Thomas became the Agency’s Deputy Director in July 2025. He oversees daily agency operations, including fiscal management, training, planning, resources, and overall facility functions. During emergencies, Thomas serves as EOC Director, ensuring effective and efficient response efforts. His responsibilities also include managing staff, developing strategies to achieve agency goals, fostering community partnerships, overseeing budgets and payroll, and representing the agency on committees.
Previously, Thomas served three years as the Agency’s Warning Systems Manager, managing the Outdoor Warning Siren system for Franklin County. He also administered the county’s mass notification and warning program, ALERT Franklin County, and led the Agency’s Assessment Center, providing a common operational picture and analyzing situations with potential countywide public safety impacts.
Before joining the Agency, Thomas spent 11 years at The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety as a Communications Supervisor, CAD Administrator, and OHLEG Coordinator. There, he served on multiple councils, committees, and workgroups focused on process improvement, diversity, labor relations, contract negotiations, and best practices development.
Thomas began his career at Wright State University Police Department, serving 13 years as a Police Dispatcher, Dispatcher Supervisor, Training Coordinator, and LEADS TAC. Throughout his career, he has been an active member of Ohio APCO, participating on numerous committees, subcommittees, and serving on the board.
Jill is responsible for organizing and coordinating all administrative operations and resources on a daily basis for FCEM&HS. She provides support to the Director and members of the staff. She organizes meetings, maintains office supply inventory, and ensures all filing systems are up to date and current. Jill also serves as the Recording Secretary for the FCEM&HS Executive Committee, Franklin County Fire and Police Chiefs Associations, and the Franklin County Communications Advisory Committee. Jill has a degree in American Sign Language Interpreting and has experience in judicial court reporting and 911 dispatching.
Kelly coordinates all of the agency’s internal and external communications. She is responsible for writing and distributing agency press releases, newsletters and preparedness educational materials. She manages all content for the FCEM&HS & ALERT Franklin County websites as well as the agency’s social media platforms. Kelly serves as the media contact for the agency. She responds to all media inquiries and arranges interviews for the Director and executive staff. She is responsible for providing the media and the public with timely and accurate information before, during and after an emergency or disaster. Prior to joining FCEM&HS, Kelly worked for the City of Columbus in the Office of Communications with Columbus City Council and the Columbus Division of Fire.
Carter leads the Agency’s Alerting and Warning Program, managing the Outdoor Warning Sirens across Franklin County’s 42 jurisdictions. He also administers the county’s ALERT Franklin County mass notification system and oversees the Assessment Center, which provides a common operational picture and analyzes incidents with potential countywide public safety impacts.
Carter previously served as an Emergency Management Specialist focusing on Technology, providing GIS services to support agency operations and offering technical support for all agency technology. His GIS work helps create a geographic representation of the common operational picture (COP), enhancing emergency response by mapping impacts, resources, and response activities. He also led planning, procurement, deployment, and maintenance of the agency’s technology inventory. Carter is a graduate of Ohio University.
Johnna serves as the Franklin County Communications Coordinator. She manages all public safety communications systems coordinated by FCEM&HS including the Franklin County Radio system, Franklin County 911 database and Homeland Security Regional Communications. She is also a liaison to the county's Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), multiple communication centers and the Central Ohio Amateur Radio groups. Johnna brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in public safety communications to the Agency. Prior to joining FCEM&HS, Johnna served as a Communications Supervisor, Training Coordinator and Dispatcher for The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety. She is a certified instructor with the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and currently serves as the Vice President of the Ohio Chapter. She is also a member of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
Julio provides technical planning expertise for the Agency, assisting with the review and update of the Franklin County Emergency Operations Plan and related documents, internal emergency plans, job action sheets, and standard operating procedures (SOPs), including the Continuity of Operations Plan and weather-related emergency procedures. He also manages key planning programs, including the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), the Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan, and the Hazardous Materials Response Plan.
Julio brings extensive experience in emergency planning to FCEM&HS. He joins us from Franklin County Public Health, where he spent two years as an Emergency Preparedness Planner. He previously served as a Radiological and All-Hazards Planner for the State of Virginia. Julio earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology, law, and society from George Mason University and holds a master’s degree in emergency and disaster management.
Pam is responsible for coordinating agency trainings for local emergency management professionals, first responders, volunteer organizations, private organizations and other partners in Franklin County and the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). She organizes the grant funded exercises to ensure compliance with grant guidelines and tracks and monitors exercise improvement plans. She also works with Ohio EMA administering state and local grants to local government organizations. She has been with the agency since 2004.
Melissa is responsible for preparing the Agency's annual budget and comprehensive financial reports. She also oversees various accounting-related activities such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, and the bi-weekly employee payroll. Melissa has been a valuable member of the Franklin County team since 2006, initially serving in the Auditor’s office before bringing her extensive experience and knowledge to FCEM&HS in 2023.
Garrett is responsible for developing and maintaining a county-wide disaster resource data base identifying public and private sources of specialized equipment for use during a disaster or emergency. He is charged with sustaining plans to coordinate and distribute resources as needed and requested due to natural or man-made disasters (Including donated goods and services). In addition, Garrett oversees the agency’s volunteer programs including the Franklin County Community Emergency Response Team (FC CERT), Franklin County and Columbus Medical Reserve Corps (FC&C MRC) and Volunteers in Public Safety Support (VIPSS). Previously, Garrett worked for the Franklin County Office of Management & Budget, the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, and has been an intercollegiate debate coach at Capital University since 2011.
Carl joined FCEM&HS in 2020, fulfilling the evolving Homeland Security Coordinator position. His role encompasses an all-hazard approach to strategic initiatives, technical guidance, exercise planning/execution, and coordination with local, state, and federal partners for homeland security. Carl spent 23 years with the military, retiring as an Army officer in the Military Police Corps. While in the military, Carl spent several years assigned to the Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST), the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), and the Homeland Response Force (HRF). His last role in uniform was as a planner for overseas interoperability and counterterrorism exercises with NATO partners and Balkan States. He holds certifications as an Ohio Paramedic, EMS Instructor, Tactical Paramedic, Firefighter, Peace Officer, and HazMat Technician.
Alex Chan serves as the Emergency Management IT Manager at FCEM&HS. In this role, he oversees and manages the Agency’s IT infrastructure, including the deployment and maintenance of deployable technology systems. He leads key IT initiatives, manages hardware, software, and network resources, ensures data security and regulatory compliance, and provides technical support across the organization. Alex also collaborates closely with the Franklin County Data Center, FCEM&HS staff, technology vendors, and partner agencies to align technology operations with the Agency’s mission.
In 2024, Alex became the Agency’s Operations Support Specialist, where he played a key role in supporting critical emergency management functions. In this position, he provided comprehensive assistance to the Franklin County Communicators Coordinator, Homeland Security Coordinator, and Warning Systems Manager.
Before joining FCEM&HS, Alex worked for four years in the Unified Communication Center at The Ohio State University’s Department of Public Safety, serving as an Alarm and Video Monitoring Officer. He holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering and brings a diverse technical background that includes cyber security, drone operations, CCTV systems, photography, and 3D image rendering. He has also participated in search and rescue and disaster relief missions as a member of the Civil Air Patrol in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary.