Emilio Lamba is the Public Safety Policy Analyst for the Association of Minnesota Counties. In this role, he also serves as AMEM’s lobbyist at the capitol. Emilio previously served as the Director of Post Secondary Education for the Minnesota Department of Corrections where he oversaw the delivery of degree/certification granting programming with various Minn State Colleges & Universities to incarcerated students. He also served as the Policy & Compliance Specialist for the Department of Corrections. Prior to work at the DOC, Lamba served as a District Administrator for Fargo Public Schools, where he worked extensively on equity within student attendance and established the Fargo Public Schools Attendance Project which aimed to address the underlying at-home and school climate related factors.

Garry has 25 years of public service and 10 years of private sector experience. His current responsibilities as Norman County’s Environmental Services Director include the duties of Emergency Management, Solid Waste, Planning & Zoning, Flood Plain Management, Public Safety, Courthouse Safety and Buffer Management. Garry also serves on the AMEM (Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers) Board of Directors. He was the Former Region 3 Representative and currently holds the office of AMEM 2nd Vice President position. He serves as the Budget Chair, Government Affairs Committee, and Conference Committee. Garry is a Former MACPZA (Minnesota Association of County Planning & Zoning Administrators) Board of Directors member

Julie Ring has more than 25 years of experience in the public sector, working in state, local and regional government in Minnesota and South Dakota. Julie was appointed Executive Director of the Association of Minnesota Counties in 2013, after serving as Legislative Coordinator and Health & Human Services Policy Analyst for the association. Before joining AMC, Julie served as the director of the Local Public Health Association of Minnesota. Julie also worked for ten years at the Minnesota Department of Health in a variety of positions focused on grant and contract management, legislative policy, and local public health system development. Julie began her career as a grant writer in an economic development district in rural South Dakota. She has a bachelor of arts in economics and political science from the University of Minnesota-Morris. Julie is active in the National Association of Counties and serves as an elected officer of the National Council of County Association Executives.

John Elder is a Director of Public Information/Public Information Officer for the Minneapolis Police Department. He reports directly to the Chief and Assistant Chief. The PIO is responsible for the public dissemination of MPD related information to residents and members of the media. The goal of the Minneapolis Office of Public Information is to provide timely and accurate information surrounding the public safety initiatives and operations conducted by the men and women employed by the Minneapolis Police Department.

Master Sergeant Graham Lorence is the MN Joint Force Headquarters, Communications Directorate (J6), Defense Support of Civil Authorities Manager. As the program manager for the emergency communications capabilities within the MN National Guard, MSgt Lorence oversees emergency communications planning, communications deployables, and land mobile radio maintenance (including ARMER). MSgt Lorence’s career in the Air Force has spanned 18 years in communications and information technologies. He has served many roles to include client, network and systems administrator, satellite communications tech, radio operator, installations team chief and installation section chief to name a few. He was stationed at Ramstein Air Base Germany and then Beale Air Force Base California when active duty, before returning home to join the Minnesota Air National Guard with the 210th Engineering Installations Squadron. He as deployed three time to locations such as Afghanistan, Europe and throughout Africa.

Hughes began her career in emergency services with the City of St. Cloud in 2003, serving as a Special Projects Coordinator for the Community Emergency Response Team. She joined the Stearns County Emergency Management Department in 2004 as a Planner a position which she held for nine years at which time she accepted the position as the County Emergency Manager. She is a Certified Emergency Manager in the State of Minnesota, a recognized Master Exercise Practitioner by FEMA, and a member of the Minnesota Type III All Hazards Incident Management Team. Hughes has experience with disaster response including record flooding in Browns Valley in 2007, flooding and pandemic influenza in 2009, severe storms and straight-line winds in 2010, Presidential Disaster Declaration in 2011, historic flooding in Carlton County, severe storms and straight-line winds, and Hurricane Irene in Massachusetts during 2012, Presidential Disaster Declaration in 2013, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2015, 2022 and Hurricane Irma in Florida in 2017. Hughes received her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and Master of Science in Public Safety Executive Leadership from St. Cloud State University.

Mr. Bob Campbell has 27 years of experience in emergency management. He served nine years in the U.S. Air Force before launching Alliance Solutions Group, Inc. (ASG) in 2005. Bob has partnered with the private sector, local, state, federal, military, and foreign governments to prepare for tomorrow’s threats. As a FEMA training partner, his team has delivered 12 FEMA-certified courses. He holds master's degrees in environmental engineering and international business. His recently published book, Crisis-ready Leadership: Building Resilient Organizations and Communities addresses leading methods on risk assessments, building resilience, and leading the whole community in preparedness.

Hughes began her career in emergency services with the City of St. Cloud in 2003, serving as a Special Projects Coordinator for the Community Emergency Response Team. She joined the Stearns County Emergency Management Department in 2004 as a Planner a position which she held for nine years at which time she accepted the position as the County Emergency Manager. She is a Certified Emergency Manager in the State of Minnesota, a recognized Master Exercise Practitioner by FEMA, and a member of the Minnesota Type III All Hazards Incident Management Team. Hughes has experience with disaster response including record flooding in Browns Valley in 2007, flooding and pandemic influenza in 2009, severe storms and straight-line winds in 2010, Presidential Disaster Declaration in 2011, historic flooding in Carlton County, severe storms and straight-line winds, and Hurricane Irene in Massachusetts during 2012, Presidential Disaster Declaration in 2013, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2015, 2022 and Hurricane Irma in Florida in 2017. Hughes received her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and Master of Science in Public Safety Executive Leadership from St. Cloud State University.

Kristen Tschida has been the Emergency Management Director for Benton County since 2023. Prior to that she was an Emergency Management Specialist with Stearns County for 9 years. She is currently Chair of the Professional Development Committee, which also oversees the Emerging Professionals Group. Kristen has been actively involved with AMEM for the past six years and has also served as Vice Chair of the Central MN Emergency Management Advisory Committee (CM EMAC) as well as Chair of the Training and Exercise Committee for CM EMAC. Kristen is a graduate of the College of Saint Benedict with a degree in Business Management.

Hughes began her career in emergency services with the City of St. Cloud in 2003, serving as a Special Projects Coordinator for the Community Emergency Response Team. She joined the Stearns County Emergency Management Department in 2004 as a Planner a position which she held for nine years at which time she accepted the position as the County Emergency Manager. She is a Certified Emergency Manager in the State of Minnesota, a recognized Master Exercise Practitioner by FEMA, and a member of the Minnesota Type III All Hazards Incident Management Team. Hughes has experience with disaster response including record flooding in Browns Valley in 2007, flooding and pandemic influenza in 2009, severe storms and straight-line winds in 2010, Presidential Disaster Declaration in 2011, historic flooding in Carlton County, severe storms and straight-line winds, and Hurricane Irene in Massachusetts during 2012, Presidential Disaster Declaration in 2013, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2015, 2022 and Hurricane Irma in Florida in 2017. Hughes received her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and Master of Science in Public Safety Executive Leadership from St. Cloud State University.