Leader of nation’s largest disaster program joining Merit to spearhead emergency services team

Chris Walker, former Senior Vice President of WSP's Emergency Management division, has joined Merit as the President of the company’s Emergency Services division. Mr. Walker, a nationally recognized and certified emergency manager, has over 30 years of emergency management (EM) subject matter expertise and will be a key leader within Merit, working towards bringing greater awareness of the verified identity platform to both the public and private sector EM markets.

Since Mr. Walker’s retirement from the Louisiana Air National Guard in 2006, he has led some of our nation’s largest disasters response efforts. As a trusted response contractor and as a private sector partner, Chris and his teams successfully oversaw numerous disaster responses as part of the USACE’s Emergency Power and FEMA’s Housing Inspection Services (HIS) contracts, contracts covering all 50 states and U.S. territories. As a contractor, he also led and assisted several state and local EM agencies during their preparedness and response efforts. This experience will be key in enhancing Merit’s disaster response capabilities in the verified identity arena.

Mr. Walker's extensive experience with debris monitoring program management and the actions necessary for prompt and efficient disaster cost-recovery & reimbursement will be an invaluable complement to Merit as the creators of the first all-digital ICS-214/211 accountability requirements tied to verified identity. Merit's interoperable platform replaces ineffective disaster management technology with digital verified identity solutions for site management, human coordination, and complete resource-use tracking for rapid economic recovery.

Merit COO and co-founder Jacob Orrin said, "Chris Walker is highly respected as an industry expert, driver, and influencer. Having just closed our Series B, Merit is poised to dramatically expand our digital solutions that are transforming emergency services and helping to support response teams across the nation. It is an honor for us to have Chris joining us on our mission."

Chris earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Methodist College and Master of Science in emergency management from Jackson State University. Since 2010, he has been recognized by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) as a certified emergency manager (CEM) and he currently serves as private sector liaison representative for the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) Response and Recovery Committee.

"Every day," Mr. Walker said, "I see managers, responders, and volunteers struggling to keep up with what has become a never-ending disaster season. Since I first worked with Merit, I've been convinced their solutions and services are what the industry needs to face continuous emergencies. It's an honor to work with this team and bring Merit's Verified Identity to the people protecting our communities."

Connect with Chris and his team by submitting the form below to see how Merit transforms disaster management. If you would like to work with Chris, visit us at Merit Careers.

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