP
(985) 369-7386

John Boudreaux serves as Director of Emergency Preparedness and 911 Coordinator for Assumption Parish. John is also a former Assistant Chief of the Labadieville Volunteer Fire Department and also a former member of the South Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department. He is accredited with International Certified Firefighter I and Instructor I through Louisiana State University, Division of Continuing Education. John acts as coordinator for the Assumption Parish LEPC, which was reactivated in 1994 and is very active today. John is a recipient of a LEPA Achievement Award, HAZMAT Alliance Award of Excellence, and Firefighter of the Year from each respective department. He also currently holds the position of treasurer for LEPA.

 

Mark Cooper

Director of Emergency Preparedness
Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
(225) 925-7500

Mark Cooper, formerly of Bossier City, was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal as Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the State’s Homeland Security Advisor in January of 2008 after spending almost 20 years in California. He has over 20 years of public safety and emergency management experience including service with the Los Angeles County Fire Department as a Deputy Fire Chief, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office and the Los Angeles County Police. During those years, Cooper contributed to the successful response to numerous disasters and emergencies including the 1992 Civil Unrest, 1993 Northridge earthquake, wildfires, and helped developed County law enforcement plans for the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.  Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, Cooper was deployed with the Los Angeles County Fire Department to Louisiana to assist the State with continuity of government and recovery.

In 2006, Cooper was named LSU Distinguished Alumni of the Year for the E.J. Ourso School of Business and Public Administration. He has also received numerous recognitions from Los Angeles County for his emergency management contributions including the 2000 Inaugural Award of Excellence in Emergency Management. In 2001, he received his Professional Development Certificate in Emergency Management from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Masters in Public Administration from LSU.

During Cooper's tenure with GOHSEP and under the leadership of Governor Jindal, numerous programs and initiatives have been implemented to better prepare the State for disasters and improve recovery processes. These include the establishment of Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center at LSU (named a “best practice” by the US Department of Homeland Security), "Get a Game Plan" emergency preparedness campaign, the establishment of the State's first urban search and rescue program, and major improvements in radio interoperability, public assistance, and hazard mitigation programs disbursements. Since Cooper became Director of GOHSEP, the State has successfully responded to numerous emergencies and disasters including Hurricanes Gustav and Ike where 1.9 million residents evacuated, the largest evacuation in the nation's history, and the recent Deepwater Horizon explosion. In June of 2010 Director Cooper was appointed to the FEMA National Advisory Council (NAC) to advise Craig Fugate, Administrator. The NAC consists of representatives from the state, local, tribal and private sector.

He has been married for sixteen years. He and his wife, Sandra, have four children, Sarah, Sam, Seth, and Sophie.

Melanie Talley

Association Coordinator
Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association
(225) 408-4757

 

Michael Murphy, LEM Homeland Security/Grants Manager Baton Rouge Police Department Michael Murphy has 25 years of law enforcement experience with the Baton Rouge Police Department and holds the rank of Sergeant.  During his career he has been assigned to Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Intelligence, Planning and Research, Accreditation, and Homeland Security.  He has served on numerous local, state, and national boards and committees on technology, interoperability, homeland security, and emergency preparedness.  Since 2006 he has represented Louisiana Homeland Security Region 2 on the State Interoperable Executive Committee (SIEC).

For the past 16 years he has had a role in Emergency Management, and was appointed the Emergency Operations Liaison with the East Baton Rouge Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness in 1999.  In 2005 Murphy was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Police and was named the Homeland Security/Grants Manager, coordinating funding and emergency planning and operations between local, state, and federal agencies The BRPD received a COPS ITCP grant in 2005 for an 8 million dollar project to begin the Region 2 Interoperable Communications Network and Sgt. Murphy was named the Project Manager.  Since then he has become involved in the efforts to expand the P25 700 MHz Communications Systems across the rest of Louisiana and the Gulf States.  On June 1st, 2008 Sgt. Murphy was loaned to Northwestern State University, Gulf States Regional Center for Public Safety Innovations, and assigned as the Interoperable Technology Program Coordinator, working on facilitating interoperable communications across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Obie Cambre

ExxonMobil Refining & Supply
(225) 977-1384

Obie Cambre is the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge Complex, with 22+ years in the field of emergency response.  His extensive background includes expertise in fire fighting, confined space/high angle rescue, hazmat, oil spill clean-up, and as an EMT.

In his role as Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, he is the liaison for ExxonMobil with state and local authorities.  He is currently the Chairman of the Baton Rouge Area Mutual Aid System and Treasurer for the North Baton Rouge Chemical Industry Task Force.  In addition, he is a member of the East and West Baton Rouge Local Emergency Preparedness Committees (LEPC), the West Baton Rouge Emergency Response Task Force, the Fire Prevention Committee of the Baton Rouge Fire Department, and the Capital Area EMT Association.  He is a fire and rescue instructor for ExxonMobil Corporate Fire School and is an adjunct instructor for Texas A&M Fire School.
    
He is the recipient of a USCG Certification of Appreciation for responding to the 143-foot UTV Jerry Jarrett tugboat fire on 4/3/08 on the Mississippi River just north of Baton Rouge.  He has helped manage numerous community disasters, the most recent issues with Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, and has been involved with state and local officials in the planning of community drills.
    
Obie is a native of Baton Rouge and now resides in Greenwell Springs, LA with his wife, Cindy.  He is an avid sports fan, in particular anything LSU participates in, and an outdoor sports enthusiast.

Pat Santos, LEM
Assistant Deputy Director
Emergency Management
GOHSEP

Colonel (Retired) E. Pat Santos joined the Louisiana Army National Guard in June 1979.  He served in the Headquarters State Area Command (HQ STARC) while participating in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of New Orleans.  In December 1981, he was commissioned a Distinguished Military Graduate.  After attending his Officer Basic Course, he began his full-time military career as the training officer of the 773rd Maintenance Battalion.

In September 1984, he was transferred to the famed 1-141st Field Artillery Battalion and served in various command and staff positions until July 1994, when he returned to HQ STARC.  There he served as the State Security Officer, where he developed the first State Partnership Programs with the countries of Uzbekistan and Belize, the State Readiness Officer, and the State Operations and Training Officer.  In August 1999 he was assigned as the State Plans, Operations and Military Support Officer (POMSO) where he and his staff developed and refined essential emergency plans and procedures while managing the military response and assistance efforts to numerous state emergencies and special events during this period until his retirement in 2003.

Rick Webre

Director
Ascension Parish OHSEP
(225) 621-8360
    
After graduating from East Ascension High School in 1979, Rick began his career in the Louisiana petrol-chemical industry prior to enlisting into the U.S. Army in 1984.  While serving with the Military Police Corps he worked as a liaison to King County, WA and the Vernon Parish, LA Sheriff’s Offices. He has been a member of joint task forces involving the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Forestry Service.  He has performed operations NCO duties for Law Enforcement Commands at two major Army installations: Fort Lewis, WA, and Fort Polk, LA.  He completed tours of duty with the Office of Military Cooperation, Kabul, Afghanistan and Joint Task Force Bravo, Honduras before retiring from the U.S. Army in 2004.  
    
After retiring Rick worked for the Department of Defense at Fort Jackson, SC as a Six Sigma project manager, doctrine developer and training developer for the Soldier Support Institute, which forms the proponents of the Adjutant’s General Corps, Finance Corps, and the Recruiting Command of the U.S. Army.  
    
Upon returning home to Louisiana, he worked for the Department of the Navy in a command advisory role aligning human resource needs to the strategic goals of the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Command, the 8th Marine Corps District, and the Naval Ambulatory Care Center in New Orleans.
    
Since January 2007 Rick has performed as the director of the Ascension Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.  Additionally, he has been selected to represent GOHSEP Region II as the regional director, is a current member of the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association, the International Association of Emergency Mangers, and has been credentialed as an EMAP assessor.

Rick has an Associate of Science Degree in Business Studies from Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN, a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Coker College, Hartsville, SC, an MBA from Webster University, Saint Louis, Missouri, and Six Sigma certifications from the Management Development Institute of Missouri State University, Springfield Missouri.

ROBERT JUMP
Assistant Director
Caddo-Bossier OHSEP
(318) 425-5351

Robert, Assistant Director for the Caddo-Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP), is a graduate from Louisiana State University in Shreveport with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and brings an emergency service background to the office.

He joined Caddo-Bossier OHSEP in 2002, following seven years active duty military service in the United States Air Force.  Formally the Operations Officer for OHSEP, Robert is a veteran of two United States conflicts: the Gulf War and the Yugoslav Conflict and has experience as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, and hazardous materials specialist.  He has been decorated by the United States Government for his humanitarian involvement in the recovery operations of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Hurricane Opal in 1995.
 

Sonya , LEM

Executive Director
Rapides Parish OEP
(318) 445-5141

Sonya Wiley has been associated with the field of Public Safety &/or Emergency Preparedness for 23 years.Currently serving as Director of Rapides Parish Communication District (911) and Rapides Parish - City of Alexandria Office of Emergency Preparedness and Chair of the Rapides Parish Local Emergency Planning Committee since December 1993.  Certified Louisiana Emergency Manager, LEM

 

• Current memberships include:
  National Emergency Number Association (NENA): (6/93)
  (President LA Chapter: 2004, 1998 & 1999)
  Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO): (8/88)
  Rapides Parish Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC): (1988)
  Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA): (1994)
• Boards and Committees:
  La. Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA) Board of Directors:
  (1998) (President 2003)
  La. Shelter Task Force (LSTF)
  LSTF Sector "A" Coordinator
  Rapides Parish Emergency Medical Care Board (EMCB)
  APCO - NENA Legislative and Training Committees
  LAPSPAC
  Renaissance Home for Youth (Advisor)
  American Heart Association - Operation Heartbeat                 
  Central LA Chapter of American Red Cross Board of Directors

Tab Troxler

ESS Leader
Dow Chemical
(985) 783-3395

Mr. Troxler is an accomplished Homeland Security and Emergency Management professional with experience in both the public and private sector.  He is the former Director of the St. Charles Parish Department of Emergency Preparedness from 1997 to February 2009 and is currently employed as the Emergency Services and Security Leader for the Union Carbide Corporation, a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company in Taft, LA.  His knowledge and experience has enabled him to work as an independent consultant to develop local emergency plans in 18 of the 64 parishes within Louisiana, in addition to serving as an instructor and lector on the issues of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 

As a Senior Instructor with Louisiana State University’s, National Center for Biomedical Research and Training, Academy of Counter-terrorist Education, he has developed three national training programs in Computer Aided Management of Emergency Operations and Response to Weapons of Mass Destruction Cargo.
His level of awareness regarding the profession has garnered him speaking events at national and international conferences to include, The National Hurricane Conference, The National Radiological Conference, The International Association of Emergency Managers Conference, The Louisiana Chemical Association and The Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association.  Additionally, he has testified before the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council as a subject matter expert concerning the response to Hurricane Katrina.   Mr. Troxler holds an Associates of Arts Degree, in Emergency Disaster Management from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, New Jersey and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dexter Accardo

St. Tammany Parish OHSEP

Dexter Accardo is a retired Colonel from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office with 33 years of service. Assigned to the Patrol Division, 11years in Narcotics Division, 18 years as Commander of the Special Operations Division.  As Commander of Special Operations this division included; Underwater Diving Unit, Mounted Division, Search and Rescue (Marine Patrol) Arson Squad, Bomb Squad, K-9 Division and Airport Police.
    
He has served as Director of St Tammany Parish Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the pass 4 ½ years.

His most significant accomplishment to date is his ability to work with Parish Government, Municipal Government and St. Tammany Parish citizens during and after the Hurricane Katrina.
   
In the future he plans to continue communicating and educating the public with a pro-active approach to preparedness for all natural or man-made hazards.

Dexter’s position allows him to work with numerous organizations such as local home Owner’s associations, businesses, civic associations and fraternal organizations, educating them on preparations for disasters and how the Parish will deal with any situation

 

Dawson Primes is currently serving his fifth year as Director of the Tangipahoa Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Prior to this position, he was appointed by the Louisiana Army National Guard to serve the LRA Louisiana Recovery Authority as the Liaison to the community for the FEMA contractors developing the Long-Term Community Recovery Plan. Mr. Primes served as the National Guard Liaison to the State for Tangipahoa Parish during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He is a graduate of Amite High School in 1990. His college educational achievements include a Licensed Practical Nursing degree from Louisiana Technical College in 1995. 

He has been serving his country in the Louisiana Army National Guard for the past 18+ years. He currently serves as Platoon Sergeant for the Combat Medical Section for the Headquarters support Company of the 205th Engineer Battalion in Bogalusa. He has served as Project Supervisor for hurricane response and recovery overseas in Honduras, Belize, Panama, and Guatemala. Dawson served 2 Annual Trainings in Hohensfeld, Germany. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan for 9 months on Anti-Terrorist Task Force ARES attached to the French Special Forces.

During his 18 year service, Dawson has received many decorations, awards, and citations. He is only 1 of 6 soldiers since World War II to be awarded the French Silver National Defense Medal awarded by French Defense Minister and French Special Forces during his tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was also awarded the Louisiana Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership Award for the Year 2004.

He is a very active member in the First Baptist Church of Amite. Dawson has been happily married for 15 years, and they have 2 children Kyle - 11 and Caleb – 4 and he enjoys coaching little league soccer. Currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Tangipahoa Economic Development Foundation and the Crimestoppers commission.

H. Bland O'Connor, Jr.

Executive Director
Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association
(225) 408-4757