Podcast – Advisory Board Spotlight: Interview With Anthony Mangeri

Anthony S. Mangeri is a professor of disaster sciences and emergency management as well as the chief operating officer and principal at the Mangeri Group, LLC. Anthony has over 40 years of emergency management and homeland security experience. He served as a town manager, where he navigated the community through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also oversaw local emergency preparedness and disaster recovery operations, and he played a key role in the establishment of a municipal police department.

Anthony served as the New Jersey state hazard mitigation officer for over a decade and was the operations chief at the New Jersey Emergency Operations Center during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, where he coordinated the state’s response efforts.

Beyond his professional achievements, Anthony has spent over 35 years as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.

Learn about Anthony’s passion for his field and for the Domestic Preparedness Journal.

Now to the podcast.

Nicolette: Today, we’re joined by Anthony Mangeri, a seasoned leader in emergency management. He is the chief operating officer of the Mangeri Group and the immediate past president of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Region 2.

Anthony Mangeri: That’s right, the transition recently took place.

Nicolette: Wow, congratulations!

Anthony: Thank you. After serving for ten years—six of those as Region 2 president and four as Region 2 vice president—it was time to transition and bring in new leadership. Change is a good thing. We’ll talk more about that and why transitions matter.

Nicolette: Absolutely. Let’s get into that. You also served on the IAEM-USA Board of Directors, correct?

Anthony: Yes, I did. That’s another role that has transitioned.

Nicolette: Understood. With a career spanning local and state emergency management, you played a key role in disaster response, including serving as New Jersey’s State Hazard Mitigation Officer and as Operations Chief during the response to 9/11. You’ve also served as a town manager, guiding a community through COVID-19, and have over 35 years of service as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. You are truly a heavy hitter in emergency management—an SME who definitely knows what he’s talking about.

Anthony: As I often say, I’ve been in the wrong place at the wrong time so often that I decided to make a career out of it.

Nicolette: I like that. It is what it is, but we’re lucky to have your expertise. Let’s jump right in.

Can you tell us about your interest in Domestic Preparedness and what inspired you to join the board?

Anthony: I’ve been involved with the advisory board for quite some time. In addition to my emergency management work, I also teach at American Military University and Rowan University. From an academic perspective, I’ve always appreciated the Domestic Preparedness Journal because it provides great insight. What I love about the journal is that it’s multidisciplinary. It’s not limited to just emergency management or crisis response—it takes a broad, approach to trends and issues that affect the entire field. That perspective is invaluable.

Nicolette: I couldn’t agree more. We pride ourselves on that approach. We want all of our readers to see themselves in the content.

Anthony: Exactly. I also enjoy writing, though I used to write more often than I do now. I need to get back into it.

Nicolette: Well, we’re happy and lucky to have you as a writer. Your articles are always insightful—some of my personal favorites.

Anthony: Thanks! One example that stands out to me is an article I wrote about 9/11. I rarely talk about my experience that day, even with my students. But when Domestic Preparedness reached out for the 20th anniversary, I felt it was the right platform. The journal allows for deeper discussions—not just reflections on “where we were” but real conversations about what the event means, how it changed our field, and the lessons we take forward. In that article, I focused on three key takeaways: resilience, the use of data and information, and how our awareness of threats has evolved.

Nicolette: That aligns perfectly with our mission—learning from past experiences to enhance preparedness. You’re a great fit for what we do.

Let’s take a step back. Can you share more about your background and how it connects to emergency preparedness?

Anthony: Sure. I actually started my career as a volunteer with the American Red Cross in Philadelphia. Then I became a federal investigator with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Eventually, I transitioned to the New Jersey State Police, which in New Jersey runs the Office of Emergency Management (OEM). That’s where I really developed my understanding of emergency management operations.

My background in public safety gave me insight into the structure and discipline required in emergency management. But what really drew me in was hazard mitigation—developing creative solutions to reduce risk. Mitigation requires thinking beyond traditional response and recovery. It’s about anticipating problems and designing effective strategies to prevent them.

Nicolette: That makes sense.

Anthony: I worked for New Jersey OEM for 15 years. During that time, I was deeply involved in major disaster responses, including 9/11, where I was part of a team that coordinated the state’s response to the World Trade Center attack and managed the response to the anthrax incidents that followed.

Shortly after, the state health departments across the U.S. established bioterrorism response units. I transitioned to the New Jersey Department of Health, helping to build the state’s public health emergency response system. Public health plays a crucial role in all types of disasters—whether biological, radiological, or natural. Emergency management and public health are deeply interconnected.

That old adage that the disaster plan lasts about the first 15 minutes—it’s kind of true. But it sets the tone. Our plans in New Jersey were highly efficient with perspective to policy so that operations were driven by policies in the plan. Did we use the plan exactly as written? Probably not, but we used the policies and the guidelines to inform how we wanted to move forward. There was no playbook for the attacks; there was no playbook for anthrax. But there were policies for how we responded, and it worked well.

Over the years, I’ve remained involved in disaster response, policy development, consulting, and teaching. Now, my work is more focused on policy and training the next generation of emergency managers.

Nicolette: That’s an incredible journey. You mentioned earlier that your interest in emergency preparedness started with scouting?

Anthony: Yes! It sounds trivial, but it all started with the emergency preparedness merit badge in the Boy Scouts. The badge covered many of the same concepts as today’s CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training—first aid, ropes, knots, rescue techniques, and personal readiness. It planted the idea that preparedness is both an individual and community responsibility.

When I was young, I told people I wanted to go into emergency management. Back then, they’d say, “That’s not a career—you have to be a firefighter or police officer first.” At the time, that was true. But over the years, the field has evolved, and now we have specialized emergency managers with dedicated training and education.

Nicolette: That’s fascinating. Going back to something you mentioned earlier—you talked about the first 15 minutes of a plan. Can you elaborate?

Anthony: Sure. There’s an old saying in emergency management: “No plan survives first contact with the disaster.” While there’s some truth to that, I disagree with the idea that plans are useless. A good emergency operations plan doesn’t dictate every action—it sets policies, establishes leadership roles, and defines how resources will be managed.

For example, if you’re responding to a mass casualty event, the cause of the incident is less important than the response itself. The plan isn’t about reacting to a specific scenario—it’s about ensuring that the right resources, policies, and decision-making structures are in place. That’s what makes it effective.

Nicolette: That makes a lot of sense. What do you see as the biggest challenge—or opportunity—in preparedness today?

Anthony: AI. The use of large language models and data analytics is transforming emergency management. Historically, we’ve struggled to gather, validate, and interpret data to make informed decisions. Now, AI allows us to process massive datasets quickly.

That being said, AI is still a junior planner at best. It can provide recommendations, but human oversight is essential. AI models don’t “understand” what they’re doing—they compile and synthesize information based on prompts. Emergency managers need to verify data, check sources, and apply critical thinking.

Imagine if NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) developed an AI trained exclusively on historical weather and disaster data. You could type in a ZIP code and instantly get a risk analysis based on decades of real-world events. That capability already exists, but we need to ensure it’s accurate, reliable, and used responsibly.

Nicolette: That’s a great point. Finally, what advice would you give to someone entering the field today?

Anthony: Gain hands-on experience. Emergency management isn’t just about writing plans—it’s about understanding crisis dynamics, resource allocation, and operational coordination. Project management skills are crucial, as is a strong grasp of the Incident Command System.

Newcomers also need to study the agencies involved in emergency response. Understanding how local, state, and federal agencies interact will help them build stronger plans and coordinate resources effectively.

Nicolette: Great insights. Do you have a final takeaway for our audience?

Anthony: Read my article from the 20th anniversary of 9/11—it highlights key lessons about data, preparedness, and resilience. And remember, emergency managers play a vital role in securing grants and funding to strengthen community resilience. That’s often overlooked but critically important.

Nicolette: That’s a fantastic point. Thank you so much, Anthony. I always learn something new from you, and I know our audience will too. Let’s do this again soon!

Anthony: Absolutely. Thank you for having me!