Continuity Planning and Emergency Management

Paul Gilbert has been Executive Director of NOVA Parks for 15 years. Gilbert teaches a graduate-level Park/Rec course at George Mason University on strategic leadership. Much of the material for this session will come from that class. Gilbert also has a podcast on strategic leadership.

Anthony-Paul(AP) Diaz is the Executive Officer for the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) and helps manage and oversee all day to day operations of the Department, governance and leadership initiatives related to the City's Park Commission, City Council, City Attorney and Mayor's Offices.

AP has over 23 years of professional experience and service to the City of Los Angeles. Prior to assuming his duties at RAP, he served as a City Attorney in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office where he handled and litigated hundreds of matters in the Criminal Branch and as a specially assigned prosecutor in the City's Neighborhood Prosecutor Program. Thereafter, he served in the Civil Division's Municipal Law Branch as legal counsel to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, General Services Department and as lead contract counsel for the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments. He also served as one of the principal City Attorneys assigned to advise and staff the Los Angeles City Council.

Prior to assuming the role of Executive Officer, AP served  as General Counsel for Recreation and Parks, helping guide the Department on many high profile and important endeavors, most notably the transformation, restoration and management model for the historic and iconic Greek Theatre.

AP also serves as an instructor at the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Fire Department Leadership Academies teaching Adult Development Theory and Transformational Leadership and is a Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court.

AP was born in Hollywood and grew up and went to school in Santa Monica. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in International Politics from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, Washington DC; an academic study at the Universidad de Sevilla in Spain and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

With an eye to inclusive planning, Jimmy Kim has over 16 years in serving the Citizens Of Los Angeles.  He has had a major role in developing the Recreation and Parks Emergency Management Division and their role in the City's Emergency Operations.  He also serves as the Department's Chief Resiliency Officer and the Department Homeless Policy Coordinator. Jimmy Kim is  also a SALUS Trailblazer who has been awarded for his innovative implementation of crisis management operations, utilizing real-time data to identify and implement processes.