Gary O’Neal Joins the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) Board of Directors

We’re excited to announce that Gary O’Neal, Grants Manager on our Engineering team, has been appointed to the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association’s Board of Directors. 

The Natural Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting natural hazard risk reduction and climate adaptation through knowledge sharing, planning, adaptation and mitigation. Their stated mission:

“The mission of the NHMA is to be a catalyst for societal change by elevating the value of hazard mitigation so that natural hazards do not cause disasters, and suffering and misery to people, property, the environment and taxpayers. We promote education, policies and activities that mitigate current and future losses, costs and human suffering unnecessarily caused by unwise development practices without regard to natural hazards.”

Gary will be adding his passion, proficiency, and community spirit to an organization that perfectly aligns with his core values (and ours)! He has this to say of this new, additional role:

“Hazard mitigation has become my life’s work. The satisfaction of coming to work every day to find ways to reduce the impact of disasters on my neighbors is huge for me. Whether those neighbors are across the street, across the State, or even across the country, I consider them all like family. It was truly humbling to be invited by the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association to join their Board of Directors.

 

There’s a certain pride that comes with being able to help communities when they need it most. The NHMA’s entire goal as an organization is to assist in amplifying what folks like myself and other Hazard Mitigation practitioners are doing in those situations and highlight the importance of resilience in our communities after the worst-case scenarios happen. Getting a chance to help shine a spotlight on what we do and how best to go about doing it is something I feel incredibly fortunate about.”

Gary has been an invaluable member of our team since joining Fenstermaker in November of 2020. His energy and dedication to improving the lives of the most vulnerable communities through his expertise in natural hazard mitigation and resilience building has been a huge asset to our team and the communities we work with. We’re looking forward to seeing Gary add his expertise to NHMA. Congratulations, Gary, on your appointment to the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association’s Board of Directors!