Leadership

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 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
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

Kelly Williams has been working with seasoned professionals in organizational resilience and business continuity for nearly 15 years. Her expertise was honed during her tenure with MIR3, now known as OnSolve, where she 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. Kelly’s expertise spans across emergency notification and critical event enterprise software, where she has worked with Fortune 500 clients, including industry leaders such as PepsiCo, ExxonMobil, and Chevron. This has given her a deep understanding of the unique challenges and needs of various business lines and industries.

Her journey began in Sydney, Australia, where she studied psychology and early childhood at Macquarie University. This path led her to San Diego, where she spent a decade as an ABA therapist working with autistic children. Kelly’s diverse background also includes training as a combat medic in the Australian Army, a testament to her patience and ability to thrive under pressure.

Active in the Association of Continuity Professionals (ACP) for over a decade, Kelly has fostered a collaborative environment that promotes growth and innovation. Recognized by the ACP, she now serves on their board, furthering her commitment to organizational resilience. Outside of work, Kelly is the founder of Kelaroo’s Ruff Ranch, an abused dog sanctuary, and resides on a 15-acre property in Brenham, Texas. As an ACP board member, Kelly brings humility, experience, and a passion for positive change, looking forward to collaborating with fellow members on the journey towards resilience.

ACP National Board Member
Cathy Robbins

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Director, Public Affairs

Cathy is the Director of Risk Management & Corporate Services at GuideWell Source. She oversees corporate home office services on behalf of four operating companies, who combined, serve as one of the nation's largest administrators of the Medicare program.

Cathy’s responsibilities include establishing and maintaining programs that mitigate and manage the companies' risk exposure. She also leads a best-practice enterprise business resiliency and disaster recovery program that exceeds stringent Federal contracting and information security requirements and complies with ISO certification standards. Other areas of accountability include leading real estate, security and property management, and incident response and management programs, as well as safety programs tailored to remote and in-office staff.

Cathy has over 18 years’ experience in the operational resiliency, incident management and disaster recovery profession. She received her B.S. in Health Care Administration & Risk Management from Southern Illinois University, her CBCP and MBCP certifications from DRI International in 2006 and 2016, respectively. Cathy formerly served as an elected member (two 3-year terms) of the National Board of Directors for the Association of Continuity Professionals (ACP) and is also a member of the ACP Northeast Florida chapter. Cathy also served as a mentor for the Take Stock in Children program in Northeast Florida.

ACP National Board Member

Dr. Bernard Jones

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Special Interest Groups Committee Chair

Dr. Bernard A. Jones, MBCP, is an Associate Professor at St. John's University in the Collins College of Professional Studies, teaching undergraduate and doctorate courses in homeland security, emergency management, critical Infrastructure analysis & protection, and business continuity. He is a certified business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency management professional with more than 20 years of experience with the review and implementation of enterprise business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency management programs.

Dr. Jones earned a D. Sc. degree from New Jersey City University in Civil Security Leadership, Management, and Policy. His post-doctoral research focuses on organizational resilience, business continuity metrics, data visualization, racial and ethnic disparities in disaster preparedness and response, and emotional intelligence in emergency management. Dr. Jones has also earned a Master's degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology in Emergency Management and Business Continuity, a Master's degree from Kean University in Management Information Systems, as well as a Bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix in Management Information Systems.

Professionally, he is passionate about assisting organizations in quantifying their resilience posture and addressing resilience weaknesses while driving toward enhancing disaster preparedness. Dr. Jones has become all too familiar with disaster impacts to organizations, and he continues to assist organizations on how to help impart a heightened culture of disaster preparedness through enhanced organizational resilience.

ACP National Board Member

Gail Moraton

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Gail Moraton has over 35 years of experience in business continuity, risk management, and enterprise resilience.

As the Business Resiliency Manager at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) since 2011, Gail has been instrumental in developing innovative continuity programs that support businesses in preparing for and recovering from disruptions. She pioneered reimagined business continuity guidance, tailoring strategies to specific industries/occupancies and perils—from restaurants facing winter weather to medical facilities confronting wildfires, plus many more. She also led key initiatives, including OFB-EZ®, a streamlined business continuity planning tool, and EZ-PREP™, a severe weather emergency preparedness and response guide.

Gail’s expertise extends to enterprise risk management, where she played a key role in designing an in-house framework to identify, assess, and mitigate risks. She has fostered strategic partnerships with the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and leading commercial insurers, and has spoken at national conferences and webinars to advance business resilience best practices.

A long-standing ACP Greater Tampa Bay Chapter member since 2009, Gail has held leadership roles as Program Director, Membership Director, and Treasurer. Her dedication to the profession has earned her multiple ACP Most Valuable Player Awards for her contributions to the industry.

Gail is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) and previously spent 25 years at Mercury Insurance Group, where she built and led its business continuity program for 5,000+ employees.