The winners of the DRI International Awards of Excellence were announced Tuesday at a black tie gala held during the DRI2012 conference at the historic Waldorf-Astoria Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.

These coveted awards recognize individuals and organizations who have achieved a level of excellence in the fields of continuity management, technology recovery, and crisis management.

"The awards and gala were a smashing success," said DRI Foundation Chair AnneMarie Staley, who spearheaded the awards project. "We're so pleased and excited for all of the winners and every one of the distinguished nominees. They're all accomplished and deserving of recognition."

The winners for the DRI International Awards of Excellence 2012 are:

People

Program Leader of the Year (Private Sector)

Ashish Dahiya, CBCP

Program Leader of the Year (Public Sector)

Jennifer Ellis, ABCP

Rookie of the Year

Ryan Kenny, CBCP

Team of the Year

McKesson Service Continuity Office

Lifetime Achievement Award

Ed Devlin, CBCP

Strategy & Initiative

Strategy of the Year

State of Delaware of Technology and  Information 

Response and Recovery of the Year

Booz Allen Hamilton-Business Assurance Office

Continuity Awareness Award

Lissette Giorgi, CBCP

Service Providers

Consultant of the Year

Lisa Reshaur, CBCP

Service Provider of the Year

RecoveryPlanner.com

Planning Software of the Year

RecoveryPlanner.com

Notification System of the Year

SunGard Availability Services

Stay tuned for more on the winners in upcoming issues of Drive!  

Photos from DRI2012 Online!

We've just started uploading photos from DRI2012 to our Facebook page. You'll find shots from Volunteer Day there now and over the course of the next few days, we'll be adding photos from the rest of the conference too - including the gala! Visit our Facebook page to view them and come back often, as they'll be updated pretty much daily. We also invite you to share your photos from DRI2012 too!

 An Exciting New Offer...Just for ACP Members!

The Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) and DRI International are excited to announce a special course offering just for ACP members.   Recognizing a need for education and certification, we've come together to offer ACP members a discounted rate for two exclusive online DRI International course offerings.

This offer is an easy and cost-effective way to get yourself - or your staff - enrolled in a local chapter of ACP and eligible to take DRI training that leads to certification...all for one low price.

The online BCP 501W course will be offered:

July 17-18, 2012     

Well, according to the TV show it is always sunny in Philadelphia. And while that's not actually the case (I know, I live there!), maybe the suggestion was enough to prompt DRI certified professionals to overwhelmingly choose the City of Brotherly Love as the destination for DRI2013.

In a landslide victory, Philadelphia was the winner in a survey we conducted a few months back, and we're happy to report that we'll be honoring your request. We'll get back to you with exact dates, but plan on Spring in Philadelphia, and that means trading your po' boys for cheesesteaks!

What is the difference between a business continuity program and a "resilience" program? According to Mark Sibley, CBCP, of Verisign's Business Resilience Office, resilience is about an organizational state of mind. Learn how Verisign, the company that manages and protects .com and .net among other top level domains, successfully handles operational risks and responds to unforeseen incidents.

Join Send Word Now and Mark Sibley, from Verisign's Business Resilience Office, to learn:

• Tips on making resilience a state of mind within your organization from the ground up.
• How to react, respond, and recover...and avoid the brick wall.
• How to engage and exercise your greatest asset-the executive team and people in your company.
• Creative "enterprise games" (aka testing strategies) - Black Swans and Crazy Ivans!
• Creating a team-based mentality through effective communications.
• Techniques to best leverage your notification tool to take your preparedness plan to the next level.

When: May 31, 2012 at 11:00 AM EST

To Register: Click here

This webinar is offered by Send Word Now, platinum sponsor of DRI2012. 

Last week, we asked how supportive your executive management is of business continuity in your organization. Respondents ranked management support of BCP on a scale of one to 10, one being least supportive. And 13 percent of those respondents gave their top brass a perfect 10! For the results in their entirety, visit our LinkedIn and join the discussion on this and other topics.

We're already busy planning DRI2013, and the conference program is top on our priority list. And it's the subject of this week's one-question survey. We want to know what topics and speakers you'd most like to her about and from. So click here to take the survey and check next week's Drive and LinkedIn for the results.

The conference is only a few short days behind us, but already we are thinking about DRI 2013 and the next Volunteer Day.

I just wanted to thank all of the volunteers from our extremely successful Volunteer Day, held Saturday, May 19. With over 70 volunteers working at Second Harvest/ Feeding America and Habitat for Humanity, my expectations were genuinely exceeded. The work accomplished, friends made, heartfelt giving back, camaraderie achieved, and the ideas shared combined to make it a day that we can all be proud of.

Our Second Harvest volunteers worked at breakneck speed on the sorting conveyor and set records for food sorted, boxed and stacked. There also was laughter, dancing, and singing to make the day enjoyable as well. Catie, our contact with Second Harvest was most pleased and appreciative of the hard work and spirit of our volunteers.

The Habitat for Humanity volunteers worked in the hot sun of New Orleans roofing, siding, trimming, framing, hauling, and cleaning. The 40+ volunteers had an opportunity to meet the homeowner and spend time hearing his story. As we prepared to leave and said our goodbyes, one of the homeowner's sons commented that the group photo taken at days end would most certainly find a place on a wall of the completed home. Our new friend, Tyrone (the homeowner) hugged us as we left and complimented our hard work and thanked us for being there to build his home with him.

With a meeting Friday night to set the stage for Saturday, a full day of work, Po Boy sandwiches provided to all for lunch, and a thank you dinner in the evening, the day was a magical experience for me. I am hopeful that all the volunteers shared that feeling. And I am most hopeful that next year we will at least match the numbers, exceed the contribution, and simply have fun giving back to those who are in need of our help.

As a footnote for leaving this city...when getting ready to leave our hotel, we briefly met a hotel worker (Elizza) who told of her experiences after Katrina. Losing her home in the St. Bernard Parish was painful and life changing. Feeling desperately alone for two weeks as it seemed they were simply forgotten, she lost her home and all its contents. Her brother watched on the news from a safe location days after Katrina to only spot his home floating away in the receding flood waters. Elizza moved to Mississippi, but returned to New Orleans as the tug of the charm and depth of her passion for wanting to come home tugged at her heartstrings.   This highlights that there is so much more to do here for the good people of Louisiana. Hopefully, you will find it in your heart to help here and wherever you feel you can get some of that good done.

That said, New Orleans isn't the only place that needs help...our help. And the Disaster Recovery International Foundation will seek out those areas in need, and with your help we will make a difference - one home, one community, one project at a time-just as we did this past Saturday.   For those who worked with us, thank you!   For those wanting to be involved in the work of the Foundation and wanting to volunteer with us, we welcome you with open arms!

Clyde Berger

Disaster Recovery International Foundation

Director of Volunteerism and Vice President