Gerard “Jerry” McCarty serves as Director, Emergency Management, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). In that role, he is charged with the development and implementation of corporate-wide emergency preparedness, response, and incident management programs. Of special note is his leadership in developing and strengthening the agency’s capabilities to effectively manage and coordinate crisis events in compliance with the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) through a comprehensive program of Incident Command System, training, drills, and exercises. An advocate for a regional approach to preparedness, Jerry is leading a multi-agency team to develop a Tri-State Surface Transportation Security Cooperation and Emergency Operations Plan. This plan codifies the procedures for communication and coordination before, during, and after an incident anywhere in the regions’ transportation network. He is also a principal member of the DHS-sponsored Regional Catastrophic Planning Team, which oversees all aspects of coordinated regional response to an incident of national significance. Before joining the Authority, Jerry had already achieved a distinguished list of accomplishments in law enforcement, and emergency management, in both New York City and elsewhere. In October 1973, he joined the New York City Police Department and served in its vaunted Emergency Services Unit. In 1995, he was the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations as representative to the Office of Emergency Management. He later joined that office as Chief of Staff, and was rapidly promoted to Deputy Director of Field Operations, and later to Deputy Director for Special Operations. In addition to responding to emergencies within New York City, Jerry was often tapped to deploy to other disaster locales. This included relief efforts to Italy following the earthquakes in 1996, Kosovo at the conclusion of NATO actions; Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane George, and Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvatore and Honduras after Hurricane Mitch. In 1999, Jerry joined FEMA Region II as Branch Chief for Operations and Planning where he coordinated federal support in response to Hurricane Lenny, Operation Sail 2000, the United Nations Millennium Assembly, and the World Economic Forum. In 2000, he was requested by the U.S. State Department to provide technical assistance to various Caribbean and Central American countries to advance the development of national emergency response plans. Joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1999, Jerry served as FEMA’s representative to the New York City Office of Emergency Management and subsequently as FEMA’s Deputy Operations Section Chief, where he coordinated Federal response and recovery efforts following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He was later assigned as FEMA’s Division Director in the National Preparedness Division. After his appointment to the Port Authority, in 2004 he was a key member of a handpicked Port Authority team that provided assistance to the City of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and played a key role in helping that city restore incident command and continuity of government. Jerry holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Public Administration from John Jay College of the City University of New York. He also teaches emergency management as an adjunct professor at Metropolitan College, John Jay College, and Medgar Evers College. Mr. McCarty is the recipient of: the U. S Department of Agriculture Award of Excellence; the New York Federal Executive Board Award for Outstanding Achievement; the Dominican Republic Chamber of Deputies Medallion of Merit; and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Award of Achievement.