Ms. Novak has extensive real-world emergency management and disaster response/recovery experience, working with all levels of the government (Federal, Tribal, State and Local) as well as Private Sector. She applies this knowledge and experience when developing training courses and emergency management exercises for her clients. Ms. Novak has served as the Private Sector Subject Matter Expert on numerous National Level Exercises including NLE 2011, Capstone 2014, and NLE 2018. Additionally, she has provided support to numerous other regional and state exercises in multiple roles. Her company ERUdyne, also develops exercises and training geared towards Senior Leaders responding to crisis management situations. Most recently during a real world response, she led a team of Rapid Responders dispatched to Puerto Rico to support a client responding to Hurricane Maria. Ms. Novak led the operation from ERUdyne’s Business Resilience Center in Kilmarnock VA. Ms. Novak sent the team to Puerto Rico with enhanced technology capabilities to support the client which included drones, satellite communications, mobile radios and other equipment needed to maintain communications and provide situational awareness near real time based on island conditions.
Ms. Novak provides consulting services to public and private sector clients in support of their business continuity/emergency management and response and recovery efforts (planning, exercises, and operational reviews). Additionally, she provides strategic consulting to small businesses with technology-based products/services developed to improve homeland security and emergency management practices (mitigation, prevention/protection, response and recovery). In this role, Ms. Novak also serves as the Subject Matter Expert on all National Security and Emergency Management projects. Ms. Novak is developing a Private Sector driven Exercise Framework as well as a Recovery Focused model to assess long term recovery impacts on business and the community (rural, urban, and suburban).
Ms. Novak was a key contributor at a national level to the development of the National Response Framework, National Infrastructure Protection Plan, and multiple Target Capabilities as defined by the Department of Homeland Security. She played a key role in planning, designing, executing, and evaluating the TOPOFF 3 Exercise conducted in Connecticut in 2005 (across all levels of play -- Federal, Tribal, State and Local).
As a Disaster Assistance Employee, Ms. Novak was regularly deployed to serve in several critical roles supporting FEMA’s Mission as the Federal Agency responsible for emergency management. While working in FEMA Region 1’s regional office, Ms. Novak worked closely with the Regional Administrator, the Federal Preparedness Coordinator and the National Preparedness Division, and other senior management team members across all FEMA Divisions to develop and implement strategies and programs to involve Private Sector in all phases of emergency management. In this role, Ms. Novak launched the first formalized Private Sector Partnership Program for FEMA. This program included working with each State throughout the Region to develop Private Sector strategies and executing those strategies to build strong partnerships with the Private Sector (critical infrastructures, resource providers, including individual businesses, associations and non-profit organizations) that enhance resiliency and capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from any disasters (all-hazards approach as defined in the National Response Framework). During her deployments in support of a Presidential Disaster Declaration, Ms. Novak served in External Affairs, most often as a Public Information Officer, during both man-made and natural disasters. In this capacity she interfaced with the Chief Federal Official, all Federal, Tribal, State and Local Government Public Information Officers and the media (on and off-camera interviews) to ensure that accurate information is being provided to those affected by the incident. This included providing the media with information regarding the assistance that is available to those in need as well as working with them to ensure that the information is widely and accurately distributed through all available media channels. Ms. Novak served in rural areas, primarily throughout New England, during her tenure with FEMA.
Throughout her career Ms. Novak has been involved in putting together workshops, conferences, training sessions and most recently, exercises to bring together subject matter experts and participants to share information and increase the knowledge and skills of those involved in the events. Ms. Novak previously served on the Leadership Council of the National Small Business Association, the Board of the FBI New Haven Citizens Academy Alumni Association and on the Executive Steering Committee for the Area Maritime Security Council (US Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound). She currently serves on the Board of the Women in Homeland Security, the Northern Neck Food Bank, and the Lancaster County YMCA. While serving on the Board and as President of InfraGard Connecticut, Ms. Novak received several public service awards from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Linda Franklin Award from the National Board of InfraGard, for her efforts to build the public-private partnership across government and private industry stakeholders.