HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL NR 2020-01-09 Joe Dame hire
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Media Contact:
Betsy Arnett, Public Information Officer
barnett@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2734
Joseph Dame Joins Town of Leesburg as Emergency
Management Coordinator
Dame starts his new position on January 27, 2020.
Leesburg, VA (January 9, 2020) – Leesburg Town
Manager Kaj Dentler announced today that Joseph
Dame has been hired as the Town’s first Emergency
Management Coordinator. The newly created position
will oversee town-wide emergency preparedness and
incident response efforts.
The Emergency Management Coordinator position was
authorized by Town Council as part of the Approved
Fiscal Year 2020 Budget.
“Although the Town Manager serves as the official
Emergency Management Director per the Town Code,
the day-to-day emergency management program has
been handled as an additional duty by the Police
Chief,” explained Dentler. “With the tremendous
growth of the Town over the last 20 years, culminating
in Leesburg being the largest town in the Commonwealth, this approach is no longer a best
management practice. As such, it is important for the public safety of Leesburg to have a
dedicated professional position to lead the Town’s emergency management program. The
position’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, preparation, training, community
education, and incident response coordination which is what our Town Council, residents,
businesses, and visitors expect and deserve.”
“After a nationwide search that included a deep pool of highly qualified candidates, and an
intensive interview process, I’m pleased to announce that Joe Dame will be joining our team,”
Dentler continued. “Mr. Dame demonstrated throughout the interview process that he was not
only well qualified for the position, but deeply knowledgeable and integrated into the local,
regional, and statewide emergency management programs which will greatly benefit the Town
of Leesburg as the first person to serve in this position.”
Joseph Dame is currently the Assistant Coordinator of Operations for the Loudoun County
Office of Emergency Management where he oversees the County's emergency operations
center, training, and exercise program and technology systems supporting response. Prior to
joining the Office of Emergency Management in 2015, he worked for Loudoun County Fire and
Rescue from 2006-2015, holding a variety of roles to include firefighter, station officer, and
department staffing officer. From 2002 to 2006, Dame served with the Susquehanna Township
Emergency Management Agency, just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Dame holds a bachelor's in Management from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of
Public Administration from George Mason University. He is credentialed as a Professional
Emergency Management by the Virginia Emergency Management Association, and has
completed the National Emergency Management Basic Academy through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
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