Justin Kates

Justin currently serves as the Senior Business Continuity Advisor for America’s favorite convenience store, Wawa, Inc. In this role, he architects a new business continuity program for Wawa’s expanding footprint of over 1,100 stores with over 47,000 associates across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Washington D.C. Before Wawa, Justin served 17 years in government, most recently in the City of Somerville, MA as their Director of Emergency Management & Communications. In Somerville, he implemented the City’s inaugural comprehensive emergency management program and initiated the integration of their citywide 911 and dispatch operations. Additionally, Justin served over a decade as Director of Emergency Management for two Mayoral senior leadership teams in the City of Nashua, NH, and as a homeland security consultant for the State of Delaware. He is a Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) affiliated with the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) International and a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) affiliated with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). Justin attained a Bachelor of Arts concentrated in Emergency Management and Public Administration from the University of Delaware and a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security. From 2021 to 2024, Justin served in succession as the 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, and President of the IAEM USA Council. He also served as a member of the FEMA National Advisory Council in 2023 and 2024.