Stephen G. Kastensmidt is a crisis and emergency manager, US Coast Guard Emergency Manager Credential, Business Continuity and COOP professional and Risk Manager who has served in the private and public sectors. Stephen joined ACP around 2008 and has been a member and served on the Board of the Greater Houston Chapter. There is a great value in the time invested in the Chapter. There are opportunities to build relationships, grow skills, and mentor others.

There was a break in Chapter Meetings in 2010 as Stephen spent the year away from home - consulting with the USCG on a vessel collision in Port Aurther, as Director of Offshore Operations for BP during Deepwater Horizon, and as the Planning Section Chief for Enbridge on the nation’s second largest inland water spill.  One lesson of these continuing disasters shows a need for robust planning, preparedness, and building resiliency.

“I am proud that ACP has answered these calls,” he says.

 Current challenges in emergency management and preparedness include having your organizations take a better look at gray rhinos, better risk and consequences quantification, understanding residual risk, risk acceptance, and delusional mitigations that have no effect in reducing impacts.

Currently, Stephen is working contract projects and beginning to slow down from fast-paced assignments with an eye towards full retirement and continuing volunteer work. 

This week is the 20^th anniversary of the Houston Katrina MegaShelters where Stephen was honored as one of the seven Area Commanders.  The lessons still apply -- build relationships, communicate, develop a common operating picture, and communicate, seek out the experts, and be flexible and open-minded (first shelter to allow pets). The problems are every-changing and need to be communicated.

 A few recent accomplishments include the orchestration over the last five years of the initiation of three Business Continuity Plans for corporations in the Energy Sector. ‘

During two of the BCPs, Stephen was allowed to advance projects on what Stephen proudly calls “the omniscient view.” This is software that links information such as Covid outbreaks, weather, operations/production data, vehicle and work order tracking, crime stats, dashboards, (a fusion of current data).  It links GIS and dashboards, and pivot tables so that those with a need to know can have access to the latest actionable data at their fingertips for better and faster decision making.

“I am also specifically proud of bringing ICS to Mozambique in the seven years I spent off and on for the energy sector and response,” he says. “Two Mozambique mentees have continued their studies and just completed a Disaster Management Masters (his thesis was on Hurricane Katrina response), another is about to complete his Master’s in Emergency Management.”

In Stephen’s free time, he spends time with his family and grandchildren, and reports his wife wants to travel.

“I also have a passion for Crisis and Emergency Management and planning, and I spend a great deal of time volunteering in uniform with the USCG Auxiliary as a Staff Officer for Emergency Management and planning, helping USCG members with their Personal Qualification Standards, training, and responding to incidents,” Stephen says.