Leadership

The Foundation exists to promote professional and personal preparedness, response, and recovery practices through proactive, 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.


Board of Directors

AnneMarie Staley 2015Chair of the Board; Development

AnneMarie Staley, CBCP, MBCI
Head of BCP Americas, Credit Agricole CIB

AnneMarie Staley is currently Head of BCP Americas, Credit Agricole CIB. Prior to this position, she was the Global Business Continuity Manager for AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., a multinational property and casualty insurer specializing in coverage for small to mid-sized businesses. With extensive underwriting experience, AmTrust has earned a reputation as an innovative, technology-driven provider of insurance products. AmTrust is listed on the NASDAQ global market under the symbol AFSI.

Prior to AmTrust, Staley was the Managing Director for Global Business Continuity Management at the New York Stock Exchange between 2000 and 2014. Due in part to her innovative management of BCM at the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE received the NYC OEM Private Partner in Preparedness Award. Her prior fields of business experience include Law, Investment Banking and Philanthropy.

Staley is Chair of the DRI Foundation; the philanthropic arm of DRI International, and Chair of the DRI Awards of Excellence Program, which honors and bestows awards to business continuity professionals and organizations each year at the annual DRI Conference.

Industry memberships include BCP Steering Committee for SIFMA (Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association); Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE); and Association for Contingency Planners (ACP), Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council (FSSCC), Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) and others. She is ITIL Foundation certified and has been a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) through DRI since 2004 and is an MBCI through the Business Continuity Institute.


Vice Chair of the Board; Veterans Outreach Program

Jerry Vevon, MBCP, CBCP, CPSCP
Senior Manager, BDO United States

Jerry Vevon, MBCP, CBCP, CPSCP, 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 serves as Vice Chairman of the Disaster Recovery International Foundation (DRIF) and is a Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP), Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), and Certified Public Sector Continuity Professional (CPSCP).


Alan BermanPresident and Treasurer

Alan Berman, MBCP
Treasurer, DRI International

Alan Berman is an MBCP, 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.


Director; Giving

Sheri Aghlara, MBCP
Manager IT Compliance, Teranet Inc.

Sheri Aghlara, MBCP, is a dedicated and accomplished information security and compliance professional with a robust academic background and over 19 years of experience in the information technology field. She holds extensive expertise in risk and resilience, business continuity management, and disaster recovery.

Aghlara’s journey is decorated with numerous academic achievements and professional recognitions, proudly displayed on her wall of fame, but her story is not solely about personal accomplishments. It’s about the donors, the people who care about others, and those who want to make a difference. Her craving for giving and belief in equality drive her commitment to volunteer work and nonprofit organizations.

She has dedicated time to volunteering, aiding cancer societies, supporting autistic individuals, assisting at animal shelters, and participating in natural cause initiatives. Her devotion to helping others is ingrained and reflects her strong sense of community and compassion.

As a member of the DRI Foundation, Aghlara believes that everyone deserves a chance, regardless of where they are born. She strives to ensure that organizations remain resilient in the face of disruptions, leveraging her knowledge of the IT business landscape to effectively mitigate risks.

Her commitment to making a difference is not just a professional pursuit but a heartfelt mission. She knows that real change is made one good step at a time, creating a more equitable and supportive world for all.


Director; Volunteerism

Bonnie Canal, MBCP
Business Continuity Manager, Tulane University

Bonnie Canal joined the Tulane University team in May 2024 as the Business Continuity Manager. Canal leads the development, testing, and maintenance of Tulane’s university-wide business continuity.  Prior to working at Tulane, Canal was an internationally recognized leader in both community and business resilience innovations and strategies. She was the founder and Managing Partner of The Resiliency Institute, LLC (TRI) in which they created comprehensive solutions for organizations by understanding the role they play in community preparedness and resiliency.  She is a proud native of New Orleans and has experienced what she calls, “The Katrina, Rita, Ike, Gustav, and BP Oil Spill” disasters firsthand.

Canal is a certified trainer for the Disaster Recovery Institute training professionals from all industry sectors and a Certified FEMA instructor through the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawai’i where she has trained over 250 communities within the US. And finally, she wrote the final Evacuteer submitted Community Evacuation Plan for the City of New Orleans.


Director; Women in Business Continuity Management Executive Committee

Mitzi Harlor, CBCP
Enterprise Risk and Business Continuity Management Lead, Takeda

Mitzi Harlor, CBCP, has been a business continuity practitioner for more than 20 years and is currently the Enterprise Risk and Business Continuity Management Lead for Takeda.  She is a Board Director for the DRI Foundation, is proud to be a charter member and former Vice Chair of the DRI Foundation’s Women in Business Continuity Management Committee, and received DRI Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award in 2022 for her commitment to growing networking and professional development opportunities for women within the industry.

Prior to her role with Takeda, Harlor was a Director with Marriott International’s operational resilience team, led business continuity efforts for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals’ North American Continent team, and was a Senior Consultant with SunGard Availability Services.

Harlor has spoken at several industry conferences, is certified in crisis communications through FEI Behavioral Health, and serves as the Director of Strategic Alliances for the Mid-Atlantic Disaster Recovery Association as well.

Harlor graduated from Washington, D.C.-based American University and remains in the DC area with her husband and children.


bio-micheleDirector

Michele Ostler
Senior Director of Operations and Conferences, DRI International

Michele Ostler is the Senior Director of Operations and Conferences for DRI International. Ostler supports the delivery of education, international, certification, awards of excellence and foundation programs. Ostler also manages the annual DRI conference. She coordinates across all departments at DRI International and values teamwork.

Prior to her work with DRI, Ostler spent 4 years at Goldman Sachs as a Human Resources Generalist and In-House Event Planner. Following her tenure there, Michele has served as the Founder and Event Planner for Penta Dynamic Solutions – a full-service association management and event planning firm.

A native New Yorker, Ostler holds a BA and an MA in Psychology from Marist College. Ostler resides in Long Island with her husband Tony and twins Vincent and Madeline.


Director; Giving

Frank Perlmutter, MBCP

Frank Perlmutter has been a part of the business continuity profession for over 25 years. As a consultant, he delivered business continuity services to over 200 clients. He was both the Founder and CEO of Strategic BCP and the Lead Business Architect of ResilienceONE business continuity planning and risk management software. He is the 2023 DRI International Lifetime Achievement Award winner, member of MENSA International (the High IQ Society), and a #1 Amazon New Release author.

Perlmutter is a passionate volunteer, fundraiser, and supporter of various nonprofit organizations. After selling his company, he established The Perlmutter Fund for Animal Welfare. He is committed to actively engaging with nonprofits that positively impact our communities and collaborating with individuals who share this crucial mission. In addition, he provides career and life advice to mentees globally.

Discover How to Live a Purpose-Built Life – https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Live-Purpose-Built-Step-Step/dp/B0D5PKB9K1


Director

Buffy Rojas Leach
Senior Director of Communications and Product Delivery, DRI International

Buffy Rojas Leach is the Senior Director of Communications and Product Delivery for DRI International. Upon joining DRI in 2010, Leach helped launch DRI’s annual conference, e-newsletters, and social media presence. She works with her incredible team to continue to deliver the DRI message and engage with DRI Certified Professionals worldwide. She also oversees the “last mile” of DRI’s course content – ensuring consistency and accuracy. Additionally, she serves as a liaison to the DRI Foundation Women in Business Continuity Management Executive Committee. What Leach enjoys most about her job is interacting with a vibrant and ever-expanding community of resilience professionals whose ideas and input she welcomes.

Prior to joining DRI, Leach spent six years with Continuity Insights, where she consistently produced interesting and informative articles on all aspects of business continuity and developed the content for the annual Continuity Insights Management Conference. She also launched and led Contingency Planning & Management’s publication and conference and spent six years as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Strohl Systems where she helped a relatively small company achieve tremendous growth and become the clear market leader in business continuity planning software. Leach began her career as newspaper reporter and feature writer and is the recipient of many New Jersey and Pennsylvania press association awards, including one for being New Jersey’s best first-year reporter.


Secretary

Pascale Phelan, ABCP
Manager, DRI International 

Pascale Phelan joined DRI International in 2010 and serves as Secretary to the Board of Directors of the DRI Foundation. Prior to joining DRI, Pascale worked in business development at CIT, GE, and the Interpublic Group of Companies. She actively participates in community service with previous engagements in Alaska, Haiti, Ecuador, and Kenya.


General Counsel

Jeffrey Berman

Jeffrey Berman is a litigator and in-house counsel who has extensive experience with compliance, risk management and securities law. He also served as a lecturer-in-law at UCLA School of Law for several years and has practiced in both state and federal courts in New York and California. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Law School.

 


Committees

Development Committee
Chair: AnneMarie Staley, CBCP, Crédit Agricole CIB

Giving Committee
Chair: Frank Perlmutter, MBCP
Sheri Aghlara, MBCP, Teranet Inc.
Al Berman, MBCP, CBCLA, CCRP, DRI International

Scholarship Committee
Rosemary McDonnell, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency
Steven Haynes, CBCP, The University of Texas at Dallas
Michael Lay, CBCP,  Core Insights International
Donna Jacobs, CBCP, University of Pennsylvania

Veterans Outreach Program Committee
DRI: Al Berman, MBCP, CBCLA, CCRP, Treasurer, DRI International
Vice-Chair BOD VOP: Jerry Vevon, MBCP, CPSCP, BDO United States
Co-Chair: Duane Bygum, MBCP, National University
Co-Chair: Catherine Cooper, MBCP, Advocate Aurora Healthcare
Special Projects: Alan Lake, CBCP, Independent Resilience Consultant
Mentorship Program Lead, Keith Pierson, CBCP, Bank United
Mentorship Program, Daniel Lougee, CBCP, Norfolk Southern
Mentorship Program, Louis Abrams, CBCP, Citibank 

Volunteer Committee
Chair: Bonnie Canal, Tulane University

Women in Business Continuity Management  Executive Committee

Chair: Mitzi Harlor, CBCP, Takeda
Vice-Chair, Mentorship: Robyn Kimbro, MBCP, CCRP, Walmart
Programs & Engagement Co-Lead: Aubrey Wade
Programs & Engagement Co-Lead: Melody Wen
Mentorship Lead, International Development Lead: Marsha Buehler, MBCP, Chase
Lead, Scholarships: Karina de Allicon, CBCP,CRMP, Nike

Advisors:
Past Chair and Advisor: Diane Doering, Takeda Pharmaceutical
Latin America and the Caribbean: Camila Pezzutti Domingues Ishikawa, ABCP, Morgan Stanely Brasil