Executive Team

Readiness Consulting Services LLC recognizes and understands the dynamic complexity of the intergovernmental contingency planning and risk management arena. Whether top down policy driven or bottom up operationally oriented, our executive level professional consultants provide quality services to support federal, state and local government organizations, non-governmental organizations and private sector companies engaged in emergency management and homeland security.

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Robert P. Fletcher Jr.

Owner and Managing Director

Unique education and experience have allowed Bob Fletcher to access the full scope and breadth of the emergency management practice area, which began with his undergraduate and graduate education in engineering (Virginia Military Institute / George Washington University) and follow on programs as Senior Officials in National Security and Program for State and Local Government Officials ( John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University).

Mr. Fletcher’s first experience in the disaster field was gained in the 1969 Hurricane Camile debris removal operations, and his experienced has continued over a period spanning some 40 years, including deployments to JFOs in Louisiana and Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina.  Assignments have included:

  • design and construction of local flood protection projects,
  • rehabilitation of flood damaged civil works projects,
  • response to multiple small and large flood disasters,
  • earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcano eruptions, as well as post 911 terrorism operations in the National Capital Region.
  • supporting the Obama Inaugural NSSE for FEMA ONCRC, facilitating three interagency/intergovernmental tabletop seminars in preparation for that event.

Bob Fletcher’s ability to manage large and complex projects, with multiple stakeholders, is exemplified by his selection to serve in positions of national scope and responsibility, including senior positions with the HQ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in career Senior Executive Service positions with the HQ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

As the first FEMA Federal Response Division Director, Mr. Fletcher lead the development of the original Federal Response Plan (FRP) and its revisions in the 1990s.  As the Director of State and Local Preparedness at FEMA HQ, he was responsible for formulation of national policy and planning for support of State EM programs and managed the FEMA Emergency Management Performance Grant Program.

In 1999, following 30 years of federal service, he lead the development of the first Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) for the National Council of Governments from until 2007. Bob Fletcher has represented FEMA and the Private Sector on the NFPA 1600 Technical Committee for 15 years and continues on the EMAP Technical Committee, also supporting the FEMA National Integration Center in facilitation of development of Standard Guides for Resource Management and Credentialing for ASTM.

He is frequently called upon to facilitate and moderate senior level events such as the FEMA – USACE Senior Leaders Seminar (1999-2010), the NCR EPOC SLS (2006-2010) and regional catastrophic disaster exercises, such as the NMSZ RRW in March 2010.

In March 2012, during the National Emergency Managers Association (NEMA) Mid-Year Emergency Management Policy and Leadership Forum in Washington D.C. the EMAP Commission presented the Eric L. Tolbert Distinguished Service Award to Mr. Robert P. Fletcher, Jr., President, Readiness Consulting. The Eric L. Tolbert Distinguished Service Award acknowledges the commitment and diligence mirrored by one of EMAP’s founding architects, the late Mr. Eric Tolbert, who demonstrated exemplary service and dedication to the program as well as emergency management. Mr. Fletcher has been a significant contributor to the EMAP mission since its inception. As one of the original contributors, he assisted in formulating the basic philosophy of EMAP. In 2007, he facilitated the EMAP Task Force that led to recommendations for updating the EMAP Strategic Plan, creating a business plan and adopting cross walks with the Target Capability List, National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) and the National Plans Review.

In addition, he has trained more than 300 EMAP Assessors over the years; ensuring future emergency managers understood and embraced the standard, fostering excellence and accountability in emergency management.

“Mr. Fletcher has dedicated his career to two things: improving readiness at all levels of government and helping to develop standards of practice for our profession. . .Mr. Fletcher’s career and all of his accomplishments embody the spirit of EMAP,”  ~ LTC Jerome Hatfield, Deputy Superintendent of Homeland Security, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and Chair, EMAP Commission.

IMG_0903Kim L Fletcher

Executive Vice President

Ms. Fletcher is the Executive Vice President of Readiness Consulting Services, with more than 34 years of experience as an emergency manager in the Federal government and as a consultant.  She is also the President and founder of Loch Haven Partners, a Woman-Owned Small Business (Disadvantaged Status Pending), which specializes in emergency management and organizations in crisis.  Kim Fletcher has served as the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) for several support contracts with the government of the District of Columbia (DC), the states of Maryland and Virginia and the Metropolitan Council of Governments (MWCOG). At the federal level, she has provided advice and support for FEMA and DHS; as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). Ms. Fletcher has directed the implementation of hundreds of work assignments, with 99.5 percent of deliverables provided early or on time and with no overruns.  She led the effort for the contingency planning for the 2009 Presidential Inaugural National Special Security Event (NSSE) for the Office of National Capital Regional Coordination and the Operational Blue Print for Disaster Response Transportation for FEMA Region 9.

Ms. Fletcher is a recognized expert in emergency management programs and has served as a resource to clients including FEMA, EPA, USACE, and the National Capital Region, FEMA and EPA Regions, as well as other state and local clients.  She has advised the executive and senior leadership of DC, MD, MA, CT, VA and the localities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the federal government on concept of operations (CONOPS) and contingency planning, emergency preparedness, critical infrastructure protection, environmental terrorism, catastrophic-disaster response planning, and strategic planning for homeland security missions.  She has extensive experience in working with USACE Districts and Divisions and FEMA and EPA Regions.  This work entails significant workgroup management, facilitation, strategic planning, policy development, response operations and program evaluation and measurement.  She is experienced in managing processes, meetings and large-scale events for a variety of clients.   Recent projects also include several training and exercise projects for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Homeland Security Districts.  She led the development and delivery of multiple disaster after-action conferences for FEMA Regions and FEMA Headquarters.  She has also supported FEMA and numerous Federal agencies as they activated to respond to nationally significant emergencies. She recently led the effort for the after action work for the earthquake in DC, and the tornadoes in MA.

Ms. Fletcher is a nationally recognized Master Facilitator and Mediator, with experience in designing collaboration projects for inter-agency all hazards preparedness programs, plans, training, exercises, drills and seminars.  She has developed and delivered two training courses specifically for emergency response personnel on Leadership in Planning and Response and Collaborative Planning Techniques. For the past 20 years, she has supported FEMA in developing plans related first to the Federal Response Plan, now called the National Response Framework.  She currently is supporting two projects related to planning for catastrophic disasters. She is often called upon to design collaborative processes for complex inter-agency problems such as levee safety (USACE), Spills of National Significance (USCG), fate and transport of oil in water (USCG and EPA) and Decontamination of Critical Infrastructure (Post Improvised Nuclear Device) (EPA).

Ms. Fletcher has facilitated thousands of meetings of all sizes and types from very small groups to conferences of hundreds of people.  She has been a court appointed mediator for environmental cleanup cases and has also facilitated strategic planning retreats for organizations like the Office of National Capital Region Coordination.  She is also a certified practitioner in several organizational development processes and techniques including: Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Thomas-Kilman Conflict Model, Blanchard Leadership, Zenger-Miller Leadership, and Enlightened Leadership.

Ms. Fletcher has been given numerous awards for her planning and emergency management work including an EPA Gold Medal for her leadership during disasters.

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Michael McGar

Visual and Instructional Design/Interactive Mobile Media Development

Michael McGar, an Advisory Board member for South by Southwest (SXSW), is a leader in media-enabled educational technology and instructional design. Michael’s experience ranges from creating visual effects for motion pictures and games, to developing critically acclaimed consumer educational products, to online and mobile training, to developing compelling video experiences for live Homeland Security training events.

As an early innovator in multimedia education, Michael founded one of only three Apple Multimedia Centers in the country funded by Apple Computer. McGar then went on to create several successful media development firms that set sales records and won numerous national awards for interactive instructional media. Along the way he founded a visual effects company, acquired a Learning Management System (LMS) company and founded a training company focused on building multilingual training for unskilled and largely illiterate workers in the food production industry.

Recently Michael has focused his attention on the Emergency Management sector and developed a training system for the Western Region Homeland Security Area Council in Massachusetts for Just-In-Time Shelter Training. This highly interactive and visually compelling training is delivered online and multiple platforms including mobile tablets.

With McGar’s extensive media development experience and instructional design background, he brings a new level of training to an industry that can best benefit from a powerful new approach to the difficult problem of effective, engaging, efficient and responsive training in extreme conditions.

Past clients include:

HSEMA, Washington, DC Homeland Security
Massachusetts Western Region Homeland Security Area Council (WRHSAC)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
New York University – Texas WIC
Miramax – Paramount – Sony Entertainment
Exxon/Mobile – Texaco/Chevron – IBM
Houghton Mifflin – Prentice Hall – Tyson Foods
Texas Education Agency – Texas Workforce Commission
Missouri Workforce Commission
Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian Museum