James Kish Federal Government Sector Coordinator

James R. Kish is retired from the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service, and prior to that retired as a Colonel from the Army.  During his military career Jim started out as an enlisted medic then later received a commission then was qualified and served as a Special Forces Officer.  Highlights of his military service include a variety of unit level assignments then culminating with assignments as Director of Operations for the Army National Guard; Director of Civil Support for the National Guard; and then as a detailee serving as the Director of Training and Exercises for the Office of Homeland Security, Executive Office of the President.  In the aftermath of 911 terrorist attacks, Jim coordinated policy development related to training and exercise components of the Presidents ‘National Strategy for Homeland Security’. 

After retiring from the Army in 2003, Jim joined the Department of Homeland Security where he oversaw the National Exercise Program.  During this assignment he led efforts to build and execute 14 training exercises for the cabinet of the United States and 3 National Level terrorism preparedness exercises involving 25 States and 4 countries, as well as partnering with academia to develop and field over 100 training courses for first responders.  He oversaw development of executive training programs that provide leadership and homeland security related training for over 1200 senior state, local and federal officials annually. 

After joining the Senior Executive Service he has held a variety of positions within the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  In the aftermath of Katrina Jim led efforts to reorganize the training and exercise structures from three different components of the Department of Homeland Security to create the mandated National Integration Center.    During this period Jim oversaw efforts to finalize and publish the statutorily mandated ‘National Response Framework’.  Jim then became the Director, Technological Hazards Division where he ensured that regulatory guidelines were updated to match the proscribed national preparedness doctrine.  These updates contributed to efforts that enhanced safety for population groups living within 50 miles of nuclear power plants.

In the last years before retiring from the Government, Jim served as Deputy Assistant Administrator and then as Acting Assistant Administrator for FEMAs Response Directorate.  Duties for this position included supervisory oversight over the Agency efforts to prepare for consequence management of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) events.   He oversaw the day-to-day operations to prepare Agency personnel for incident management and support.  He developed, trained and maintained specialized teams capable of providing critical support in communications, urban search and rescue, incident management and support and situational assessment.  He oversaw teams that conducted exercises to ensure individuals and teams can perform as trained, and provide Agency watch center operations to ensure time critical information and operational decisions are integrated and disseminated to executive branch leadership when responding to events/incidents.

Now retired from the Government, Jim owns and operates GP Solutions providing consulting support to government, industry, and non-governmental organizations to assist their efforts to achieve more effective preparedness and resilience capabilities.  His main focus is on developing integrated solutions that meet organizational needs while comporting with national doctrine.  Jim has specialized experience in preparedness for asymmetric threats including Weapons of Mass Destruction. 

Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado.