President's Message - October 2024Mark Chadwick, CEM, TEM, M-MEMS - President
With 2024 coming to a close, it is time for the 2025 EMAT membership renewal. Looking forward to what 2025 has to offer and the work of the EMAT Board and Committees, I am excited about what I see on the horizon. If you have not done so yet, I hope that you will take a few minutes and renew your EMAT membership. From professional collaboration to the work to continue to advance Emergency Management across the Great State of Texas, EMAT provides opportunities for professional development and professional credentialling. Information on the Certified Texas Emergency Manager (TEM) credentialling process is found on the EMAT website under the TEM tab. This year the EMAT Symposium will be held March 16 – 19, 2025 in College Station and the Early Bird reservations are already being accepted at the Hilton College Station and Conference Center. The Early Bird registration is available through February 22, however, rooms may fill up fast. The contact info, group code, booking, and the Symposium registration link is active on the EMAT website. Along with the new venue and location this year, the Symposium Committee has been working on planning a tour for Symposium attendees to Disaster City. Additionally, the Symposium Committee has already started accepting proposals for presentations during the Symposium. We have a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience throughout the Emergency Managers in Texas and I want to strongly recommend that you consider submitting a proposal for the Symposium. Part of what makes us stronger is the sharing of experiences and knowledge and this is a perfect chance for you to showcase your talents and to be a mentor to your fellow Emergency Managers. Also, if you have a recommendation for a Keynote speaker, you can submit that to the Symposium Committee as well. The Awards Committee will be releasing the Award Nomination form in the near future. We invite you to look back on the accomplishments of individuals and agencies over the past year and to submit a nomination for worthy recipients. Once the awards nomination period is open, please consider submitting your recommendation. Read over the awards criteria and take the time to write a phenomenal nomination. The awards will be presented during the 2025 EMAT Symposium. I am very excited about where we are as an association and the potential of where we are headed and I am looking forward to seeing you at the Symposium in College Station! Mark Chadwick, CEM, TEM, M-MEMS President's Message - June 2024Mark Chadwick, CEM, TEM, M-MEMS - President
Since the Symposium, the Board of Directors have been diligently working to manage a wide array of business matters. One which I am excited to announce is that the 2025 EMAT Symposium will be held in College Station. Initially, this was driven by the fact that the Embassy Suites in San Marcos will be undergoing renovation and would not be available. The Symposium Planning Committee reached out to several venues across the State and during a Board Meeting on May 2, 2024 the Board considered the proposals received. After careful consideration, the College Station Hilton was selected as the venue to be utilized based upon reasonable room rates, the possibility of offering a tour of Disaster City, and the College Station Convention and Visitor’s Bureau possibly sponsoring the President and Board of Director’s Reception. I sincerely hope that all of our members will contact others and share this exciting information and encourage more people from the Emergency Management field to join us in College Station. Help us get the word out and let’s look forward to a fantastic 2025 EMAT Symposium! Additionally, I was contacted by the Legislative Chair for the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and asked to co-sign letters to elected representatives regarding appropriations for Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The letters address concerns over the reductions of Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG), State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), Non-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP), National Weather Service (NWS), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Adding our voice to these significant State and National issues is important to improve and sustain our capabilities. I requested our Director, Jim Coles, to review the letters prior to adding my signature to the letters. We can stand proud knowing that we are doing our part to keep the safety of our family, friends, and the citizens of the Great State of Texas foremost in our thoughts and deeds. In a very short period of time, you should see some information coming out on opening the EMAT Awards nominations. We are hopeful to soon be able to have the ability to receive nominations for a longer time period over the year. I hope you will take a look at the awards descriptions and submit a nomination for a well deserved individual or organization. Serving alongside of amazing folks on the EMAT Board of Directors is a true privilege and we are hard at work serving the best interests of the professionals in our field. Please feel free to reach out to us on matters of concern. Mark Chadwick, CEM, TEM, M-MEMS President's Message - March 2024Mark Chadwick, CEM, TEM, M-MEMS - President
As the new incoming EMAT President, I would like to begin my term by stating up front that the 17th Annual EMAT Symposium was a phenomenal success! This year was the highest attendance for the Symposium in the history of EMAT due to the leadership of Jaime Galloway, Board Members, Committee Members, and Jim Coles. We are so fortunate to have these leaders who are passionate about EMAT and our future is bright. We, in the State of Texas, are blessed to have superior Emergency Management professionals leading the charge in our profession. Our associational strength radiates from the EMAT membership who are setting new standards. This is the time for us to corporately take a victory lap for the accomplishments that have achieved and to look to the horizon and envision the accomplishments yet to come. I have been a member of EMAT for many years now and I have been privileged to have served on committees and as the Vice-President for the past two years. This is the beginning of a new chapter in service and my vision is to continue the forward momentum we have inherited and to strive towards even greater heights. Such a vision can only be achieved with all of us working together and by encouraging each other. To that end, I want to invite every member to consider serving on a committee to help us march towards tomorrow. If you have not yet considered completing the Certified Texas Emergency Manager (TEM) credentialling, I encourage you to give it some serious consideration. The TEM Commission stands ready to assist you through the process. I look forward to working with you and seeing how we face and conquer new challenges. Mark Chadwick, CEM, TEM, M-MEMS President's Message - October 2023Jamie L. Galloway, MS, CEM, TEM - President
Mark your calendars the 2024 Symposium is scheduled March 3-6, 2024. The Embassy Suites in San Marcos will be our venue. The symposium committee is already hard at work to again have a great symposium. Early Bird registration is open now https://emat-tx.org/Events. The membership renewal information was recently sent out so please renew and update your membership profile at www.emat-tx.org Our board members are working on key committees and workgroups throughout the state. The Training Committee continues working on ways to offer you professional development throughout the year. Want to be part of the action? Please join a committee. There are many exciting things happening. I hope you will take advantage of these new initiatives and tell us how we can keep doing better. Also if you know of an individual or agency deserving of an EMAT Award nominations are currently open. We currently have an opening for the Communications Committee Chairperson. Those interested in serving in this position or other committees check them out here https://emat-tx.org/committees. Send inquiries to ematinfotx@gmail.com and your information will be forwarded to the proper person. We will also conduct an election for Board Members in 2024, All positions listed below are up for election with those currently seated no one term limited. Nominations will begin January 4, 2024. Elections 2024 Keep up the good work in Texas and remember to also take care of yourselves. See you all in March 2024. Jamie L. Galloway, MS, CEM, TEM President's Message - January 2023Jamie L. Galloway, MS, CEM, TEM - President
Mark your calendars the 2023 Symposium is scheduled February 12-15, 2023. The Embassy Suites in San Marcos will be our venue. The symposium committee is has been working to again have a great symposium. Registration is open now. The membership renewal information was recently sent out so please renew and update your membership profile at www.emat-tx.org Our board members are working on key committees and workgroups throughout the state. The Legislative Committee has been busy monitoring bill for the upcoming legislative session. The Awards Committee also has been busy reviewing nominations for the various EMAT awards. We currently have an opening for the Membership Marketing Committee Chairperson open. Those interested in serving in this position or other committees check them out here https://emat-tx.org/committees send inquiries to ematinfotx@gmail.com and your information will be forwarded to the proper person. Keep up the good work in Texas and remember to also take care of yourselves. See you all in February 2023. Jamie L. Galloway, MS, CEM, TEM President's Message - March 2022Jamie L. Galloway, MS, CEM, TEM - President
We have been up to a lot at EMAT and we are focused on adding value to your membership. The 2022 Symposium was a success with over 300 attendees and 30 vendors in attendance. Congratulation to Patrice Reisen, Jim Coles and the symposium committee for a job well done. Planning for the 2023 Symposium is also underway. Our board members are working on key committees and workgroups throughout the state. The Training Committee continues working on ways to off¬er you professional development throughout the year. Previous trainings are available on the EMAT website at https://emat-tx.org/Webinars. The newly formed EMAT Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is up and running. The DEI Committee has had their first meeting and we anticipate look for good things to come from the committee. Congratulations to the members that took the TEM and TEM-B exam at the symposium. All candidates passed the exam and several have since submitted their packets to the TEM Commission for review. Want to be part of the action? Please join a committee. There are many exciting things happening. I hope you will take advantage of these new initiatives and tell us how we can keep doing better. We currently have an opening for the Membership Marketing Committee Chairperson open. Those interested in serving in this position or other committees check them out here https://emat-tx.org/committees send inquiries to ematinfotx@gmail.com and your information will be forwarded to the proper person. Hopefully the current trends in the declining cases of Covid-19 continues, it has been a long two years. Add other incidents of wildfires, hurricanes and most recently the tornado outbreak that extended from Central to East Texas. Emergency Managers have continued to handle the changing environments and provide the needed preparedness, response and recovery efforts. Keep up the good work in Texas and remember to also take care of yourselves. Jamie L. Galloway, MS, CEM, TEM - Click here for Previous President's Message |
Dear EMAT Members,
Hello EMAT Members,