Witt O'Brien's Announces Senior Leadership Appointments

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Witt O'Brien's LLC, a leader in crisis and emergency management, announced today senior appointments to its client leadership team.

"These leaders are top guns in our field," said Brad Gair, Senior Managing Director and leader of the firm's recovery services after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. "We are excited to expand our market leadership with these experts joining the strong team we already have at Witt O'Brien's."

• Mark Misczak joins from Hagerty Consulting, where he headed the firm's Recovery practice. Mark brings more than 26 years' experience leading recovery from our nation's largest and most complex disasters. Earlier in his career, Mark served as Deputy Director of FEMA's Individual Assistance program, Chair of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board, and the Director of the Office of Cerro Grande Fire claims. He is a nationally recognized expert in FEMA's Public Assistance program, HUD's Community Development Block Grants, housing operations, hazard mitigation and long-term community recovery.
• Lisa Bova-Hiatt joins from the New York State Governor's Office of Storm Recovery, where she served as Executive Director (and before that, as COO and General Counsel). Lisa managed a budget of $4.4 billion and led a staff of 200 helping over 12,000 homeowners, 1,000 businesses and 64 communities to build back better and more resilient following Superstorm Sandy.
• Walter Melnick joins from Hagerty Consulting, where he managed New York City's post-Sandy $15 billion recovery program. Earlier in his career, Walter served as FEMA's Deputy Director of the 9/11 World Trade Center Federal Recovery Office, and as Deputy Housing & Long-Term Recovery Manager after Hurricane Katrina.
• Steve DeBlasio joins following an illustrious career with FEMA, including service as a Federal Coordinating Officer on multiple disasters; Chief of Logistics for FEMA's Region 2; Direct Housing Operations Chief; Senior Advisor to the Housing Operations Chief after the Louisiana floods of 2016; and Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator (FDRC) for New Jersey following Superstorm Sandy.
• Arvin Copeland joins from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, where he served as Director of Response and Recovery. In this role, Arvin worked with government and private sector leaders across 92 counties to administer a $100 million program to rebuild infrastructure, homes and businesses following disasters. Earlier in his career, Arvin served as Mayor of Wabash, IN.

"Our mission is to help affected communities to recover expeditiously and cost-effectively, and to build back stronger," added Tim Whipple, CEO. "Our team does that by combining deep experience from past disasters with innovative solutions to recovery challenges. We are proud to welcome to Witt O'Brien's some of the best and brightest in our field."

About Witt O'Brien's

Witt O'Brien's builds resilience. We offer a full range of crisis and emergency management solutions to prepare your organization before disaster strikes, and to help you respond and recover more quickly if it does. This includes unrivalled experience recovering from manmade and natural disasters, including Hurricanes Maria, Irma, Harvey, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and Sandy. To learn more about our real-world experience and innovative solutions, please visit us at wittobriens.com. Witt O'Brien's is a subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings Inc.

About SEACOR

SEACOR Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CKH) is a diversified holding company with interests in domestic and international transportation and logistics, and risk management consultancy.

Contact: Ryan Mahoney, (202) 379-9693, rmahoney@wittobriens.com

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SOURCE Witt O'Brien's