Alan Berman, Sgt, USAF (Ret), MBCP, CBCLA, CCRP
President, DRI Foundation
Alan Berman is a member of the ASIS BS25999 technical committee, a member of the Committee of Experts for ANSI-ANAB, a former member of the New York 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 U.S. 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. He holds the following DRI International certifications: Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP), Certified Business Continuity Lead Auditor (CBCLA), and Certified Cyber Resilience Professional (CCRP).
Jerry Vevon, LtCol, Army (Ret), MBCP, CBCP, CPSCP
Board Vice Chair, DRI Foundation
Senior Manager, BDO United States
Jerry Vevon is The DRI Foundation Board Vice Chair and is a Senior Manager at BDO. He has decades of management, leadership, and analytical experience including strategic planning, continuity of operations, business continuity planning, crisis management, assessments, and force protection. He served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a Ranger-qualified Master Parachutist. Following military retirement, he has served as a senior resilience practitioner providing focused support to the numerous intelligence agencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and U.S. Census Bureau as well as numerous commercial and manufacturing organizations. He has received the CIA National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction, the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Knowlton Award, and is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He holds the following DRI International certifications: Master Business Continuity Professional; (MBCP), Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), and Certified Public Sector Continuity Professional (CPSCP).
Duane Bygum, Jr, MSgt, USAF (Ret), MBCP
VOP Co-Chair
Having more than 20 years of cross functional experience in law enforcement, security operations, human resources, emergency management, crisis management, disaster recovery, business continuity, crisis communications, risk management and information, personnel, and industrial security programs, Duane Bygum incorporates employee and community safety as well as operational challenges in setting the tone, clear expectations, and priorities in building a plan that aligns with the risk appetite of the business.
Bygum is an executive consultant working with DRI International and is facilitating federal and state government relations. He has held the rank of Deputy Chief of Police (DoD)and is currently the Chair for the Texas State Office of Risk Management Continuity Council and Co-Chair of the DRI Foundation’s Veterans Outreach Program. He is also the 2024 recipient of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressional Veteran Commendation.
Bygum has served in the armed forces for both the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps and is a retired Master Sergeant and law enforcement officer. In Bygum’s military career, he was the subject matter expert (SME) of the Biometric Identification Fingerprint System (BIFS) for SAF/AAZ. He advised the SAF/AAZ office on updates and changes with BIFS and implemented an enterprise-wide system at over 106 installations. Bygum has held numerous positions in the USAF, including Superintendent of a Security Forces Squadron and Wing Antiterrorism Officer. He also worked in resource management and budgeting all “S” shops and facilitated compliance with USAF and Congressional mandates. Bygum advised the Defense Force Commander on all enlisted matters regarding operations, training, budgeting, and resources while promoting enlisted professional development. Before serving in the USAF, Bygum enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp and was meritoriously promoted to private first class. He was honorably discharged as a corporal in 1989.
He joined the National Aeronautics Space Administrations Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA/JPL) Protective Services Division and became a federal law enforcement officer. He graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center as the top graduate. In addition to his training, he became the Assistant Range Master and Senior Field Training Officer for NASA/JPL.
Bygum has been trained by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency on terrorist operations, security operations, and risk management. He has earned a master’s degree in organizational development and human resources and a bachelor’s degree in criminology with the University of La Verne, as well as an associate’s degree in criminal justice from the Community College of the Air Force. He holds the International Board for Certification Services and Management (IBFCSM), Certified Emergency Disaster Professional (CEDP), FEMA Master Continuity Practitioner (MCP), and Military Emergency Management Specialist (MEMS) certifications. Additionally, Bygum is a DRI International instructor in business continuity and a professor for National University’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He holds the DRI International Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) certification.
Catherine Cooper, MBCP
VOP Co-Chair
Senior Business Continuity Analyst, AdvocateAurora Health
Catherine Cooper started in the field in the early 1980s at a nuclear power plant in California. Cooper worked in several industries, including public utilities, banking, mortgage banking, healthcare, mental health, insurance, and retail. She spent 25 years in California, before returning to Wisconsin Cooper currently works for AdvocateAurora Health as a senior business continuity analyst in the IT department.
Cooper is a past president and currently the public private partnership liaison to the Business Resiliency Professionals of Wisconsin. She is a partner in Wisconsin Emergency Management Business Emergency Operations Center in the State EOC. Catherine is the co-chairperson of the DRI Foundation’s Veterans Outreach Program, providing scholarships for training and certification of military personnel in business continuity. She holds the DRI International Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) certification.
Alan Lake, Col, USAF (Ret), CBCP
VOP Special Projects
Independent Resilience Consultant
Alan Lake is an internationally recognized senior executive and expert in enterprise resilience, business continuity, and crisis management. He created the enterprise resilience (continuity preparation and crisis response) vision, teams, architecture, and transformation strategy for Fortune 31, 151, 191, and smaller companies, and helped in crisis management exercises with smaller companies such as Confluent. He aided the Department of Defense as a colonel and crisis commander for U.S.-level crisis management and response. His highly successful management and vision prepared companies for all natural and manmade disasters. His expert analysis on risk process and company health, planning, leadership, and teamwork with senior leaders allowed proper risk identification and critical process identification to enable proper strategy selection for mitigation. This empowered companies to respond in an exceptionally fast manner that protected critical processes with reduced/prevented impact, protecting millions to billions of dollars in financial, operational, reputational and regulatory objectives, as well as, helping companies not only to recover but also gain competitive advantage.
Specifically, he helped Amgen protect and recover their $16B operation in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria, ensuring no delays in delivering drug products to patients. He also created the resilience transformation for Dell Technologies ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing them to continue operations and increase company progress, gain competitive advantage, and more than double their stock price in four years (2020-2024). He also led at Discover Financial Services on two crisis events that could have had regulatory and reputational potential impacts. Additionally, he advised Moderna and consulted with KPMG (who had their own business continuity and crisis management program) to create their enterprise resilience offices.
Prior to his time in the corporate world, Lake led military bases in Florida, Baghdad and Texas and was the USAF’s 1st On-Call Commander for U.S. crises (911, Katrina, etc.). He holds the DRI International Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) certification.
Keith Pierson, MSgt, USAF (Ret), CBCP
VOP Mentorship Lead
Senior Analyst of Business Continuity, BankUnited
Having more than 20 years of cross functional experience in asset management, security operations, emergency management, crisis management, disaster recovery, business continuity, crisis communications, risk management and information security, Pierson reinforces employee safety as his number one priority as well as ensuring the risk appetite of the business is aligned with stakeholders.
Pierson is a Senior Analyst of Business Continuity at BankUnited and volunteers his spare time to oversee the DRI Foundation’s Veterans Outreach Program (VOP) mentorship operations. He was awarded the DRI Foundation Distinguished Service Award for 2024, recognizing his commitment to helping military service members successfully transition into the business continuity industry.
Pierson served in the U.S. Air Force and is a retired Master Sergeant. In his military career, Keith started out as a Special Purpose Vehicle Mechanic; then his willingness to take on additional scope through his additional duties led him into exercise planning, active shooter response/recovery, governance of regulations, anti-terrorism, force protection, readiness reporting to the Pentagon, and emergency management as his final special duty assignment. Throughout his career, he was stationed in Europe for seven years and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq where he displayed resiliency in austere situations. His most notable accomplishments include management of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles under Special Operations control and guidance of California mutual aid equipment during state level fire response and mudslides. The culmination of his career efforts resulted in two Meritorious Service Medals, two Commendation Medals, three Achievement Medals, and multiple Campaign Medals.
Finally, in Pierson’s current role at BankUnited, he oversees operational resilience, BCM TPDD, crisis communications via enterprise notification system, as well as hurricane and severe weather reporting to executive management. During his time at the bank, he executed nine IT exercises in production environments, response/recovery of five hurricane events, implantation of controls/automation aligned with governance, and authored policy and plans supporting the Crisis Management Team (CMT) and Incident Response Team (IRT). He holds the DRI International Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) certification.
Daniel Lougee, SFC, Army (Ret), CBCP
VOP Mentorship
Senior Manager of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, Norfolk Southern
Daniel Lougee, CBCP, is from Newberg, OR, and is a seasoned Senior Manager of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery at Norfolk Southern, where he spearheads initiatives to enhance organizational resilience through meticulous planning and strategic program development. With a robust career spanning over two decades, he has cultivated a deep expertise in integrating essential elements of business continuity, crisis management, supplier resilience, and technology resilience. He is a strong proponent of continuous improvement and education.
As a dedicated DRI Foundation mentor in the veteran community, he extends his influence by building excellence and shaping the next generation of leaders. His journey in the field of business continuity began in the military, where he dedicated 20 years to enhancing operational readiness and response strategies. This foundational experience instilled in him a profound understanding of the critical importance of preparedness and adaptive response strategies, skills he has seamlessly transferred to the corporate sector. His military background has also endowed him with a unique perspective on leadership and crisis management, qualities that have proven invaluable in his corporate roles.
Since transitioning to the corporate world, Lougee has demonstrated a keen ability to navigate complex challenges and drive significant improvements in business continuity and disaster recovery planning. He holds a Master’s in Transportation and Logistics Management from American Public University System and isa PMI Project Management Professional, as well as a CompTIA Advance Security Practitioner. He is fluent in German and Afghan Pashto, with emerging proficiency in additional languages. He holds the DRI International Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) certification.
Louis Abrams, MSgt, USMC (Ret), CBCP
VOP Mentorship
Vice President of Operational Resilience & Third-Party – Resilience Program, Citi Bank
Louis Abrams is a dynamic leader with over two decades of military experience in intelligence operations and strategic planning. Though new to the business continuity profession, his unique career trajectory has provided him with diverse expertise that seamlessly complements the role of a seasoned BC professional. He has a relentless bias for action, thrives in collaborative environments, and is passionate about automating and optimizing programs to enhance efficiency, allowing teams to focus on development while strengthening organizational resilience.
As Vice President of Operational Resilience & Third-Party – Resilience Program at Citi Bank in Tampa, Florida, Abrams plays a pivotal role in reviewing enterprise resilience procedures on a global scale, with a specialized focus on critical business services. His work includes challenging existing frameworks, analyzing lessons learned from business disruptions and safety risks, and driving continuous improvement. Additionally, he is an active volunteer with Citi Salutes and the DRI Foundation Veterans Outreach Program, furthering his commitment to supporting veterans.
Beyond his contributions at Citi and the DRI Foundation, Abrams founded a LinkedIn group dedicated to helping military personnel transition into business continuity, risk, and resilience roles. Through this initiative, he provides networking opportunities, educational resources, and career preparation for veterans pursuing roles in these fields.
Abrams retired as a Master Sergeant (E-8) in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as an Intelligence Analyst across aviation squadrons, Marine Special Operations Command, and as a Detachment Commander for the Embassy Security Guard in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His career also included assignments within U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command (SOCOM). In his final military role, he served as the Intelligence Chief for a Marine Expeditionary Unit before transitioning into the private sector.
Abrams holds a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis from Norwich University and a graduate certificate in Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations. His professional training includes SOCOM’s Basic and Intermediate-Level Counter-Threat Finance Courses, Microsoft Data Analysis, and he is also trained in project risk Management, risk strategy for business, emerging financial risks, FEMA emergency management, and advanced problem-solving. Currently, he is pursuing an MBA in Global Business and International Finance at Troy University. He holds the DRI International Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) certification.