Colonel David Dysart

United States Marine Corps (03/01/2003 - 09/26/2003)
Executive Officer, 4th Civil Affairs Group
Operation Iraqi Freedom - Qadasiyah Province, Iraq
Supervisor: Colonel Michael Shamp 

Assisted with the development, planning and project management of the first Humanitarian Aid Center (HAC) in Kuwait.  The HAC coordinated with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and Governmental Organizations (GO) responding to civil, military and environmental concerns to maximize limited resources in support of U.S. Military and Coalition missions, goals and objectives.     

Coordinated and assisted with returning the Provincial Government in Qadasiyah to control, post hostilities.  This required the identification, vetting, and recruitment of key community civic and business leaders and extensive knowledge of management concepts and principles to educate and facilitate the newly appointed governmental officials in the performance of their duties.  Coordinated military support for the return of essential public services and programs.  These included but were not limited to; electricity, water, sewage, food distribution, medical and education.  Coordinated and directed the disbursement of millions in initial solatia payments, community service projects and monthly salary payments to all governmental employees in the province, requiring the procurement and auditing of all local records and their recalculations based upon newly adopted national pay scales for civil servants.  Effectiveness resulted in assignment as Special Staff Officer to oversee Civil Pay, Weapons Buy-Back and Insurgents Reward programs for entire U.S Marine Corps occupied territories, with direct liaison to State Department officials.

United States Marine Corps (11/11/2004 - 03/31/2005)
Director of Civil Military Operations Center
OIF II - Fallujah, Al Anbar Province, Iraq
Supervisor: Colonel John Ballard 

Pre-kinetics, meticulously planned and assembled the necessary support, from personnel and life support to communications and security from major subordinate commands in order to establish the Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) under difficult conditions of enemy direct, indirect and sniper fire within 24 hours.

Post-kinetics, directed and analyzed the current assessments of Fallujah's severely damaged infrastructure and humanitarian needs.  Directed and coordinated the priority of labor to implement plans, processes and programs to repair and reestablish essential services to include utilities, medical, education and food distribution.  Coordinated with MEF engineers, SEABEES, contracting officers, Iraqi government officials, aid organizations and civil affairs teams to address the most critical needs of the civilian population, while developing and employing a public affairs team and effort to promote the positive programs utilized to promote the missions and objectives of the U.S and Coalition Military activities in coordination with the State Department. This required general knowledge of technical practices and processes involved with critical infrastructure and essential services such as utilities, contracting, resource and safety management, logistics and Public Affairs.

Coordinated access into the city for hundreds of contractors and vehicles daily, through which no relief workers or contractors were harmed through hostile action. This effect generated the momentum necessary for municipal workers and laborers to return and prepare the city for repopulation and resettlement.  Coordinated the establishment of Humanitarian Aid Centers to ready the city to provide for the basic needs of the returning residents with water, food rations, blankets, heaters, and fuel. Within three weeks, over 100,000 people re-entered the city. As a result, no humanitarian concerns from the population arose during this period.

Conducted daily meetings with over 300 local community leaders, influential Sheiks, and local residents, while ensuring the positive safety of all personnel.  The daily meetings with local leaders rapidly aligned local priorities with Multi-National Force Commanders, brought in much needed resources, such as labor and expertise, and fostered good will between the community and the military, significantly accelerating the timeline to local control while accomplishing all that the Iraqi National Government planned for in the city.

Responsible for daily briefings attended by  Commanding Officer, II MEF, 1st Mar Div, and to a host of distinguished leaders and organizations, such as Prime Minister Allawi of Iraq, U.S. Ambassador Negroponte, General Casey (Commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq), the United Nations, US State Department, International Committee of the Red Cross, Iraqi Red Crescent Society and numerous media organizations, with respect to restoration of all civil and social services to include: electricity, water, sewage, fuels, medical support, food distribution and housing.

United States Marine Corps (09/09/2005 - 11/01/2005)
Civil Affairs Advisor, Marine Forces Katrina
New Orleans, Louisiana  United States
Supervisor: Colonel Miles Diamond
                 Colonel Brian Tucker   

Assigned as a Marine Civil Affairs Advisor to St. Bernard Parish Government, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Operations Center. Established and Chaired the Parish Executive Steering Group comprised of representatives from federal, state and local governments and agencies, first responders, contractors and volunteer agencies to assist coordinating all available resources to respond to search & rescue operations, emergency infrastructure restoration, environmental assessments and humanitarian needs in the most impacted Parish in the state of Louisiana.   Project management and oversight by the Executive Steering committee included all recovery projects conducted during the emergency response period.  These included but were not limited to:  sewage treatment repairs, waste water removal, emergency debris removal, establishment of emergency care facilities, levee repair, water treatment and distribution, food distribution, vector control, oil spill containment and assessment of short-term and long-term impacts.  The agencies involved in coordination included but were not limited to; FEMA, EPA, LDEQ, La Health and Hospitals, Army Corps of Engineers, Red Cross Parish Government and St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Colorado National Guard. 

Developed and coordinated the first "Look and Leave" program for the Parish Government, allowing the orderly and safe return of residents to the affected region while reducing potential risks associated with looting and theft.  Program management involved coordination with Federal, state, local, private non-profit and contractors to ensure safe passage of lines of transportation, requisite medical aid, mental health, and sanitation stations to support population return as well as the development of traffic control and security plans.  Developed and executed the evacuation of all personnel and equipment in preparation for Hurricane Rita

St. Bernard Parish Government (11/01/2006 - 09/15/2006)
Director of Recovery
Chalmette, Louisiana   United States
Supervisor: David Peralta   

Coordinated emergency relief and recovery efforts with all federal, state, non-governmental profit and non-profit organizations and contractors involved with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the most devastated Parish in Louisiana, to include: FEMA, EPA, LDEQ, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Health and Hospitals and Corps of Engineers.   

Implemented a cost effective, population accelerating, reconstruction /restoration program utilizing volunteers to remove health and safety hazards internal to residential structures.  Program consisted of training to meet OSHA standards by volunteers and coordinating the logistics to include; transportation, shelter, equipment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), sanitation and food.   Cited as “model volunteer program” by LA Volunteer Agency Coordinator, and generated millions of dollars of revenue for the Parish in both grants and donations.  

Assistant to the Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.  Represented St. Bernard Parish Government at the daily FEMA Operations Meetings to ensure Parish concerns were addressed.  Assisted with the identification of all Parish assets affected by Katrina and the development of Project worksheets to include scope of work to be accomplished.  Coordinated weekly with FEMA and the 10 functional Emergency Service Function coordinators with respect to progress / status of existing projects and their impact on Parish recovery.  Assisted with reconciliation of expenditures with reimbursed expenses based upon project worksheets.
 
Assisted and facilitated contract resolution with Parish, State and FEMA delegations, preventing work stoppages critical to the recovery of the Parish and resulting in the rapid release of funds necessary to pay local contractors and prevent potential bankruptcy of local labor forces.  Quickly developed relations with the highest levels of FEMA in Washington D.C. to allow for rapid resolution of critical areas of concern.
 
Assisted with the development, approval and implementation of the debris clearing program for the Parish.  The rapid development and implementation of this program resulted in St. Bernard leading the other Parish's in debris clearing operations and setting the standard by which other parish's modeled their programs.

College/University

Washburn University (09/01/2001 - 09/01/2002)
Topeka, Kansas
Area of Study:  Security Administration

University of Kansas City, School of Law (09/01/1984 - 05/01/1986)
Kansas City, Missouri
         
Central Missouri State University (09/01/1980 - 05/30/1984)
Warrensburg, Missouri
Degree: Bachelor of Science - Major: Criminal Justice; Minor: Political Science;

Navy Commendation Medal (01/25/1991)
Awarded for activities involved in the planning coordination and implementation as the Security Commander for "Operation Eastern Exit".  (Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation of an American Embassy, Mogadishu, Somalia)

Joint Meritorious Service Medal (10/30/1999)
Awarded for training General Staff Officers from Romania and Bulgaria with respect to Rapid Staff Planning and NATO standards, and assisting their development of Standard Operational Procedures required to accomplish detailed planning of major operations under critical time frames.

Meritorious Service Medal (09/30/2003)
Awarded for activities conducted as Project Manager for all Civil Servant Pay matters for areas under Marine Corps Forces command.

Bronze Star (03/01/2004)
Awarded for activities associated with responsibilities and accomplishments as Director of Civil Military Operations Center, Fallujah, Iraq

Certification - Command and Staff Non-Resident Course (03/01/2003)
Completion of the Marine Corps Officer Command and Staff Non-Residents Course.