Don Lynch is the Emergency Management Director for the City of Shawnee and Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. He has been in that position since December, 2000. He administers the community's emergency and disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery programs, provides for emergency resource assistance and training, and manages the City's radio and telephone communications systems. Prior to accepting his current position, Mr. Lynch served in various capacities with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management ranging from Operations Officer to Chief of the Response Division. He also served as Director of Emergency Management for Oklahoma County, Oklahoma and as Senior Operations Officer for the Claremore/Rogers County, Oklahoma Emergency Management Agency. He has an additional 10 years of service as a Fire Captain and Training Officer for the City of Catoosa, Oklahoma. Mr. Lynch has worked many local emergencies and 19 Presidentially declared disasters. Following the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, he was instrumental in directing the response and recovery efforts of Oklahoma County. In addition to aiding officials with assessment and repair of county buildings, Mr. Lynch served as a liaison between city, county, state, and Federal agencies, private sector organizations, and volunteer agencies, assisting with logistics and resources management. Mr. Lynch is a past President of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association. He is a recipient of both the Certified Emergency Manager credential from the International Association of Emergency Managers and the Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager credential from the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association. He has also been awarded the Master Exercise Practitioner credential from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He was the first person in Oklahoma to receive certificates of completion for both the Professional Development and Applied Practices series of courses conducted by the FEMA. Mr. Lynch is an Oklahoma Fire Service Instructor Level II and has completed over 3000 classroom hours in the allied emergency services. He teaches numerous courses for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) including the Professional Development, Hazardous Materials, and Radiological series. He is also an adjunct faculty member at FEMA's National Emergency Training Center located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Mr. Lynch holds both a Master of Public Administration degree with emphasis in emergency management and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma.