Master's in Emergency & Disaster Management
David Kang
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David Kang currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Planning and Exercise Division, Response Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In this role Mr. Kang oversees the development of the nation’s interagency and joint local, state and Federal response plans for catastrophic incidents. Examples of efforts include medical countermeasure actions for a widespread anthrax attack, improvised nuclear device detonation in most major cities, regional power outage planning, Federal Interagency Operation plans, catastrophic earthquakes in California, the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the Pacific Northwest and for hurricanes throughout our coastal communities. Additionally he serves as a Plans Chief for the Domestic Emergency Support Team which provides assistance to the F.B.I. for incidents involving weapons of mass destruction and is the Planning Support Section Chief for the National Response Coordination Center which provides the national level support for all federal disasters as required.
Prior to his position at FEMA headquarters, Mr. Kang worked in the State and Local Homeland Security and Emergency Management fields as a Program Manager for Operations, Preparedness, and Planning for the State of Alaska. In Operations, Mr. Kang worked response and initial recovery operations in the State Emergency Operations Center for numerous disasters and full scale exercises. Mr. Kang was response for overseeing multiple grant State and Federal grant programs for planning, training, organization, and exercises while in Preparedness. Examples included the suite of Homeland Security Grant Programs and Emergency Management Performance Grants. In Planning, Mr. Kang integrated Hazard Mitigation and Infrastructure Protection programs and funding to define the parameters for Statewide planning efforts. This also included leading and codifying Alaska’s only Public-Private infrastructure protection group.
Mr. Kang’s operational experience includes numerous domestic and international domains. Domestic engagements eighteen National Response Coordination Center activations as Planning Support Section Chief, over 50 Statewide activation at the Alaska Emergency Operations Center as the Incident/Deputy Incident Commander, and leding numerous Task Force organizations. Internationally, Mr. Kang was the U.S. Lead Planner in the development and implementation for the Government of Ukraine’s Energy Action and Resiliency Plans and had numerous engagements with the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Programs that support building partner nation’s emergency management capability and capacity.
In his spare time, Mr. Kang is an Army Infantry Officer in the Alaska National Guard having served in various positions in Maneuver and Joint Staff assignments. Mr. Kang has also deployed oversees as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and has been activated to support State missions.