Carrie Speranza and Dillon Taylor Esq

Carrie Speranza, CEM, is the Director of Emergency Management Solutions at Esri where she is the global lead for the emergency management industry, setting standards and best practices for geospatial science and data analytics. She serves as President of the International Association of Emergency Managers-USA Council, former Chair of the FEMA National Advisory Council, and is an advisory board member for the Private Sector Emergency Management Association. Prior to joining Esri, Carrie was Deputy Director for the District of Columbia's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. She has deployed in support of disaster relief efforts for seven hurricanes and worked as the Deputy Agency Administrator and Executive Command Staff in response to multiple civil unrest emergencies, extreme weather emergencies, over two dozen National Special Security Events, as well as four national sports and athletic championship series. Carrie is a graduate of the National Emergency Management Executive Academy, and in 2021, was selected for IAEM-USA Region 3’s Top 40 Under 40. Dillon Taylor, Esq. serves as the chief of staff & senior counsel of a state-level emergency management agency, with more than two decades of experience across legal, policy, and operational roles. He has served as an executive liaison responsible for the intergovernmental affairs portfolio for dozens of state and federal disasters and complex incidents. Dillon previously worked as an honors attorney with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board, where he was involved in national and international legal, policy, and regulatory matters. He also served as a legal fellow in the U.S House of Representatives. Dillon obtained his law degree from the University of Richmond, where he is now an adjunct professor of law. Prior to law school, he worked as a professional firefighter assigned to the special operations team focused on large-scale, multi-agency responses. Dillon is a graduate of Harvard's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, FEMA's Vanguard Executive Crisis Leadership Fellowship Cohort 4, Columbia's Leading with Impact Program, and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program where he was the recipient of the 2024 Ellen Gordon Award. He is currently in the Rising Leaders Program at the Aspen Institute's Aspen Strategy Group. He volunteers his time as a board member and board advisor with two national organizations. Most importantly, Dillon is a proud husband, and a father of three incredible kids.