ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Disaster Recovery Journal is proud to announce the addition of Vanessa Vaughn as master of ceremonies for the business continuity industry’s largest conferences.
“We are excited to add a new face to the DRJ event team,” said DRJ President Bob Arnold. “We look forward to Vanessa bringing her knowledge, passion, and ideas to DRJ event attendees throughout the course of the show.”
Vaughn, of Asfalis Advisors, will begin her emcee duties at DRJ Spring 2019 in Orlando, Fla., March 24-27. The spring conference will mark Disaster Recovery Journal’s 60th conference.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to work with leaders in the industry and further build on the relationships developed at DRJ,” said Vaughn, who is also host of the Business Resilience Decoded podcast, a co-production with DRJ and Asfalis Advisors. “It’s an honor and a responsibility to share the work of others with the audience, while being the glue that ties all of the stories together.”
Vaughn is an exuberant professional with more than a decade of experience in both government and corporate business continuity and crisis management. A former “Toastmaster of the Year” speaker, Vaughn will help keep general sessions running smoothly throughout the four-day events.
“We know our audience will immediately connect with Vanessa’s personality and professionalism,” said Arnold. “Vanessa brings enthusiasm, excitement, and forward-thinking to round out our already impressive team at DRJ.”
Prior to founding Asfalis Advisors, Vaughn worked with Fortune 500 brands, Lowe’s Companies and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, implementing resilience programs for multi-national firms, with an impact of more than 16 million customers globally.
Her expertise is in taking the scary out of crisis and putting control back in the hands of business leaders, to enhance profitability, and maintain an organization’s reputation. Her passion for the industry began after her own personal crisis when a tornado with wind speeds exceeding 130 mph lifted her vehicle off the ground and totaled her car while she was inside. Vaughn’s experience encompasses terrorism mitigation, long-term housing planning, hurricane preparedness, an aircraft crash, facility fires and floods, and proactive crisis management and business continuity globally in aviation, manufacturing, government, health care and retail environments.
Vaughn was awarded the 2018 Best Female Owned and Operated Small Business in Charlotte by the Influential Businesswoman Awards and was appointed by the mayor and city council to the Charlotte International Cabinet. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts in homeland security and emergency management from Savannah State University. Vaughn is a Certified Business Continuity Professional and an International Standards Organization (ISO) 22301 – Lead Implementer.
Disaster Recovery Journal
Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ) is the premier source of business continuity and disaster recovery information since 1987. DRJ provides and abundance of resources and materials, including a quarterly magazine, the world’s two largest conferences and exhibitions in the industry (held each year in Orlando and Phoenix), weekly webinars, informational updates, and so much more. Visit https://www.drj.com/ to sign up for a free subscription or for more information on DRJ Spring 2019.