Thomas C. Sivak is an emergency management leader with over 20 years of experience in public safety, disaster response, and resilience. As the Chief Emergency Manager at EM1, he spearheads the integration of artificial intelligence into crisis response and operational planning. His focus includes strategic and operational planning, consequence management, streamlined resource coordination, and situational awareness. By aligning emerging technologies with the core principles of emergency management, his engagement at EM1 supports the delivery of scalable, efficient, and innovative solutions to enhance preparedness and response for communities across the Nation. Previously, Tom served as FEMA Region 5 Administrator (2022–2025), leading disaster response across six Midwestern states and coordinating with 36 federally recognized tribes. During his tenure, he directed responses to over 15 presidentially declared disasters, including Illinois’s second-largest disaster was the East Palestine train derailment. He deployed to numerous disasters, including rapid deployment to major disasters in Minnesota and North Carolina, emphasizing hands-on, coordinated Leadership. Tom advanced FEMA Region 5’s operational readiness, introducing innovative response protocols and securing landmark hazard mitigation investments. He built strategic and operational plans focusing on the expansion of the regional workforce and developed incident annexes for biological threats and power outages, while leveraging geospatial tools to enhance situational awareness. His strategic efforts were pivotal in preparing FEMA for the 2024 Republican and Democratic National Conventions—National Special Security Events requiring complex coordination. Earlier in his career, Tom held leadership roles with the Cook County Department of Emergency Management, Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, Hamilton County of Indiana Emergency Management, and the City of Indianapolis Division of Homeland Security Security, planning for large-scale operations during events such as the 2012 Super Bowl, Response to the 2011 Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse, receiving evacuees from the Hurricane Maria moved to Chicago in 2017, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Civil Unrest. He is a Certified Emergency Manager with the International Association of Emergency Managers, graduates of the Naval Post Graduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program holds an M.S. in Public Service Leadership from DePaul University and a B.A. from Marquette University, and is from East Cleveland, Ohio. Sivak’s focus on planning was instrumental in the City of Chicago, where he was responsible for the City Emergency Operations plan updates, additional annexes, or incident-specific annexes. He was a key visionary to build out a mass care, family assistance center plan with validation, and was responsible for the creation and implementation for all operational planning for all special events and incidents throughout the City