News Release

Elysa Jones to Serve on EIIP Board of Directors
Providing Technology Perspective for Strategic Planning

October 1, 2007 - The Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Elysa Jones to the EIIP Board of Directors, starting a two-year term October 1. Her appointment recognizes her unique perspectives, technical expertise, and extensive contacts in the private technology sector, which are valued as tremendous assets as the EIIP begins the process of updating its strategic plan.

For the past eight years, Ms Jones has been the Engineering Program Manager for Warning Systems, Inc. in the design, development and deployment of over 100,000 Tone Alert Radios and numerous software controlled dissemination systems. She has served as a board member for the Partnership for Public Warning, works closely with the Emergency Interoperability Consortium, and chairs the OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee for the development of international standards for disaster-related messaging and related XML-based services.

She joins current Board Members Joanne McGlown (Chair), Stephen Bender, Robert Coullahan, Susan Cutter, Frances Edwards, Eric Holdeman, Jane Kushma, and Dale Shipley, all distinguished experts in emergency management in their professional capacities. (For more information about our Board Members, please see "About Us" on the EIIP Website.)

EIIP President Avagene Moore noted, "I am continually amazed that these very busy professionals agree to serve on the EIIP Board of Directors. They give unselfishly of their time to support the work we do, and their input and guidance is invaluable. We are very privileged to work with such a fine group of dedicated people, and appreciate our current Board and all those who have served the EIIP over the past 10 years."

An updated strategic plan is currently in the process of development. Revised Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles statements may be found on http://www.emforum.org/partners/criteria.htm . A draft goals outline is currently in review from which program and operational objectives will be developed. Immediate objectives are to increase the number of EIIP Partners, number of Websites linking to the EIIP site, and to obtain user feedback with respect to EIIP services.

The EIIP Annual Report will also be made publicly available in the near future, summarizing our growth over the past fiscal year.

The Emergency Information Infrastructure Project is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to enhancing the practice of emergency management, and thereby public safety, through offering professional development opportunities to practitioners and other interested persons at no cost. Bi-monthly Virtual Forum presentations are open to the public, and no advanced registration is required. For further information, see http://www.emforum.org.

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