About

Adrian Santiago Tate is the CEO and Co-founder of HighTide Intelligence, a flood risk data company accelerating flood adaptation through data-driven technology. With a background in civil engineering and geophysics, Adrian has led flood resilience projects across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. He also spearheaded the launch of Arkly.com, a public platform for accessible flood risk data and mitigation solutions. As an FMIA board member, Adrian brings a mission-driven focus on expanding access to data, tools, and collaboration across the industry.

Cheryl Witmer is the Director of Florida, Mid Atlantic, and Northeast Operations for U.S. Flood Control, specializing in deployable flood mitigation strategies for critical infrastructure, municipalities, healthcare systems, transportation hubs, and commercial facilities.

With extensive experience supporting flood preparedness and emergency response initiatives across the United States, Cheryl works closely with emergency management agencies, public works departments, resilience leaders, and private sector partners to developpractical flood protection programs before disasters occur.

Jeremiah is the Founder & CEO of Deft Group, a property risk consultancy built on 20+ years of front-line claims experience giving him an unmatched understanding of where and why properties fail. Through Deft Risk and Deft Resilience, he now focuses on keeping coastal and catastrophe-exposed communities viable against climate change, governance shifts, and volatile insurance markets.

Michael Olvey, Jr. is a seasoned emergency management and disaster recovery executive with more than 18 years of experience leading large-scale housing recovery, mitigation, and infrastructure projects across the United States and U.S. territories. As Chief Operating Officer and Principal of Patriot Response Group, he has overseen complex federally funded recovery programs, including CDBG-DR, FEMA, and HUD initiatives. Michael brings extensive expertise in flood mitigation, housing rehabilitation, compliance, operational leadership, and disaster response planning. He is committed to advancing resilient communities through collaboration, innovation, and effective recovery solutions.

After a 34-year career with USACE, Mr. Behm has been active as a nonstructural mitigation consultant through Behm Hazard Mitigation LLC, a member of the board of directors for the Flood Mitigation Industry Association (FMIA), and a member of the board of directors for the Nebraska Floodplain & Stormwater Managers Association.

Rod has over 35 years of contracting experience, including over 1,000 home elevations and is serving as Board Chair of the FMIA. Rod is also leading the workforce development program for the FMIA. 

Sam Kullberg, CFM, is a field engineer with 13 years of experience in deployable flood barriers, having worked alongside emergency managers and organizations in Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, and Australia. Now based in Geneva, Illinois, he is working to share these international experiences and insights to support and contribute to flood mitigation efforts in the US.

Shelly Klose is the Founder and CEO of True Flood Risk, an AI-powered platform delivering property-level flood risk assessments and mitigation insights. A data scientist, entrepreneur, and patent inventor with more than 25 years of experience in strategy, geospatial analytics, and risk analysis, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and climate-focused initiatives to advance resilience and flood preparedness.