William “Bill” Doran, VP Response & Recovery – Plexos Group, Inc.

GNOEA met via Zoom on Tuesday November 10, 2020 for organization updates and to get a better understanding of FEMA operations with guest speaker Bill Doran, FEMA retired officer and VP of response and recovery for the Plexos Group in Mobile.

Bill Doran is a FEMA program and policy subject matter expert with over 30 years of experience helping state and federal governments deliver billions of dollars in aid to affected communities. Through numerous leadership roles — including as a Colonel in the Louisiana Air National Guard — Bill ramps up teams quickly to develop comprehensive response and recovery plans following the country’s largest emergencies. Bill Doran Bio

Bill provided a brief history on FEMA that began as a disaster recovery fund in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter. Doran was a federal coordinator officer for FEMA. He reviewed the protocols that took place during Hurricane Katrina and the challenges faced by state and local government as they waited for assistance by FEMA. He explained that FEMA is used as a safety net for those who do not have insurance or who can not afford to pay for damages. For those who have insurance or funds to pay for damages and are denied reimbursement by FEMA, may apply for an individual low interest, SBA loan to help bridge the financial gap.  He shared information on several events that have caused the government to make amendments to the way FEMA is managed. Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma are in the busiest of the 10 FEMA regions, Region Six, because of damages created from flooding, tornadoes and hurricanes.

Recording and presentation will be in meeting archives

Membership News

New Member Review:

The Board has voted on the membership application of the following potential member.
Members have until November 20, 2020 to submit an objection due to conflict of interest:
Cynthia L. Widlitze, Owner / Sales Coach
Adduco Consulting
Guest of: Lola Lass, Adeeta Staffing

Thank You and Announcements:

Charlotte Binnings thanked Lola Lass, Brien Lundin and Ed McCloskey for sponsoring her for the Alzheimer’s Walk.

Potential Members

Attended Meeting (Meeting #3)
Jesse Hoppes, P. G. Professional Geologist/Member and co-owner
Leaaf Environmental, LLC
Referred by:  John Zollinger, Home Bank

This is Jesse’s 3rd meeting and Julie will be in touch for the next steps.

Julie Couret referred: Korey Barbetta, Bunker Hill Trucking, a refrigerated trucking company. Korey was unable to attend the meeting.

New Member Recruitment: If you have a prospect, please have them connect with Julie Couret at membership@gnoea.com

A list of open classifications can be found here.

Bylaw Amendments

There will be an open discussion period immediately following the general meeting.

Remember to send your Re-Qualification form to Cathy Vienne at execdir@gnoea.com. Completion of this form is important to finalize the 2021 budget.

The board will discuss hosting a Christmas Party at today’s board meeting.
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Upcoming Meeting Schedule

November 17 – Stephen Watson, President and CEO, WWII Museum
November 24 – OFF
December 1 – Zoom, TBA
December 8 – GNOEA Holiday Party (6-9pm)
December 15 – Zoom, TBA / Board Meeting
December 22 – OFF
December 29 – OFF
January 5 – OFF
January 12 – In Person, The Walnut Room, Lakefront Airport (8am-9am)

Please login and view the Calendar for meeting login details.

Please contact Brien Lundin, President-Elect / Programs Chair if you would like to be added to the presentation schedule or would like to recommend a speaker.