We’re pleased to welcome Luis Avila to the Tidal Basin team! An emergency management executive with more than 20 years of experience, Luis will be taking on the role of Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Mitigation – a new position added to our organization to support our increased efforts in the mitigation arena. As AVP of Mitigation, he will oversee all mitigation operational functions of the company including Hazard Mitigation Grants management across the United States and territories.
Luis’s extensive experience consists of over two decades in emergency and consequence management, preparedness, response, and recovery. He joins us directly from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he most recently held the position of Hurricane Sandy Hazard Mitigation Branch Chief under FEMA Region 2. In this role, he was leading the team of technical professionals responsible for FEMA’s second-largest mitigation grant program ($1.44 billion) in history while managing the Public Assistance Mitigation Program (406).
He has also served as DHS/FEMA’s Housing Sector Deputy Director and Hazard Mitigation Director under the DR 4339-Puerto Rico program where he directed and managed more than 150 staff members and supported the Federal Coordinating Officer, Recovery Office Director, Regional Administrator, and Deputy Regional Administrator as a principal advisor on housing development, mitigation, and recovery.
Prior to his work with DHS, Luis held various leadership roles at the American Red Cross, including Chief Response Officer and Director of Operations of the Greater New York Region and Chief Operating Officer and Emergency Services Officer of the South Florida Region.
Luis has been the recipient of several distinguished awards, such as the 2015 FEMA Administrator’s Award in the “Innovation: Creating Resilient Communities Through Innovative Mitigation Solutions” category and the Ground Zero Flag, which is given to exceptional leaders on the 9/11 response crew.
Luis will be supporting our Operations team remotely from New York. He can be reached at [email protected]. Please join us in welcoming him aboard!
