2023 National Disaster Resilience Conference Announces Award Honorees

Nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) Recognizes Individuals for Exceptional Contributions to the Disaster Safety and Resilience Movement

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla., Nov. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Disaster Resilience Conference (NDRC) today announced its 2023 resilience leadership awards for individuals who champion disaster safety and resilience. The NDRC and nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) will honor the eight individuals today during the award luncheon at its annual gathering in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

"The NDRC award committee selected these exceptional people for their invaluable contributions and unwavering commitment to our shared mission of strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters of all kinds," said FLASH Board Director and IEM Vice President of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Bryan Koon. "These awards recognize those who consistently go above and beyond their ordinary roles to help others and foster a nation where homes and communities are built with the best construction practices to provide safety and shelter from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires."

The eight award categories and winners include the following:

Exceptional Service Award: In Memory of Elvin Shirk - StormAid/Mennonite Disaster Service

The Exceptional Service Award is presented in loving memory of Elvin Shirk for his dedication, tireless efforts, and contributions to the Strong Homes Initiative that helped survivors from Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Ida, and many other disasters rebuild and recover with a stronger, more disaster-resistant home that meets the IBHS FORTIFIED Gold standard. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Elvin this past year and wish to honor his kindness, selfless dedication, excellent project management skills, and infectious spirit of volunteerism with the 2023 Exceptional Service Award," said FLASH EVP Eric Vaughn. "He embodies this award as someone who contributed extraordinary service delivered with genuine compassion to those affected by disasters." 

Dr. Ernst W. Kiesling Lifetime Achievement Award: Edward M. Laatsch, P.E., Director - Safety, Planning & Building Science Division - FEMA

The Dr. Ernst W. Kiesling Lifetime Achievement Award is reserved for individuals whose lifelong dedication leaves an indelible, positive impact on the disaster safety and resilience movement. Award recipients reflect the level of achievements by Dr. Kiesling, who, through his leadership and research at Texas Tech Wind Science and Engineering, mentored generations of wind engineers and invented the life-saving tornado safe room. According to FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson, "Throughout his stellar career at FEMA, Ed Laatsch has championed modern building codes and initiatives that strengthen homes against earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and other hazards. His focus, constancy, and leadership skills have propelled policy progress, led landmark studies, and created teams that come together to solve complex problems in the built environment through innovative programs. Ed is a mentor and inspiration to many structural engineers and other design professionals, as well as practitioners who inherited his vision for a disaster-resilient nation. Undoubtedly, his contributions have been instrumental in helping save lives and prevent injuries in disaster zones around the world. Ed and FEMA are Founding and Legacy Partners, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration for years to come."

Corporate Board Member of the Year: Arthur Parks, P&C Underwriting Director - State Farm Insurance Companies

The Board Member of the Year Award is given to an outstanding individual who serves on the FLASH Board of Directors with distinction. According to FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson, "We are deeply grateful to Arthur for his exceptional service and contributions as part of our leadership team. His dual role as our Corporate Secretary and director has helped sustain our uninterrupted record of high-quality governance and fiscal stewardship that our partners rely upon. We have benefitted from his business leadership skills, infectious positivity, team-building talent, and strategic thinking. He sets the standard for genuine kindness and continues a fine and longstanding tradition of Founding and Legacy Partnership with State Farm that has played a pivotal role in our history from the beginning in 1998. We enthusiastically anticipate our future opportunities together."

Twenty-Five Years – Legacy of Leadership Award: Cecil Pearce, President - Florida Insurance Council

The 2023 FLASH 25 Years of Leadership Award is presented this year to Founding and Legacy Partner Cecil Pearce, President of the Florida Insurance Council. According to FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson, "Cecil's enduring leadership legacy reflects unwavering dedication to the field of disaster resilience. He is a steadfast visionary who helped drive excellence for the Florida disaster safety landscape through building code advocacy and novel mitigation public policy programs. During the past quarter-century, he helped foster and shepherd FLASH from inception to today. He has been present throughout our growth and success with a constancy of confidence in our mission and strategies. We are indebted to him for his service and unconditional support."

Partnership Excellence Award: Ryan Rist, AVP, Property and Underwriting Innovation - USAA

The FLASH Partnership Award recognizes a leader whose collaborative nature and dedication foster success and advance disaster resilience. According to FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson, "Ryan and USAA are inspiring and abiding partners in the resilience movement, consistently demonstrating service, spirit, resolve, and passion to help their members and the nation confront disaster safety challenges. Ryan joined our board of directors last year and has already made a tremendous impact through his inspirational spirit and innovative perspective on problem-solving. His contributions offer a fresh take that has given us new and creative ways to expand our reach and impact, and it is a pleasure to have him on the leadership team. USAA is a twenty-five-year FLASH Founding and Legacy Partner with a record of excellence. We are grateful for this enduring collaboration."

Education Excellence Award: David Prevatt Ph.D., P.E., Structural Engineering Professor - University of Florida

The FLASH Education Award celebrates excellence in educating individuals, communities, and organizations about disaster resilience. According to FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson, "Dr. Prevatt's outstanding contributions to this field are nothing short of extraordinary. For more than two decades, through his academic research and teaching role, he has demonstrated dedication to not just understanding and mitigating the effects of tornadoes and hurricanes on buildings but also conveying his insights through field investigations, publications, and public speaking. He has been instrumental in shaping the future of disaster resilience by articulating his keen discoveries that are expressed and amplified by his kind and genuine communication style. Dr. Prevatt's passion for educating and inspiring others is embraced by his graduate engineering students who carry forward his unwavering commitment to creating a safer, more resilient world."

Outreach Excellence Award: Tim O'Neil, Outreach Director - My Safe Florida Home

The FLASH Outreach Award is presented to an individual or organization that has excelled in connecting with individuals, families, and communities to promote a culture of resilience. According to FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson, "Tim's service as Outreach Director for the My Safe Florida Home program demonstrates his talent for creating public awareness and passion for driving a culture of disaster resilience. When the Florida Legislature renewed the program last year under CFO Jimmy Patronis' leadership, DFS and Tim hit the ground running with creative digital, broadcast, and grassroots outreach strategies. Their efforts got the word out and continue to make Floridian homeowners aware of the unique opportunity to retrofit their homes using proven wind mitigation techniques." As of last month, more than 21,000 homes have been retrofitted and will be safer and stronger in future hurricanes and extreme wind events since the program renewal in 2022.

Employee of the Year: Audrey Rierson, J.D., Senior Policy Analyst - FLASH

The Employee of the Year Award honors an exceptional FLASH team member whose talent and contributions create success. According to FLASH EVP Eric Vaughn, "Audrey's professionalism and talents lend extraordinary quality and skill to our team at FLASH. She embodies the very essence of this award. Her research, dedication, and outstanding performance have helped make the No Code. No Confidence. – Inspect2Protect.org code transparency solution program an unprecedented success. Her contributions provide new data, unique insights, and precise information that come together to make this free, unprecedented tool invaluable for consumers."

NDRC23 Sponsors:

• Titanium Sponsor - USAA
• Gold Sponsors - International Code Council, Lowe's, and Renew Financial
• Silver Sponsors - Verisk Analytics, Inc. and Zip System Sheathing and Tape
• Bronze Sponsors – Concrewall USA, Floodproofing.com, HORNE, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, Nan McKay and Associates, Inc., and Simpson Strong-Tie

For more information, visit the National Disaster Resilience Conference website.

About FLASH

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation, including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO - Verisk Analytics, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Renew Financial, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes in Lake Buena Vista, FL. FLASH's signature program No Code. No Confidence. - Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool to easily identify their community's building code. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on Twitter, and Facebook.com/federalalliance.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)