I-DIEM Global strengthens disaster resilience worldwide by uniting emergency management science with community-crafted equity solutions. We work across continents to reduce risk, protect lives, and empower vulnerable populations—integrating data-driven planning, climate adaptation, and inclusive leadership so that every community can withstand and recover from the impacts of disasters and a changing climate.
We are international certified disaster managers from all over the world, with over 250 cumulative years of experience, specializing in climate change influenced disasters. We pair our expertise in managing disasters with deep research and data analytics, all with the goal of producing human-centered equity for real people in real communities around the world.
Chauncia Willis-Johnson is a highly regarded equity and resilience leader in disaster management. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of I-DIEM Global, she leads global efforts to center equity in emergency management, climate resilience, and disaster recovery for underserved communities. Widely known as the Godmother of Disaster Equity, Chauncia Willis-Johnson is an award-winning luminary, author, and global advocate with over 26 years of experience in emergency management. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of I-DIEM Global, she champions equity-centered disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for underserved populations worldwide.
Antoine Richards is a dynamic public health strategist and equity-driven leader who serves as Deputy Director of I-DIEM Global, where he plays a pivotal role in advancing global strategies for disaster equity, inclusive resilience, and humanitarian response. With more than a decade of experience spanning healthcare, emergency management, community engagement, grant development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Richards brings a rare blend of operational excellence and mission-driven leadership.
Joel Thomas is the Founder and CEO of SPIN Global, a public benefit company that exists to disrupt disasters from neighborhoods to nations, with niche expertise in emergency management, national-level planning and private-public partnerships. Since 2003, Mr. Thomas has supported the design and implementation of local…
Deanne Criswell is an experienced emergency management professional and the 12th Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She was sworn in as FEMA’s first female Administrator on April 26, 2021, under President Joe Biden. Deanne has over 30 years of experience in emergency management at the local, state, and federal levels. Before leading FEMA, she served as the Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM), where she played a pivotal role in managing large-scale emergencies in complex urban environments.
Ellis Stanley Sr., CEM is the Managing Partner of Ellis Stanely Partners and maintains 35+ years of experience in emergency management including the Director of Emergency Management for Brunswick County, NC, Director of Durham-Durham County Emergency Management Agency, Director of the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, and Assistant City Administrative Officer and General Manager of the Emergency Preparedness Department for the City of Los Angeles.
Joyce Coffee Joyce Coffee, LEED AP, is the founder and President of Climate Resilience Consulting, a social enterprise helping clients move from climate risk to resilience with bold strategies, secured funding, and real-world results. A pioneer in the field, Joyce has led over 300 climate resilience projects across public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors.
Jim Alvey maintains 40+ years of media, marketing, and sales leadership experience and recently served as Good360’s Vice President of Disaster Recovery working across sectors to support nonprofits and other organizations in the disaster space. Since 2016, Jim has been building nonprofit, corporate and foundation partnerships to close need gaps in communities impacted by disasters and other crises…
E. Benjamin Money is an expert in Population Health and has served as executive lead for value-based care, care transformation & innovation, social drivers of health, environmental health, and emergency management in national capacities. He serves on the Capital Link and Capital Fund boards, the HCP-LAN Accountable Care Action Collaborative, the ecoAmerica Climate for Health Leadership Circle, the IHI Rise for Health Convening Partnership Group, and the CHARGE Partnership.
Dr. Amber Mehmood is currently leading the Global Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief and Homeland Security Concentration, at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health, USA. She is a public health academic with a special focus on emergency and disaster management, community preparedness, health systems strengthening, injury prevention, and health outcome-based research. Previously she has held clinical faculty the positions at the Aga Khan University, Karachi Pakistan, and was a full-time research scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health between 2013-2020.
Dawn Skaggs serves as the Chief Program Officer for the World Institute on Disability and is a recognized expert in inclusive preparedness, accessible response and recovery, and whole community resilience. Her unique expertise blends academia, project execution, and real-world deployment experience in command and general staff positions operationalizing inclusion in climate and human caused disasters.
Cedric Dzelu currently serves as the Technical Director to the Ghana Minister of State in Charge of Climate Change and Sustainability where he supports national efforts to address the climate crisis through policy and innovation. He is the Executive Secretary (Acting) of the African Youth Commission, and Founder of Frontline for Climate Action…
Esther Sanni is a visionary leader and strategic changemaker in the fields of workforce development, second chance hiring, and equity-centered community advancement. With a deep commitment to creating inclusive economic pathways, she brings over a decade of experience in designing and implementing employment and training solutions that uplift underserved and justice-impacted populations.
Chauncia Willis-Johnson is a highly regarded equity and resilience leader in disaster management. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of I-DIEM Global, she leads global efforts to center equity in emergency management, climate resilience, and disaster recovery for underserved communities. Widely known as the Godmother of Disaster Equity, Chauncia Willis-Johnson is an award-winning luminary, author, and global advocate with over 26 years of experience in emergency management. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of I-DIEM Global, she champions equity-centered disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for underserved populations worldwide.
A former Emergency Manager for the City of Tampa, Florida, Chauncia has provided multiple congressional testimonies advising on equity in disaster policy, and served as a trusted advisor to government agencies, nonprofits, and international coalitions. She is the author of Stretching: The Race for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in America and Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer of the documentary, Muted: Climate Marginalization in America.
In 2024, she was honored as Emergency Manager of the Year by the National Hurricane Center. A trusted voice in climate justice and humanitarian response, Chauncia continues to reshape the field—grounding innovation in justice, leadership in compassion, and humility in service. Her legacy is one of innovation, inclusion, and impact—reshaping the future of emergency management through strategic partnerships, inclusive leadership, and unwavering advocacy for equity for all.
Antoine Richards is a dynamic public health strategist and equity-driven leader who serves as Deputy Director of I-DIEM Global, where he plays a pivotal role in advancing global strategies for disaster equity, inclusive resilience, and humanitarian response. With more than a decade of experience spanning healthcare, emergency management, community engagement, grant development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Richards brings a rare blend of operational excellence and mission-driven leadership.
He previously served as Chief of Staff at I-DIEM, where he led strategic planning, board engagement, and executive coordination across national and global initiatives. Antoine’s background also includes impactful roles at the prestigious Moffitt Cancer Center, where he contributed to public health research and culturally responsive outreach programs aimed at reducing health disparities.
A skilled communicator and advocate, Antoine holds a Master of Public Health from Morehouse School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Kennesaw State University. He is a recipient of the Dr. Bill Jenkins Achievement Award, honoring his exceptional academic performance and commitment to community service in public health.
Through his unwavering dedication to servant leadership, Antoine Richards continues to improve outcomes for vulnerable and historically underserved populations—mobilizing data, partnerships, and innovation to drive systemic change.
Joel Thomas is the Founder and CEO of SPIN Global, a public benefit company that exists to disrupt disasters from neighborhoods to nations, with niche expertise in emergency management, national-level planning and private-public partnerships. Since 2003, Mr. Thomas has supported the design and implementation of local, national and multinational emergency management, humanitarian and faith-based initiatives in 50+ countries and in 56 U.S. States and Territories. He is a globally recognized senior advisor to governments and Fortune 500 companies that are building capacity to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Mr. Thomas serves as Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor at Tulane University’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, and previously earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business/Non-Profit Management from Trinity International University.
Deanne Criswell is an experienced emergency management professional and the 12th Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She was sworn in as FEMA’s first female Administrator on April 26, 2021, under President Joe Biden. Deanne has over 30 years of experience in emergency management at the local, state, and federal levels. Before leading FEMA, she served as the Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM), where she played a pivotal role in managing large-scale emergencies in complex urban environments. Deanne also served as the Emergency Manager for the City of Aurora, Colorado, where she led the city’s emergency preparedness, response, and recovery programs. Her additional FEMA experience includes leaderships roles as a Federal Coordinating Officer, where she managed disaster response and recovery efforts nationwide. Criswell also honorably served in the Colorado Air National Guard for over two decades, bringing military expertise to crisis management.
Ellis Stanley, Sr. is the Manager Partner of Ellis Stanley Partners which and maintains 35+ years of experience in emergency management including the Director of Emergency Management for Brunswick County, NC, Director of Durham-Durham County Emergency Management Agency, Director of the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, and Assistant City Administrative Officer and General Manager of the Emergency Preparedness Department for the City of Los Angeles. He also served as Vice President of Emergency Management and Disaster Mitigation for Debwerry, LLC, and Executive Vice President for Emergency and Disaster Management Services with Hammerman and Gainer International, Inc. Stanley’s international experience includes expertise leading emergency management delegations and leveraging his expertise in China, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, Israel, Haiti, Chile, Argentina, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Paraguay, Jordan, Turkey, Taiwan, and eleven African nations centered on emergency preparedness. Stanely received his B.A. in Political Science from UNC Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program for Senior Homeland Security Official from the Naval Postgraduate School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.
Joyce Coffee Joyce Coffee, LEED AP, is the founder and President of Climate Resilience Consulting, a social enterprise helping clients move from climate risk to resilience with bold strategies, secured funding, and real-world results. A pioneer in the field, Joyce has led over 300 climate resilience projects across public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. She has authored more than two dozen resilience reports, directed national initiatives like the Equitable Climate Resilience project, and co-authored tools that accelerate climate adaptation investment pipelines. Joyce’s leadership spans city government, Fortune 500 consulting, and nonprofit innovation—from shaping Chicago’s Climate Action Plan to building global climate metrics at ND-GAIN. Joyce serves on over 20 boards and advisory groups, including Anthropocene Alliance and MIT’s Visiting Committee, and is an Affiliate Global Futures Scholar. She holds degrees from MIT and Tufts and continues to advise national and international efforts to embed resilience, equity, and impact into climate action.
Jim Alvey maintains 40+ years of media, marketing, and sales leadership experience and recently served as Good360’s Vice President of Disaster Recovery working across sectors to support nonprofits and other organizations in the disaster space. Since 2016, Jim has been building nonprofit, corporate and foundation partnerships to close need gaps in communities impacted by disasters and other crises. At Good360, he secured product donations and funding to help other nonprofits fulfill their missions. Jim is passionate about support for long-term recovery, especially in marginalized communities. Jim lives in Columbia, MD with his wife, Cindi. dog, They have two children, Michelle and James. Jim enjoys hiking, writing, music, and travel.
Benjamin Money is an expert in Population Health and has served as executive lead for value-based care, care transformation & innovation, social drivers of health, environmental health, and emergency management in national capacities. He serves on the Capital Link and Capital Fund boards, the HCP-LAN Accountable Care Action Collaborative, the ecoAmerica Climate for Health Leadership Circle, the IHI Rise for Health Convening Partnership Group, and the CHARGE Partnership. Prior to joining NACHC, Mr. Money was the Deputy Secretary for Health Services at North Carolina DHHS where he led the Divisions of Public Health, Health Services Regulation, and the Offices of Rural Health and Minority Health, served on the Governor’s Climate Change Interagency Council, and the COVID-19 task force. Before this appointment, he led the North Carolina Community Health Center Association as President & CEO. Ben is a graduate of Springfield College, received his MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a certificate in Climate Change and Health from the Yale University School of Public Health.
Dr. Amber Mehmood is currently leading the Global Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief and Homeland Security Concentration, at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health, USA. She is a public health academic with a special focus on emergency and disaster management, community preparedness, health systems strengthening, injury prevention, and health outcome-based research. Previously she has held clinical faculty the positions at the Aga Khan University, Karachi Pakistan, and was a full-time research scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health between 2013-2020. Her teaching and research portfolio covers a breadth of topics on global health, disaster management, health care inequalities, injury surveillance, and monitoring and evaluation of health care interventions. Over the years, she has collaborated with academic institutions, biomedical researchers, national, governmental, and international organizations to support, enhance and sustain global health programs and develop capacity to strengthen local health systems.
Dawn Skaggs serves as the Chief Program Officer for the World Institute on Disability and is a recognized expert in inclusive preparedness, accessible response and recovery, and whole community resilience. Her unique expertise blends academia, project execution, and real-world deployment experience in command and general staff positions operationalizing inclusion in climate and human caused disasters. Dawn has developed and delivered multiple FEMA courses, conducted research, and served in faculty positions at the Universities of Hawaii, Georgetown, Texas A&M, and special staff at Tel Aviv. She has been selected to serve on programs for Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (HHS ASPR), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and multiple national Public Health organizations. She provides consultation and technical assistance to the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), multiple international agencies and NGOs. Programs under Dawn’s direction have been selected for recognition from the FEMA ODIC, University of California San Francisco, the prestigious UNDRR Sasakwa Awards, the Forbes 100 and CNN.
Cedric Dzelu currently serves as the Technical Director to the Ghana Minister of State in Charge of Climate Change and Sustainability where he supports national efforts to address the climate crisis through policy and innovation. He is the Executive Secretary (Acting) of the African Youth Commission, and Founder of Frontline for Climate Action, a youth-led organization established to promote local climate solutions, environmental education, and sustainable practices. With over a decade of experience, Cedric’s expertise spans climate change advocacy, communications, youth development, community engagement, marketing, development finance, and public service. He holds an MSc in Development Finance from the University of Ghana and a BSc in Marketing from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Esther Sanni is a visionary leader and strategic changemaker in the fields of workforce development, second chance hiring, and equity-centered community advancement. With a deep commitment to creating inclusive economic pathways, she brings over a decade of experience in designing and implementing employment and training solutions that uplift underserved and justice-impacted populations. As the Founder and CEO of All Administrative Solutions, Matthews leads a team dedicated to bridging talent with opportunity. Matthews serves as the President of the NAACP – St. Petersburg Branch and is the Founder of Supportive Equity Connections of Tampa Bay, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering underserved communities through education, training, and advocacy. Esther holds a Master of Social Work and is a certified Master Life Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership St. Pete, Class of 2021, and continues to serve as a mentor and advocate for equitable policy, inclusive workforce systems, and community-led development.
