The ACP National Board consists of 12 directors elected by the membership. Each director is elected for a three-year term and may serve two consecutive terms. The Board has three executive officer positions: chairperson, secretary and treasurer. Officers are elected annually by the National Board. The elections for vacant board seats and officers occur each year by December 31.

ACP National Board Chair
Michael Gifford

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Chapter Development Chair, Finance Committee, Executive Committee Chair

Michael Gifford returns to the National Board, having served 5 years, including as National Chair (2012-2013). He was one of the founding members or the Alamo Chapter – San Antonio, TX, and served as its first Chapter President.

Michael has a very broad range of business continuity, disaster recovery, and crisis management experience. His professional experience includes progressive senior leadership roles in Information Technology, having worked in both the financial and retail sectors.

As an experienced senior leader and practitioner, Michael has served as BCM Program “Champion”, coach, and mentor. He’s an accomplished storyteller who can help business teams understand the “why” through sharing real event experiences.

Michael has a passion for helping others that can be seen through his involvement with numerous Non-Profit Organizations, including ACP. Michael believes there is no greater reward that giving back and making a difference in your community.

ACP National Board Treasurer
James Mitchell

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Strategic Partnerships Committee Chair, Finance Committee, Chapter Development Committee

James is deeply passionate about all aspects of the resilience profession and especially those professionals who have dedicated their careers to this work. 

His experience spans banking/finance, healthcare and energy sectors and covers business continuity, emergency management, crisis management and technology disaster recovery.

Throughout his career, James has developed and redeveloped multiple programs with a “people first” approach to leadership.

James joined the ACP National Board in 2023 having previously served in various board positions with the Greater Houston Chapter.

ACP National Board Secretary
Dr. Roberta "Robbie" LaRocca, CPP, MBCI

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Professional Development Committee Chair, Finance Committee

Dr. Roberta LaRocca has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for most of her career within various functions including the past 15 years establishing Business Continuity Programs first at Wyeth and most recently at Merck. She is also a Principle at ProTinue which focuses on enterprise risk management services. In addition to North America, she has done business continuity work in Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Her doctorate is in Educational Leadership and her doctoral research centered on public/private partnerships during an infectious disease outbreak. She is also a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Certified Protection Professional and a member and former board member of the Business Continuity Institute.

ACP National Board Member
Lori Adamo

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Professional Development Committee, Chapter Relations Committee Chair

Adamo is founder and president of Code Red Business Continuity Services, LLC. Code Red opened its doors in 2003 and began to teach small to mid-size businesses about the importance of keeping employees safe and developing a plan that would help keep them in business after a disaster. Ms. Adamo has grown to be a recognized leader in the business continuity industry.  Code Red's client list includes large to mid-size sector businesses encompassing the financial industry, manufacturing, insurance, biologics and non-profits.

Before founding Code Red, Ms. Adamo served in municipal government for many years. She worked as the Economic Development Director for the City of Cranston and previously for the City of Woonsocket in Rhode Island. She also served two years concurrently as the Executive Director of Main Street 2000 for the City of Woonsocket. She received an award from the National Main Street Foundation commending the revitalization of a blighted Main Street.

Ms. Adamo was a member of the Board of Directors for the Northeast Disaster Recovery Information Exchange (NEDRIX). She served as the Vice President and as the Director of the Private/Public Sector Initiative. She worked to establish a Private Public System in conjunction with the six New England emergency management agencies to promote collaboration and resource development at the time of a major disruption. She sat as an advisory member to the Institute for Business & Home Safety’s Board to help market and promote “Open for Business” a disaster planning tool for small business. She was a member of the steering committee for the RI Cyber Security Planning Group, the Safer Institutes Credentialing Program, which was a State of RI effort, and mentored students for Sophia Academy, an all girls’ school, located in Providence, Rhode Island. Ms. Adamo developed the RI Alliance for Business Resilience working along side Peter Gaynor, Former RI EMA Director and FEMA Director.  

Currently, Ms. Adamo is a member of the RI Association of Emergency Managers and the President of the Association of Continuity Planners - Greater Boston Chapter.

ACP National Board Member
Avery Church

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Technology Committee Co-Chair

Avery L. Church serves as the Continuity Program Manager for Fairfax County Government with more than 15 years of business continuity and continuity of government experience. He leads a team of more than one hundred representatives from across Fairfax County Government to design, develop, implement, and maintain the county’s continuity capability. This capability is critical to the effectiveness and efficiency of the services of county government.

As part of his role in county government, he consults with Fairfax businesses to ensure they understand operational resilience and the importance of staying in business.

His service to the profession is further demonstrated by his presidency of the Washington DC chapter of the Association of Continuity Professionals, the premier non-profit association dedicated to the advancement of continuity professionals. As president he is responsible with fostering the growth of the business continuity industry through its network of industry experts, education, and the exchange of information and best practices in one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas in the country.

For 6.5 years, he supported the Department of Energy’s Continuity Program Office, serving as the primary consultant and subject matter expert in the design, development, and execution of their continuity program. Additionally, Avery served as an emergency management consultant to the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, all in Washington DC.

Avery holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, both from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a certified Master Professional Continuity Practitioner through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

ACP National Board Member
Paul McGonigal

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Strategic Partnerships Committee, Chapter Development Committee

Paul is the Business Continuity Administrator for Ephrata National Bank, a medium size community bank based in Lancaster, PA. Paul developed the Business Continuity program enabling Ephrata National Bank to have their first complete Business Continuity Plan. He is responsible for testing of all critical bank functions, manages the annual Disaster Recovery exercise and is responsible for vendor management.

While relatively new to the business continuity profession and financial sector, Paul has over 10 years of Emergency Management experience in both the private and public sectors. He has led emergency power response teams following hurricane landfalls in Saipan, CNMI, North Carolina, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. He has also has experience with international traveler risk management, duty of care, emergency response, evacuation and kidnappings.

Paul has also been a volunteer fighter for over 12 years, volunteering wherever he has lived, and is currently the Truck Lieutenant for Ephrata Pioneer Fire Company. 

ACP National Board Member
Todd Ray

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Professional Development Committee

Todd Ray is President of RMANAGING Consulting, LLC and is a Business Resilience and Continuity professional with more than 25 years of strategic and operational experience in Enterprise Risk Management, Crisis Management, Disaster Recovery and Emergency Response.

Todd specializes in creating and managing complete Business Continuity Management Systems and IT Service Continuity Programs for highly regulated companies such as Novartis Pharmaceutical and Pfizer.

In addition, he is an active member of InfraGard and a Certified Critical Infrastructure Liaison Office for the US Government.  Todd has held positions of escalating responsibility working for various international organizations and served as a Non-Commission Officer in the U.S. Air Force.  He was in charge of U.S. and Air Force Space Command C3 (Command, Control & Communications) teams.

ACP National Board Member
Ron Derrick

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Professional Development Committee

While spending over 30 years in the fire, EMS and emergency management fields, Ron received degrees in Business and Emergency Management from Schreiner University and Jacksonville State University respectively. After spending a long career in public service, Ron transitioned into public and private Emergency Management and Business Continuity.

Ron spent numerous years as emergency manager for the City of Kerrville and the City of Fredericksburg along with Kerr and Gillespie Counties in Texas. Ron decided to hang up his boots and radio and went into hospital Business Continuity for the Baptist Health System in San Antonio. This incorporated environment of care and emergency management for five large hospitals and one teaching center. After being at Baptist, Ron then took his talents to the military insurance giant USAA as a Senior Business Continuity Advisor stationed in the company Command Center. This included worldwide emergency management and business continuity ensuring the safety and needs of military offices and families. Then six years ago, Ron came over to his current job as the Corporate Emergency Manager/ Business Continuity for Whataburger Restaurants. In this position, Ron handles all Crisis Management and Business Continuity incidents for over 990 restaurants in 14 states.

Ron continues to hold certifications in the fire department and as a Texas Licensed Paramedic. He also has certifications as a CBCP and has been a certified Texas Emergency Manager. Ron has been part of the Alamo Chapter of ACP for almost ten years and is also active with the Houston Chapter ACP. Ron considers it a true honor and is very humbled to be part of the National Board of ACP. 

ACP National Board Member
Kelly Williams

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Strategic Partnerships Committee, Marketing Committee

Hi there, I'm Kelly Williams - your go to girl for all things Enterprise Account Sales and Management. With a wealth of experience spanning Fortune 500 companies across many industries, I have managed to carve a very strong niche in the Oil & Gas/Energy and Technology sectors. I thrive on building robust relationships with my clients, rooted in trust, responsiveness, and an unwavering commitment to delivering top-notch products and services and creating a partnership my competitors find very hard to beat.

Here's a glimpse of what I bring to the table:

Passionate about helping enterprise companies overcome key challenges and implement game-changing solutions in cutting edge enterprise software. As an experienced Enterprise Sales Director, I've had my sleeves rolled up and worked directly with professionals across all business lines – from safety and security to IT, C-level executives, risk management, business continuity, workplace experience, human resources, data analysts, CFOs, CTOs, and CEOs - you name it!

Trusted adviser and 'go-to' in the Houston Oil & Gas community and the many Fortune 500 clients. I've successfully managed evaluations, complex proof of concepts, implementations of missioncritical notification solutions and complex integrated workplace management systems for renowned companies like PepsiCo, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Nestle, HP, Citi, ConocoPhillips & Comcast. Continuing to serve as their steadfast and dedicated global Enterprise Account Director ensuring seamless support and success (it's true, read my recommendations! )

Specialized knowledge in business continuity software, critical event management, sensors, facility management software, emergency notification software, ITSM solutions and space management/IWMS/ asset management/preventative maintenance, reservation software and integrations with systems to give the 'big picture' in analytics for data driven decision making.

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, I studied psychology and early childhood at Macquarie Uni. My journey brought me to San Diego, where I spent a decade as an ABA therapist with autistic children. My 'past life' also included training as a combat medic in the Australian Army (I have patience and don't buckle under pressure!)

I have always been fueled with a passion for purpose. I am heavily involved in the dog rescue community and have way too many 4 legged friends to feed. This means I am always hungry to work.

Let's connect to explore how we can drive transformative change together and do something that matters!    

ACP National Board Member
Brandon Edwards

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Chapter Relations Committee

My background and experience include over 25 years in enterprise protection, with focus in business continuity, crisis management and corporate security, as both a practitioner and consultant to organizations of all sizes, including some of the world’s most recognizable brands. In my current role as SVP, Global Operational Resilience at BCW Global, I lead business continuity and crisis management services for an international organization specializing in public relations and strategic communications for clients throughout the world.

I have been an active member of the Greater Tampa Bay Chapter of ACP since first joining in 2011, holding various Board positions, including interim Programs Director (’12), Director at Large (13’, ’14), Treasurer (’15, ’16, ’17), and President (’21-present). I have also held positions with other professional associations, including the Financial Institutions Security Officers Association of Tampa Bay as Treasurer (‘09, ‘10), Vice President (’11) and President (’12); and InfraGard Boston as Secretary (‘03/04).

In addition to ACP, I am a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, ASIS International, the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association, the International Association of Emergency Managers, and InfraGard. I hold a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University, as well as industry certifications in business continuity, emergency management, security management, and fraud examination.

ACP National Board Member
Joanne Storbeck

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Marketing Committee Co-Chair

Joanne Storbeck is the Manager, Global Business Planning for Freeport McMoRan (FCX), a leading international mining company based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Ms. Storbeck has over 20 years’ experience in the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Industry. She has been responsible for managing, directing, and controlling the resources and efforts of business continuity teams for many industries including financial, healthcare, manufacturing, and telecommunications organizations. 

Joanne is a member of InfraGard and an Advisor for INTERFACE-Phoenix. 

She holds the MBCI with The Business Continuity Institute and has held positions with the Central Arizona Association of Continuity Professionals, most recently President, 2022 and 2023.