Dr. Amer Fayad
Dr. Fayad is a National Program Leader in the Division of Plant Systems Protection at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) USDA where he leads programs on Agricultural Biosecurity and Plant Biotic Interactions. He is plant pathologist specialized in plant virology and integrated pest management (IPM). His research experience has focused on the identification, epidemiology, biological and molecular diversity of viruses, virus movement, interactions between viruses and plant virus resistance genes, and IPM of virus diseases.
Prior to joining NIFA, Dr. Fayad served as the Director of the Western IPM Center, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources in Davis, California. His experience in managing federally funded IPM programs also includes his work at Virginia Tech as Associate Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Integrated Pest Management, a program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Dr. Fayad has a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Virginia Tech, an M.S. in Crop Protection, a B.S. in Agriculture, and a Diploma of “Ingenieur Agricole” from the American University of Beirut.
Dr. Ashley Mueller
Dr. Mueller is a National Program Leader in the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences within the Institute of Youth, Family, and Community at USDA NIFA. She provides leadership to the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN); Smith-Lever Special Needs Competitive Grant; and Smith-Lever and Special Needs Capacity (1862 land-grant Extension) programs. Dr. Mueller also co-leads the AFRI program Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Across Food and Agricultural Systems.
Dr. Mueller’s previous experiences include outreach communications, distance education academic program management, and program development. She earned a PhD in Agricultural Education with a concentration in Postsecondary Leadership and Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an MS in Agricultural Education from Purdue University, and a BS in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
David J. Alamia Jr. MPA, CEM
David is the Region 6 President for the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) USA Council. He was elected to this position in 2020 and re-elected in 2022. David is an active member of IAEM-USA and is involved with Diversity Committee, Government Affairs Committee, and Hazard Mitigation Caucus. He also serves as a Board Liaison to the Municipal Caucus and Disaster Cost Recovery Caucus.
David is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), a FEMA Master Continuity Practitioner, and a National Emergency Management Advanced Academy (NEMAA) graduate. David also is an alumni of the Big City Emergency Managers (BCEM) Emerging Leadership Program.
David received a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from the University of Texas at Dallas. He also received a Masters in Public Administration (MPA), a Graduate Certificate in Defense and Homeland Security, and a Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis and Evaluation at Penn State University.
Marcus T. Coleman Jr.
Marcus Coleman serves as the Director for the Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (DHS Partnerships Center), one of several centers of the White House Office of Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Marcus’ has served at the intersection of building public private partnerships with faith-based and non-profit organizations for more than 15 years.
Marcus is an alum of Howard University, American University, Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative and the Obama for America Campaign. Outside of his role at FEMA, Marcus stays active as a proud resident of Washington, DC as an Advisory Board Member for the National Institute of Civic Discourse, Board Member for Fair Chance and an active member of the Truman National Security Project, the Next Generation National Security #NextGenNatSec, and the Diversity in National Security Network.
Shaun P. Miller
Shaun P. Miller is an Assistant Chief for the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). In this capacity, he is responsible for the delivery of the state’s emergency management programs within the 35 counties that comprise the Southeast Texas Region. Shaun came to TDEM in August 2017 shortly before landfall of Hurricane Harvey. Since that time, he has led the Division’s Region through multiple incidents and named federal disasters. Commissioned as an active-duty U.S. Army Officer stationed in Germany, he has been in emergency management since 2000.
Shaun is a Certified Emergency Manager, a Certified Texas Emergency Manager, and holds the Project Management Professional certification. He is also a member of several organizations to include the Emergency Management Association of Texas, Project Management Institute – Houston Chapter, and the International Association of Emergency Managers.
Steven Sano, PhD, MPA
Steven Sano, PhD is currently supporting the Equity mission for DR-4673-FL in Lake Mary, FL. He recently served as the Equity Advisor for DR-4611-LA in Baton Rouge, LA. With over 20 years of specialized emergency management and humanitarian action research, analysis and evaluation experience, and university teaching, Dr. Sano advances improving processes and policies for equitable service and resource delivery to underserved and vulnerable populations and communities before, during, and after disasters.
As an applied demographer, he has been intimately involved with diversity and equity issues during his time at FEMA. Concurrently, he holds a teaching appointment at the University of Texas at San Antonio with the Office of Civic and Community-Engaged Leadership teaching quantitative analysis, nonprofit management, and foundations of civic engagement and public participation.
Sally Ray
Sally Ray brings more than 30 years of experience working in the nonprofit world and a passion for community and social service to her current role as director of domestic funds, and previously as director of strategic initiatives and the director of the Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund. In her current role with CDP, Sally oversees grantmaking for several domestic disaster funds, including the CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Fund, the CDP California Wildfires Recovery Fund, the CDP Tornado Recovery Fund, the CDP Disaster Recovery Fund and the U.S. grantmaking for the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund.
Sally’s nonprofit career began in Houston in the early nineties when she worked in communications and alumni services at South Texas College of Law. Moving to Oklahoma in 1999, Sally continued her career in higher education at Oklahoma City University but soon found her true calling in social services as the vice president of financial development at the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City. She moved to the Y in Arlington, Texas, in 2008, then moved back to Oklahoma to work with the Red Cross in 2011, before joining the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 2014.