LUKE BECKMAN
I have been involved in the field of Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response since 2005 as a Red Cross volunteer supporting operations in the DC Armory after Hurricane Katrina. I grew to love the field because it demanded the very best from me. Despite the human suffering I have witnessed in many places, I have seen the greatest that humanity has to offer. In times of crisis, our very best comes out.
I worked for InSTEDD, a humanitarian technology nonprofit, for 3 ½ years learning to specialize in the areas of information sharing, collaboration, cooperation, and logistics. My background is in public health- where I studied pandemic influenza and biodefense at Stanford University- and I came to realize that the exact same problems exist whether you we are dealing with Swine Flu or responding in the aftermath of a hurricane or a terrorist event. We tend to rely on technology more and more these days, looking for the next shiny gizmo or gadget, but the success of our efforts (the lives and property we save and the pain we minimize) is always determined by the relationships we are able to form with others. I have deployed or have been activated to almost a dozen local, state, national, and international incidents and in each I try to focus on the personal relationships first, and the operations flow from there.
I see myself as a trust builder: working to establish, grow, and cement relationships across sectors and between partners at the local, state, federal, and international levels.
I spent a year working for Revstone Industries, moving around the U.S. learning lean manufacturing practices and principles, focusing on logistics, project management, and business development. Having joined G&H International in September 2011, I am working to bring these skills forward to work to improve the process of stakeholder engagement as well as working to improve the execution of pilots and requirements gathering. I hope that in working with the G&H team, side-by-side with our partners, we will be able to create the best information-sharing and trusted environments that the United States has ever witnessed.
I am also working to grow, refine, and hone my boots-on-the-ground disaster credentials so that I can keep responding to crises in the field. Outside of work, I love launching out on new and random adventures with close friends and new friends. I love music, dance, cooking, eating new food, laughing, and training new adventure races up in the mountains.
