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Disaster Recovery International Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

Disaster Recovery International Foundation Officers and Board

Alan Berman, Foundation President | AnneMarie Staley, Managing Director | Jerry Vevon, Board Vice Chair | Michele L. Turner, Board Director | Clyde Berger, Foundation VP and Board Director, Volunteerism | Michele Ostler, Director, Fundraising | Melissa Smith, Board Secretary | Pascale Phelan, Board Administrator |

The Foundation exists to promote professional and personal preparedness and response and recovery practices through proactive and real time engagement with organizations and communities impacted by disaster and crisis events. 

With that noble mission in mind, our Board of Directors collectively represent years of experience within the fields of business continuity, disaster recovery, risk and crisis management and emergency management. We are proud that our board members embody the values, drive and responsibility to fulfill this mission whenever and wherever possible by helping communities impacted by disaster connect with relief organizations worldwide and proactive advocacy for those most in need.

Alan Berman is a CBCP, a member of the ASIS BS25999 technical committee, a member of the Committee of Experts for ANSI-ANAB, a former member of the NY City Partnership for Security and Risk Management and the co-chair for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation committee to create the new standard for the US Private Sector Preparedness Act (PL 110-53).  Over a career that has spanned 25 years he has served as a President and CIO for a major financial institution, National Practice Leader for Operational Resiliency for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Global Business Continuity practice leader for Marsh.

As a keynote speaker, Mr. Berman has made senior level presentations to numerous corporations, not-for-profits and charities. This list includes the American Red Cross, IBM, RIMS, Institutional Investors Forum, Securities Industry Association, Pharmaceutical Treasures Conference, among others. His articles have appeared in Disaster Recovery Journal, Continuity Insights, Contingency Planning & Management, WSTA Ticker, Information Security and Securities Operation Forum and dozens of other publications.. He has authored dozens of articles in publications in the US and abroad, as well as the book "Down But Not Out."  He is often quoted in the press on subjects ranging from healthcare to financial services.

He currently serves as Executive Director of the Disaster Recovery International Foundation.

AnneMarie Staley is the Director for Global Business Continuity Management at NYSE Euronext. In this capacity, AnneMarie engages with senior and executive management across the organization to develop, implement and manage the business continuity and disaster recovery arenas across seven countries. AnneMarie has been helping to build NYSE Euronext’s Business Continuity Management program since 2002--prior to the NYSE she worked in business continuity for Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC).

Industry memberships include: BCP Steering Committee for SIFMA (Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association); Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council (FSSCC), Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE); Association for Contingency Planners (ACP) and Women’s Bond Club.

AnneMarie is a DRI International Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) and an MBCI, certified by the Business Continuity Institute. In addition to Managing Director of the DRI Foundation, she is a Board Director of DRI International, sits on the NYSE Euronext Diversity Council and is on the Planning Committee for NY/NJ FIRST Robotics, an international organization designed to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders.

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Currently a Vice President in Cyber Technology at Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Vevon has over 30 years of operational experience and over a decade directly supporting continuity of operations and business recovery planning.  His primary clients include the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency  (NGA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), National Reconnaissance Office  (NRO) and the Department of State.  He has considerable experience within the Intelligence Community, DoD, Joint Staff and Congress.  Mr. Vevon manages over 300 geographically dispersed staff supporting numerous Federal Agencies and Intelligence Community clients with Mission Assurance, Business Continuity Planning, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Risk Management, Antiterrorism/Force Protection and Disaster Preparedness Exercises. 

Prior to joining Booz Allen, Jerry served on active duty in the US Army as a Ranger-qualified master parachutist. As Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, 101st Airborne Division, Jerry was responsible for coordination of all intelligence, counterintelligence, and security requirements for an organization of over 18,000 personnel.  As Commander, 165th Military Intelligence Battalion, Mr. Vevon led over 550 personnel in conducting long-range surveillance, counterintelligence, interrogation, and electronic warfare.  The unit was one of the first to deploy to Bosnia in the initial Implementation Force (IFOR) and was recognized with multiple unit awards for its performance.  He also served 9 years in the 82nd Airborne Division in various roles.  Mr. Vevon also published a biography of LTG Eichelberger, former Army DCSINT, for which he was awarded the 1998 Military History Writing Award from the US Army Way College.

He has received the Military Intelligence Knowlton Award and is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  He received a BS in Economics from Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC and a MA from the University of South Carolina in International Studies.  Jerry is also a graduate of the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA and is a Certified Business Continuity Professional by Disaster Recovery Institute International and a Certified Information Technology Manager from University of Virginia.

Outside of his work with Booz Allen, Mr. Vevon has the honor of supporting the Darkness to Light charity which works to prevent childhood sexual abuse and the Honor Flight organization which provides WWII veterans, at no cost to them, an opportunity to travel to Washington, DC to see the WWII Memorial.

Michele Turner drives the Policy Governance process within Microsoft (MS)- Trustworthy Computing (TwC).  Within this role, Michele engages with Policy Owners, Sr. and Executive Management across MS to manage processes addressing the creation, approval and maintenance of Policies, Standards and Procedures (PSPs).  These PSPs are designed to support the Security, Reliability and Privacy of MS products and services.  Prior to this role, Michele drove the Portfolio Management, Governance and Risk Management areas for the Business of Microsoft IT within the Office of the CIO.    Her risk management responsibilities included risk assessment and analysis, in addition to portfolio demand and compliance functions supporting Portfolio Management.  For Governance, framework development and management of the IT Governance Council process was included.  Previous roles within Microsoft include: Senior Manager of the Operational Enterprise Risk Management, Enterprise Crisis Management and Pandemic Program for the organization. 

Michele received her BA degree from Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL), and has 17+ years’ experience in Information Technology, Business Continuity Management and Risk Management related efforts. 

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Clyde Berger has been active as a business resilience professional for more than 20 years and received his professional certification (CBCP) in 1992. Clyde has had professional roles as both Regional and Global Head of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for large corporate organizations including: Salomon Smith Barney, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse First Boston, Avaya and Pfizer.  Currently President of his own consulting company (Imagine Continuity Enterprises, Inc.) he specializes in all facets of global enterprise resiliency management.

Clyde is also an instructor for DRII and has had experience as a teaching facilitator for an on-line business continuity & risk management course with Boston University.

A member of the Association of Contingency Planners and the Contingency Planning Exchange of New York City, and board member for the International Benchmarking Committee of BC Management; Clyde has been a frequent presenter for Continuity Insights and ACP.

Vice President on the executive board of the Disaster Recovery Institute International Foundation, Clyde also holds a board post as Director of Volunteerism for the Foundation.

In his personal life Clyde is active with local organizations where he lives with his wife Lorraine (of 36 years) in Huntington, Long Island, New York.   A father of a 34 year old married son and 31 year old daughter, Clyde is an avid photographer and loves travel and all aspects of gardening and home repair & remodeling.

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Michele Verdino Ostler is the President of Penta Dynamic Solutions, a full service event planning and association management firm.  Michele is involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and is an integral part of the event planning team.  Michele is also the Founder of Penta Cares whose mission is to partner with non-profit organizations to raise funds and awareness through events.
Prior to founding Penta Dynamic Solutions in 2001, Michele spent several years as an in-house event planner and human resources professional at Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Michele is the Director of Fundraising for the Disaster Recovery International Foundation.  In addition, she serves on the board of the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association of Greater New York

A native New Yorker, Michele holds a BA and an MA in Psychology from Marist College.

Melissa Smith, MBCP, CBCV, is both a business and a business continuity professional.  Smith understands the whys and the hows of organizations and can plan as well as implement and execute those plans.  Her primary areas of expertise are business continuity, emergency management, project management, and strategic planning and operations.

Over the course of a 22-year career, Smith has provided business continuity consulting services to both corporate and state agencies. Currently, Smith is  the Director of Operations at DRI International and serves on the DRI Foundation Board. During her 17+ years in business continuity, Smith has been responsible for efforts related to the development of recovery processes, procedures, and program exercises, as well as audit of program elements. Her experience marries the tactical and strategic for maximum effect and efficiency.

Smith holds the Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) designation and the Certified Business Continuity Vendor (CBCV) from DRI International and has served on DRI International’s Certification Commission. She is a member of the Michigan Great Lakes Business Recovery Group and the Michigan Chapter of the ACP and has given presentations on DRI International.

Smith has volunteered her skills and experience to help local fire and city agencies identify, assess and mitigate risk, and develop emergency response, crisis communication, and crisis management. She is also an active supporter of the Mahila Partnership, a grassroots non-profit organization serving the unmet needs of communities by investing in education, public health, and sustainable development initiatives while promoting disaster risk reduction and gender equality. In her spare time, she is a mother of 3 and a foster mom for Heavenly Paws of MI.

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