Erik Iverson

Erik Iverson is the Deputy Director for Planning at the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management. He serves as senior advisor to the Director of Emergency Management and manages the development of citywide emergency response plans, homeland security programs, and training and exercise activities. He also helps lead emergency management field operations, special event planning, and activations of the City’s Emergency Operations Center. Erik has been involved in the planning and execution of National Special Security Events (NSSEs) including the recent papal visit to Philadelphia and response to major incidents, including the 2015 Amtrak 188 Northeast Regional accident.

Erik earned a PhD from the Fletcher School at Tufts University in 2013, completing a dissertation examining the coordination of complex response operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon incident. He received fellowships from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism and his research has been published in the scholarly and popular press.

Erik has served as an independent consultant to a congressional task force on homeland security and a number of offices within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He previously worked as a senior analyst for homeland security at DFI International. In addition to his professional and academic experience, he served for over five years as a volunteer emergency medical technician with fire/rescue services. Erik is a graduate of Georgetown University.