Ron Benedict

About Ron Benedict

Ron Benedict serves as the Director of Emergency Preparedness for Frederick County, Maryland, where he leads the County’s all-hazards preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. In this role, he oversees emergency management planning, training, and coordination across local, state, federal, and private partners. His responsibilities include directing departmental operations, supervising a talented team of emergency management professionals, managing multi-year budgets and grants, and ensuring the readiness of the County’s Emergency Operations Center. With more than two decades of public safety and emergency management experience, Ron has built a career around bridging operational needs with strategic planning and resource development. Prior to joining Frederick County, he revitalized DC Health’s emergency preparedness and training programs as the PEHP Director and Training and Exercise Officer, aligning them with agency priorities and national standards. Earlier, as Director for the National Capital Region at the Olson Group, he led large-scale planning and exercise initiatives for government and healthcare clients and supported the District’s COVID-19 mass feeding and logistics operations.Ron began his career as a Firefighter/EMT before moving into program management for a national fire service organization, where he directed multimillion-dollar technical and training programs. As a skilled grant strategist, he has helped agencies nationwide secure over $750 million in federal funding from FEMA, DHS, and other agencies to strengthen local preparedness and response capabilities.He holds a M.S. in Emergency Health Services and professional credentials including Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®), Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS), FEMA Level 1 Professional Continuity Practitioner, Fire Officer Credentialing, and FEMA’s Master Exercise Practitioner Program (MEPP). He is also a graduate of FEMA’s National Emergency Management Academy (NEMAA).

Experience

1. Department Head of Emergency Preparedness

   Frederick County Government, Maryland

   Oct 2025 — Present · Frederick County, MD, US

   Coordinate development, revision, and exercises of all-hazard preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery plans with local, state, federal, and private partners• Supervise and evaluate departmental staff, set priorities, and align goals with the County’s mission• Lead interagency policy development for emergency planning with municipalities and first responders• Direct, develop, and administer the departmental budget and multi-year financial analysis• Oversee grants and funding through MDEM and other federal or state programs• Create and deliver public preparedness outreach to enhance community readiness• Maintain and track progress of the County’s Integrated Preparedness Plan• Coordinate Emergency Operations Center activations and on-scene support during incidents• Manage alert and warning system policy with the Department of Emergency Communications• Facilitate EMPAC and its Planning Subcommittee to align countywide emergency strategies• Conduct after-action reviews and improve response through lessons learned• Lead the Local Emergency Planning Committee in partnership with the Division of Fire & Rescue Services

Education

• University of Maryland

  Bachelor of Science Engineering/Psychology, Engineering/Psychology

  1998 — 2001

• University of Maryland Baltimore County

  MS, Emergency Management/Emergency Health Systems

  2003 — 2005

Skills

• Non-Profits
• Federal Government
• Cpr Certified
• Program Evaluation
• Public Policy
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Homeland Security
• Training
• Public Safety
• Policy
• Public Speaking
• Crisis Management
• National Security
• Policy Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Research
• Emergency Management
• Disaster Response
• Proposal Writing
• Program Management