Jim Chesnutt

Jim Chesnutt has more than 20 years of experience in crisis management leadership at the local, state and federal levels of government. For much of his career he served as a FEMA External Affairs Officer and a member of one of the nation’s national emergency response teams. He was responsible for coordinating information strategy, media relations, community relations, congressional relations and intergovernmental affairs for more than 30 presidentially declared disasters.

 

Jim was one of FEMA’s initial team of four people that led emergency public information and media relations following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He also served as External Affairs Officer for the federal rescue effort following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. While on disaster assignments, he has advised and supported mayors, governors, US Military commanders and two US Presidents during major disasters.

 

In 2002, Jim launched an initiative to draw attention to the world’s largest under-reported humanitarian emergencies. He supported the work of humanitarian aid agencies in about 15 developing countries throughout the world.

 

Jim was a co-founder of Nusura, Inc., an emergency preparedness consulting firm. While with Nusura he dreamed up the idea for what would become SimulationDeck, a new web-based crisis training and exercise platform, which is now used by the US Federal Government, the US Military, and Fortune 500 companies.

 

The idea for ClarBright emerged from long conversations and brainstorming around the dinner table with his wife, Barb and his daughter, Mika. All of them wanted a new platform to bring their collective talents (and those of some of the smartest people they have ever had the honor to work with) to a focused set of issues where they hope to make a positive difference in supporting organizational strategy, relational health, and humanitarian response.