"The Group"

Frank Cowan | Brian Humphrey | Cheryl Seigal | The Rest of "The Group"

In addition to Karen & Dave Terrill, the group has a tremendous amount of experience:

Trainer, class designer, key consultant, & founder of MSG

Frank Cowan

...is his kids' dad and former President of Media Survival Group. He retired the first time in 2002 after 20 years as an Instructor/Public Information Officer with the CSTI, San Luis Obispo, specializing in Crisis Communications. There he developed several programs dealing with the media and emergency information as well as day-to-day media relations and was course manager for CSTI's popular "Crisis Communications & The Media" four level course, "Legal Update", "Crisis Communications for Elected Officials," "Instructional Techniques", "PIO Team Training Workshop," and other special seminars. He's also an adjunct instructor for the University of Chicago/Argonne National Laboratories in their Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.

Frank was Media Monitoring Branch Director following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and JIC Director for the McGrath Beach Oil Spill in Ventura County. He's worked in various JIC capacities during major events, including: the Northridge, Loma Prieta and Big Bear/Yucca Valley (Landers) earthquakes; the Logan Fire and Highway 41 urban/wildland fire in San Luis Obispo County; the Hollister Biker Rally; the winter storms of February, 1998.

He's a veteran of 21 years of radio and television broadcasting, first with Armed Forces Radio and Television Service and Voice of America, and later in various roles for network television affiliates, including News Director (NBC) and Executive Producer (CBS).

He was also a Police Officer for three years in San Luis Obispo, California.

He is a frequent guest lecturer and has presented numerous crisis communications seminars in Tokyo and Colombia.

Frank is past President of the California Association of Public Information Officials and a member of Southern California Emergency Public Information Officers Association and former member of the National Association of Public Information Officials. He served on the board of directors for Continuing Education for Public Officials (CEPO) and is an honorary member of the Press Photographer's Association of Greater Los Angeles.

Trainer, New Media Guru, Public Information Officer, Los Angeles Fire Dept.

Brian Humphrey

...is a lifelong resident of Southern California and is celebrating his 21st year as a Paramedic-trained Firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Working during some of the most tumultuous times in Southern California history as a Fire Department Paramedic, Brian saw service during the Los Angeles Riots of 1992, the Firestorms of 1993, the Northridge Earthquake of 1994, as well as countless storms, conflagrations and disasters.

Brian was appointed to fill a vacancy in LAFD's Community Service and Affirmative Action Unit in 1993. Working as a Public Information Officer trainee, Brian gained the respect of citizens and reporters alike for his fair handling of sensitive issues, including the dramatic Burlington Avenue arson blaze that took a dozen lives.

Since 1994, Brian has worked full-time in external relations for the Los Angeles Fire Department, dealing with all aspects of print, radio, television and internet journalism. Frequently quoted in trade journals, scientific periodicals and the nation's leading newspapers, Brian is a prime source of life safety information for government agencies, members of the public, academia and the entertainment industry. He also serves as the LAFD's Webmaster, personally creating and maintaining all of the content on the LAFD's award-winning website.

Brian is currently Chairman of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, as well as on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, operators of the Metrolink commuter rail system. He serves on the Criminal Justice faculty at Ventura College and as an adjunct instructor for several of the California Specialized Training Institute's popular public safety programs. His particular specialty is hands-on training associated with Public Safety Dispatcher and Public Information Officer career development.

Trainer, Former Public Information Officer, Umatilla County, Oregon

Cheryl Seigal

...has 17 years of experience in public affairs, strategic planning, training and organizational management. Since 1999, she has specialized in emergency public information as a public information responder, developer and maintainer of a JIC/JIS, exercise evaluator and instructor.

Seigal began her professional career as a banker working in operations and developing internal training programs. Membership in a local Toastmaster's club led to her being recruited as the director of public relations for Good Shepherd Community Hospital.  She graduated from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management while serving as the executive director of the Pendleton and Hermiston Chambers of Commerce.

From October 1999 through June of 2007, she was the PIO and spokesperson for Umatilla County Emergency Management / Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) and the Umatilla County Public Health Department. The UCEM emergency operations center and JIC (the only dedicated JIC facility in the State of Oregon) are state-of-the-art facilities in which ICS and JIC principles are regularly taught, exercised and utilized. Seigal played a key role in developing the Umatilla JIC and its accompanying Virtual JIC capabilities that serve as a model for numerous emergency response organizations throughout the nation. She has been in the national spotlight a number of times and worked on stories with the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, 60 Minutes II and NPR.

As a crisis communications PIO, Seigal has worked a variety of emergencies including bomb threats; West Nile Virus; the Juniper Canyon, Burnt Cabin, Sharps Ridge, and Hanford wildfires; Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and the crash of a Navy EA-6B jet.  All responses necessitated an effective JIS with several requiring JIC operations.

Since 2005, Seigal has been a source of information for agencies who are trying to develop a JIS-JIC. She has shared ideas, procedures and Best Practices, i.e., "what worked and what didn't". She is an instructor for Media Survival Group and Argonne National Laboratory conducting JIC/JIS workshops.

The Rest Of The Group

Crisis Communications Training workshops feature the talents and expertise of some of the best trainers in the world. Grounded in real life experience these experts combine knowledge and experience in many areas of crisis management.

Tim Birr, Division Chief, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (Ret.), Trainer, Author, "Public and Media Relations for the Fire Service"

Leslie Botos, Vice President, Public Affairs, BloodSource, Sacramento CA

Rob Gandy, Instructor, California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI)

Jerry Goddard, City Attorney (Ret.), Redondo Beach, CA

Marsha Hovey, Emergency Services Coordinator, Office of Emergency Services Santa Clara County Fire/City of Cupertino

Renee Kemp, reporter, KTVU -TV, Oakland, CA

Frank Kwan, Director of Communications, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Detective Corporal Rudy Lopez, West Covina Police Dept., Media Relations PIO

Anthony Lukin, Instructor, California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI)

Bonni Montevecchi, Trainer, www.celebrationspeaking.com, Carlsbad

John Myers, Managing Editor/Anchor, KFBK Radio, Sacramento, CA

Neal O'Hare, Emergency Services Manager, Trainer and Private Consultant

Karen Owens, Administrator, Long Beach, CA Police Department, Community Relations Division

Frank H. Parrish, Jr., Commander, California Highway Patrol

John Samano, Public Information Officer, Corona, CA Police Dept.

Harry Robins, Emergency Services Coordinator (Ret.), Monterey County

Kerry Shearer, Communications Director, Bayside Church, Granite Bay, CA

Lee Sapaden, SRA International, Former Communications Director, Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, Former Disaster Chief, California Department of Social Services

Sam Spiegel, Chief, Folsom, CA Police Dept.

Anita Vogel, Reporter, Fox News Network, Los Angeles

Dr. Ray Zeuschner, Professor, Speech Communications, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo