Paul Rasch
EMAP Standards Subcommittee Chair
EMAP Technical Committee Member

August 22, 2007

NICOLE ISHMAEL

Nicole Ishmael is executive director of the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP), a voluntary assessment and accreditation process for state and local government emergency management. EMAP combines collaboratively developed national standards with structured peer review to provide an evaluation of a state or local government's system for coordinating activities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to all types of disasters.

Mrs. Ishmael has been with EMAP since February 2003, when the program started baseline assessments for all the states and territories in conjunction with a cooperative agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA. Before joining EMAP, she served as assistant finance director of a US Senate campaign and principal assistant for communications and legislation for the Kentucky Commission on Women. Mrs. Ishmael has a broad background in public policy and strong interest in interstate, multi-jurisdictional, and interagency cooperation.

PAUL RASCH

Mr. Rasch's involvement in public safety dates to 1974, when he first became a volunteer firefighter, and has included experience in the disciplines of emergency management, communications, emergency medical services, hazardous materials and law enforcement. He also served in a proprietary defense industry fire/security operation for seven years.

Paul joined the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in 1999 as part of the Bureau of Operations, serving first in Springfield and being appointed to his current position of Region 3 Coordinator in 2002. Honored as IEMA's Employee of the Quarter for his management of the Utica tornado response in 2004, he has deployed to virtually every disaster the Agency has been involved with during his tenure. Additionally, Paul led IEMA's Incident Management Team to Florida in 2004 following Hurricane Ivan and to Mississippi this year following Hurricane Katrina. He also serves as a member of Illinois' award winning State Weapons of Mass Destruction Team.

Paul was selected to represent the Agency as an EMAP Assessor by IEMA Director William Burke in September 2005. Paul currently serves as the EMAP Standards Subcommittee chair and is a member of the EMAP Technical Committee.