The National Mass Fatalities Institute
is located on the campus of Kirkwood Community College in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa. It is funded in part by grant H28/CCH720676-02 from
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and by award number SBAHQ-04-1-0043 from the
U.S. Small Business Administration.
The National Mass Fatalities Institute was founded in 2000 with
a congressional grant administered through the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Its mission is to prepare communities
for the effective management of mass fatalities events. Efforts
of the Institute are focused on providing guidance and training
for the development of comprehensive mass fatalities incident
response plans. These plans must promote multi-disciplinary, multi-agency,
and multi-jurisdictional response efforts that are thoroughly
integrated at all levels of government. It is the goal of the
National Mass Fatalities Institute to assist community leaders,
through the collaborative planning process, to assess, establish,
and maintain integrated community resources that will facilitate
recovery and healing following a mass fatalities event.
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Meet
Our Faculty and Staff/Administration, Operations, and Support
Staff |
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| Adjunct Course Faculty |
Dennis McGowan, Deputy Director |
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Lisa LaDue, Deputy Director |
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Lee J. Sweat, Jr., Recovery Operations |
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Jim Coyle, Family Assistance Operations, Mental
Health Support |
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Eddie Neal, Radiological Considerations |
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Jack Herrmann, Family Assistance Operations |
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Ken Thompson, Family Assistance Operations |
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Steven Koosmann, Funeral Service Support |
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Stephen Smith, Funeral Service Support |
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Ron Snyder, Incident Management & Site
Safety |
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Don Ransford, Incident Management, Site
Safety & Special Operations |
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Alexander Duarte, Traumatic Stress |
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Christine "Dusty" Bowenkamp,
Staff Processing Operations |
| John
Carter, Chief Executive Officer |
| Arbie
Goings, Family Assistance Operations, Funeral Service Support & Recovery
Operations |
| Candy
Waylock, Public Information |
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| Administration, Operations, and Support Staff |
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Michael Holmes, Funeral Service Profession
Liaison |
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Ann Bates, Office Coordinator |
Dennis McGowan is Deputy Director for the National Mass Fatalities
Institute. Dennis retired as Chief of Operations for the Fulton
County Medical Examiner’s Office in Atlanta, Georgia. He
was Chief Investigator for the Medical Examiner’s Office
prior to that position. He is an experienced medical-legal investigator
and emergency response program manager. Dennis was a firefighter
in New England during the 1970s and worked in the New Jersey
Medical
Examiner’s Office for 11 years.
Dennis has over 25 years of fatality/mass fatality management
experience and disaster mitigation planning, training, and response
including coordination of the mass fatality planning for the 1996
Olympic Games in Atlanta. He has worked at numerous mass fatality
incidents including Egypt Air in 1999 and the World Trade Center
attacks and American Air 587 in 2001. He also participated in
TopOff and TopOff 2 preparedness exercises. Dennis has specialized
training and experience in terrorism response and weapons of mass
destruction incident planning and mitigation. With his experience
and knowledge, Dennis has traveled throughout the United States
and internationally as a presenter and instructor.
Dennis is also an author. His article, “The
Evolution of Fatality Management,” is featured on the
website HOMELAND 1.
Dennis also contributed the "Final Disposition" article
to the 2005 "Capstone Document: Mass Fatality Management for
Incidents Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction" prepared by
the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command, Military
Improved Response Program and Department of Justice, Office of Justice
Programs, Office for Domestic Preparedness.
Capstone Document: Mass Fatality Management for Incidents Involving
Weapons of Mass Destruction (pages 41-42) http://www.edgewood.army.mil/hld/dl/MFM_Capstone_August_2005.pdf
In addition, Dennis co-prepared the report, “Medical Examiners,
Coroners, and Biologic Terrorism: A Guidebook for Surveillance and
Case Management,” which is currently available on the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
“Medical Examiners, Coroners, and Biologic Terrorism: A Guidebook
for Surveillance and Case Management” http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5308a1.htm
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 Lisa LaDue is the co-founder, former Director, and currently
Deputy Director for the National Mass Fatalities Institute in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa. She has been providing clinical social work and mental
health services for over 30 years to those who have been impacted
by traumatic events. Lisa lectures internationally on topics related
to disaster response, trauma, terrorism, and mass fatalities, with
the unique perspective of providing services to individuals, families
and communities as an integral part of the emergency/disaster response
system.
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Lisa served
as an American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Coordinator at
the Pentagon and the Pentagon Family Assistance Center. In November
2001, she coordinated Red Cross disaster mental health services
on New York’s Staten Island. Lisa has co-authored articles
and contributed to a textbook on topics related to the disaster
mental health response to the attack on the Pentagon.
In January, 2005, Lisa responded to the Indian Ocean Tsunami,
working for three weeks in Khao Lak, Thailand with a team of
trauma specialists sponsored by the Foundation for Human Enrichment.
She was the co-leader of a team of trauma specialists to Tamil
Nadu, India, in June 2005, providing trauma recovery training
and services for tsunami survivors suffering from persistent
post traumatic stress symptoms. Both teams taught and demonstrated
trauma intervention techniques to local human services providers
based on Somatic Experiencing .
Lisa responded with the Iowa-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team
(DMAT) after Hurricane Katrina to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
where the team established and maintained a field hospital for
hurricane survivors. In February 2006, She traveled to New Orleans
with a Trauma Outreach Team providing Trauma First Aide training
to crisis counselors, outreach workers, and New Orleans Fire
Department peer counselors involved in disaster response to Hurricane
Katrina.
Following Hurricane Gustav in August, 2008 Lisa responded with
the Oklahoma-1 DMAT as a Supervisory Mental Health Specialist
to Louisiana where the team assisted in staffing a Special Needs
Shelter.
Lisa is the co-coordinator of the China Earthquake Relief Project
sponsored by the Foundation for Human Enrichment and the United
Family Hospitals and Clinics of Beijing to provide training for
healthcare providers, teachers and others working directly with
trauma associated with the Sichuan Earthquake of May 12, 2008.
She led the first team of trauma specialists for this project
to Sichuan Province July 18, 2008 through August 5, 2008. |
Lee J. Sweat, Jr., retired as Inspector
with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) after more than
32 years in law enforcement in April 2007. He then accepted a position
as the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Division for the
Henry County Georgia Police Department where he served until September
2008. He is currently the Chief Deputy for the Appling County Georgia
Sheriff’s Office. His experience also includes military and
municipal police experience. Lee served as Supervisor of the Mortuary/Recovery
efforts for the Albany Flood of 1994 and as Site Supervisor in
2002 during the Tri-State Crematory Recovery. He also was deployed
with DMORT-WMD to the Hurricane Katrina response leading recovery
teams into the New Orleans and St Bernard Parish areas.
Lee's educational background includes University of Georgia,
Georgia Southern University, Columbus State University, and GACP
Law Enforcement Command College. He received over 3,000 hours
of law enforcement related training including certification as
a Basic Emergency Medical Technician. Lee is currently a private
consultant and lectures internationally on Mass Fatality Recovery
Issues.
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Jim Coyle holds a Doctorate in Counseling and has
been a pastor for 26 years. He is a Founding Member of the Department
of Homeland Security and has served as Chaplain and Mental Health
Specialist at the national, state and local level. He has devoted
his life to helping people transition through loss and trauma.
Jim was on the Nevada 1DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team)
for 10 years before transferring to the Iowa 1DMAT team in 2005.
Jim has been on several deployments and has extensive experience
in mass fatality preparedness. Jim has also worked as a Chaplain
at the University Medical Trauma Center along with the Metropolitan
Police Department in Las Vegas, Nevada.
From September thru December of 2005, Jim was instrumental in
the MST (Management Support Team) for NDMS (National Disaster
Medical System) in helping victims from Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita in the Gulf Coast. His experience in this disaster ranged
from Strike Teams in the field to the Family Assistant Center
in Baton Rouge to the Morgue Operations at St. Gabriel and Carville.
Jim was also very instrumental in helping organize and facilitate
a faith based response to the floods in Iowa, 2008. His most
recent deployment was to Galveston Island, Texas in response
to hurricane Ike.
Jim is currently in private practice and is a national consultant
in disaster response. He is an adjunct professor at Kirkwood
Community College, and the Senior Pastor of Ellis Community Church.
His passion is in helping people get to a better place physically,
spiritually and emotionally.
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Eddie Neal has over 27 years experience in the nuclear industry.
This includes 17 years of vocational evaluation and instruction.
He has designed and conducted HAZWOPER, Radiological Worker, and
other environmental/health and safety courses for the Savannah River
Site, the Oak Ridge Reservation, and numerous Department of Energy
sites. Neal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from
Arkansas Tech University.
Currently, Neal is a research associate with the University of Tennessee,
The Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE). Additionally,
he serves as a Radiological Worker Training course instructor at
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
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Jack Herrmann earned his master's degree in counseling, family
and work life studies from the University of Rochester, and is a
national certified counselor and a licensed mental health counselor
in the state of New York. In January 2007, he was appointed Project
Director, Public Health Preparedness at the National Association
of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in Washington, DC.
In that role he oversees a cooperative agreement between NACCHO
and the Medical Reserve Corps, a volunteer program of the Office
of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Prior to this position, Jack was assistant professor of psychiatry
(and clinical nursing) at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Over his 17 years of employment with that institution, he served
as the Director of Community and Multicultural Affairs, Director
of Strong Employee Assistance Program, Coordinator of the Center
for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, and most recently, Director
of the Program in Disaster Mental Health, overseeing the development
and dissemination of a statewide disaster mental health training
program funded by the New York State Department of Health and New
York State Office of Mental Health.
Jack also has extensive experience in disaster preparedness and
response as a volunteer with the American Red Cross for over a decade.
He has served as the volunteer New York State Disaster Mental Health
Lead and most recently as the Disaster Mental Health Consultant
for the Northeast Service area covering the northeast and the Caribbean.
Jack has responded to numerous local, state, and national disasters
ranging from earthquakes, floods, and aviation accidents. He served
as the American Red Cross mental health coordinator for the New
York City Family Assistance Center during the first 11 days following
the attacks on the World Trade Center (2001) and the administrator
for health, mental health, and client services for the American
Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation in Louisiana for the first two
weeks following both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005). Jack has
received a number of local, state, regional, and national disaster
service awards for his volunteer efforts.
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Ken Thompson is a Senior Field Superintendent for Chesapeake
Energy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Prior to his role with Chesapeake
Energy, Ken served as Director of External Affairs for the Oklahoma
City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism,
where he was responsible for education, outreach and assisting the
Institute in its mission to prevent and deter terrorism or mitigate
its effects.
Since April 19, 1995, Ken has been an active participant in the
planning, establishment and construction of the Oklahoma City
National Memorial and the Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism.
As a family member, Ken has first-hand experience of the effects
of terrorism in our world today. His activities have included
co-chairing the Oklahoma City National Memorial Family, Survivor
& Rescue Worker Conscience Committee, serving as a board member
of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, and serving as a founding
member of the Institute’s advisory committee.
Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Ken volunteered
time in New York City as a Red Cross Volunteer and was instrumental
in guiding New York City leaders through a process for family members
and survivors to begin dealing with the long-term effects of the
tragedy. Ken was selected by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
the A&E Television Network and Biography to receive the 2002
Biography Community Hero Award for the City of New York due to his
outstanding service to the City of New York in the months following
September 11, 2001. In 2005, the President’s Council on Service
and Civic Participation selected Ken for the President’s Volunteer
Service Gold Award for 2004 for his commitment to strengthening
the nation and making a difference through volunteer service.
A native Oklahoman, Ken attended Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma,
and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Ken, his wife,
Shannon, and their daughters, Faith and Hope, live in Oklahoma City.
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Steven Koosmann, M.S.Ed., is a licensed funeral director and
embalmer. He is also Director of the Funeral Service Education
Program at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. He possesses
twenty-seven years of teaching experience in embalming and restorative
art.
Steve has traveled extensively and done comprehensive studies
of different cultures and their methods of final disposition.
He is co-author and instructor of "Mass Disaster and Mass
Fatalities Response – Overview and Responsibilities for
Funeral Service Professionals.”
Steve participated in the development of the "Mass Fatalities
Response Planning for Funeral Service Professionals" project.
This product of The National Mass Fatalities Institute will be
offered to funeral service professionals to facilitate their participation
in their local mass fatalities response planning process. |
Stephen W. Smith, M.S.Ed., is a licensed funeral director and
embalmer in Missouri and Illinois. Steve is an Assistant Professor
in the Department of Funeral Service Education at St. Louis Community
College (STLCC) at Forest Park and is the Program Director for the
Certificate of Proficiency in Funeral Directing. He also co-authored
and instructs the "Mass Disaster and Mass Fatalities Response"
course developed in conjunction with the National Mass Fatalities
Institute.
Steve was responsible for launching the Funeral Directing Program
at STLCC in 2000. His teaching responsibilities at St. Louis Community
College include funeral service psychology, funeral management
and merchandising, history of funeral service, and funeral service
law.
Prior to his appointment at STLCC, Steve was an instructor for the
Mortuary Science and Funeral Service program located at Southern
Illinois University in Carbondale as well as the Commonwealth Institute
of Funeral Service in Houston, TX.
He has authored or co-authored articles related to the funeral service
profession in The Director, the official publication of the
National Funeral Directors Association.
Steve participated in the development of the "Mass Fatalities
Response Planning for Funeral Service Professionals" project.
This product of The National Mass Fatalities Institute will be
offered to funeral service professionals to facilitate their participation
in their local mass fatalities response planning process. |
Ron Snyder holds a BA in biology with minors in chemistry
and physics and an MA in education. He has served as the Training
Supervisor and Programs Administrator for HMTRI (Hazardous Materials
and Training Research Institute) and the ETC (Environmental Training
Center) for Kirkwood Community College since 1989. He is responsible
for curriculum development and delivery for the NIEHS Train-the-Trainer
Program, as well as the OSHA Susan Harwood Grant and all Environmental
Safety and Health programs. He also serves as the Kirkwood Community
College Program Director for OSHA Outreach Training as part of the
Midwest OSHA Education Center. Prior to his Kirkwood assignment,
Ron served as an Academic Dean at the post-secondary level and as
Program Director for International Education while in Brazil.
As a Certified Environmental Safety and Health Trainer (CET), Ron
serves on the Board of Certification for the National Environmental
Safety and Health Trainers Association (NESHTA) in the areas of
Emergency Response and OSHA. Ron is also an OSHA authorized 500,
501 trainer and MSHA trainer, as well as having trainer authorization
for the delivery of FEMA’s Incident Command System training
programs and the Department of Justice Weapons of Mass Destruction
Awareness and Operations programs. |
Don Ransford is a Captain with the Cedar Rapids Fire
Department. Capt. Ransford is intensely involved with the CRFD Hazardous
Materials and Special Operations Team. He responds to hazardous
materials incidents, confined space, trench, water, low and high
angle, and structural collapse rescues. Capt. Ransford has been
named Fire Fighter of the Year multiple times by local organizations
for his outstanding public service to the community. He has extensive
training in fire sciences, hazardous materials, confined space rescue,
special operations, trench rescue, water rescue, structural collapse
rescue, Incident Command, WMD/Terrorism Response, and OSHA.
Capt. Ransford is a fire instructor at the Central Iowa Training
Association (CITA)/Kirkwood Community College Fire School. He is
Lead Instructor at the Hazardous Materials Training and Research
Institute (HMTRI) in Industrial Spill Response, Wastesite Worker
and Supervisor, and Worker Safety for Disaster Events WMD Train-the-Trainer.
Don has coordinated the HMTRI adjunct teaching team for Hazwoper
worker training and for the Hazwoper Train-the-Trainer and Instructor
Refresher training since 1995. He is also an instructor at Kirkwood
Community College's OSHA Training Center in OSHA general industry
and construction. |
Alexandre Duarte holds a degree in education and is a Certified
Rolfer and Somatic Experience Practitioner. His private practice
involves continuing work with trauma healing. As an educator, he
has worked with children since 1987, integrating his knowledge of
child development with his skills as a somatic therapist.
He has served as a Trauma Outreach Program team member for the Foundation
of Human Enrichment. In Thailand he worked with survivors and family
members affected by the 2005 Tsunami Disaster. During that time
he developed techniques to work with groups of traumatized children.
Alexandre was also a member of a trauma specialist team that traveled
to Tamil Nadu, India, and provided additional trauma recovery services
to tsunami survivors suffering from persistent post-traumatic stress
symptoms. |
Christine "Dusty" Bowenkamp is a retired Disaster Mental Health
Senior Associate for the American Red Cross. Her responsibilities
included development, activation and support of the ARC Disaster
Mental Health and Aviation Incident Response Team (AIR Team). She
was also responsible for assisting with development and implementation
of the psychological response portion of a weapons of mass destruction
program. Her daily responsibilities included providing technical
and administrative support to over 1,200 chapters in the recruitment,
training, and management of over 25,000 Disaster Mental Health volunteers,
thus enabling them to respond to the needs of those affected by
disasters locally, nationally and internationally.
Christine was a Level 5 disaster mental health or health officer
on over 60 national disaster relief operations including but not
limited to: Singapore Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Egypt Air, KAL
TWA Flight 800, Aero Mexico, and PSA air disasters; Oklahoma City
Explosion; California Floods of 1995, Midwest Floods of 1993; Hurricanes
Georges, Fran, Iniki, Andrew, Hugo; Northridge, Humboldt County,
Landers Big Bear, Loma Prieta, and Whittier Earthquakes; Malibu,
Laguna and Oakland Hills Firestorms.
Ms. Bowenkamp is an internationally recognized speaker, author,
and trainer on disaster mental health coordination and response.
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 John
Carter is the Chief Executive Officer for Emergency
Preparedness Consulting, LLC. He was previously the Medical Services
Officer
/ Hospital Preparedness Coordinator for the Iowa Department of
Public Health. He has experience as an emergency department nurse
in a Level One trauma center and was an EMS Training Lieutenant
at the Nevada Test Site Fire Department. He has responded to several
disasters, including hurricane responses and winter storm situations.
John also has expertise in exercise planning and implementation.
He is a peer reviewer for the Emergency Nurses Association Disaster
Management and Response journal, and is a member of the Emergency
Management and Preparedness workgroup.
John holds an Associates of Science degree in Nursing, a Bachelors Degree in
Criminology and Sociology, and a Master of Public Administration degree. He is
also a Certified Emergency Nurse and Paramedic Specialist.
John is also an author. His article “A
better approach to hospital mass-fatality
management,” is featured on the website HOMELAND 1.
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 Arbie
Goings is the Director of Mass Fatality Response and
Planning at Sozer, Niezgoda and Associates, LLC as an internationally
recognized consulting firm with extensive experience in successful
DNA identification program development and mass fatality response
and planning based in Alexandria, VA. Arbie is a licensed funeral
director/embalmer in Louisiana with over 25 years experience
in the funeral industry.
Working with both the federal government and private industry,
Arbie has been called to assist and lead in the responses
to the World Trade Center attack on 9/11, the Flight 587
crash in Queens, NY, the Columbia Shuttle Disaster in East
Texas, Hurricanes Katrina/Rita and the Comair 5191 crash
in Lexington, KY. Arbie’s mass fatality response operational
experience includes leading search teams for body recovery,
establishment and daily operations of the family assistance
center, development of identification administrative policies,
procedures, operational strategies and exit strategies for
DMORT and other contracted support services. This extensive
end-to-end hands-on experience enables Arbie to be an effective
educator and facilitator in developing mass fatality response
plans for clients around the world. |
 Candy
Waylock has been a working reporter since earning her Bachelor’s
Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Bradley University in Peoria,
Illinois in 1987. She has experience in all phases of journalism – television,
radio and newspaper – and currently works for a newspaper
in Fulton County, Georgia, where she has been for the past ten
years. From 1990-1994, Waylock served as the Public Information
Officer for the Department of Public Safety in St. Louis, MO, where
she was the lead city PIO for the Midwestern Floods of 1993, and
the designated point of contact for the Department of Energy’s
WIPP shipments through St. Louis.
She is a POST certified instructor working towards her certification
in Emergency Management and currently teaches a variety of courses
for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and FEMA Region 4.
Waylock has also taught at the National Emergency Training Center
in Emmitsburg, MD, where she specialized in public information
courses. Over the past 15 years, more than 10,000 students have
attended public safety courses taught by Ms. Waylock. |
| ADMINISTRATION, OPERATIONS, SUPPORT
STAFF |
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Michael K. Holmes is Manager of the William J. Harrison Education
Center for St. Louis Community College at Forrest Park. Mr. Holmes
earned a masters degree in Foreign Affairs and Middle East Policy
at Illinois State University and previously served as Service Center
Coordinator for the American Red Cross – Illinois District.
He is a licensed funeral director and member of the National Funeral
Director’s Association. His industry experience includes management
of family-owned funeral homes and cemeteries.
Michael’s duties with St. Louis Community College include
planning, coordination, development, and implementation of all
continuing education programs, business and industry credit courses,
seminars, workshops, programs, and conferences both on and off-campus.
His role with the Institute is to supervise the sub-contract granted
to St. Louis Community College and to provide support for development
and implementation of the "Mass Fatalities Response Planning
for Funeral Service Professionals" Project. The program is
funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration and
will help prepare funeral service students and funeral directors
to assist their communities in planning for response to and recovery
from mass fatalities events.
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Ann Bates serves the National Mass Fatalities Institute
as its Office Coordinator. Ann assists the Director in course registration
and the preparation of all of the Institute’s workshops and
training courses. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations
of the office and is the friendly voice you are most likely to reach
when calling the Institute. |
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