Dan is the Owner and Principal of Stoneking Strategic Communications LLC. He is also the Founder, Architect, and Vice President of the Emergency Management External Affairs Association. As a Strategic Communications Consultant, Dan is inspired by the movie “Cool Hand Luke.” The character, Captain, tells Paul Newman’s character (Luke), “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” The irony in that scene is that Captain is complicit in the failure. But he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. He is not alone. Dan is a strategic communicator. He is a writer. Dan’s expertise is born from experience, to include his role at the Pentagon upon the attacks of 9/11; as lead spokesperson for the National Guard in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina where he represented 54 states and territories; responding to the earthquake in Haiti where he helped establish the first-ever international joint information center; creating a coalition with the private sector to implement the first national business emergency operation center; voluntarily deployed to Puerto Rico within hours of Hurricane Maria’s impact as the lead spokesperson…. There’s more. But that is just resume fodder. Words matter. Actions matter more. Dan is focused on doing good on the planet.Previously, Dan served as the External Affairs Director of FEMA Region 3, where he led an award-earning passionate team to improve information sharing and coordination between FEMA and the American public, to include media, private sector, as well as local, state and government officials during disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts. As Director, Dan fostered internal collaboration and communication that shaped the narrative in public engagement. He led the team through countless disasters, Presidential Inaugurations, the Papal Visit, the Democratic National Convention, the Jan 2021 Attack on the Capitol, and COVID.That position followed and built upon a career in both the corporate and government arenas focused on public affairs, to include roles at FEMA Headquarters as Director, Private Sector and Deputy and Acting Director of Public Affairs. While at FEMA Headquarters, Dan developed the first-in-nation National Business Emergency Operation Center and deployed to Haiti in response to the 2010 earthquake in support of the first-ever international Joint Information Center.Dan previously worked at Booz Allen Hamilton specializing in strategic communications in support of Homeland Security and Defense markets as well as at Ogilvy Public Relations as a Vice President in Social Marketing, responsible for risk and crisis communications.Prior to Ogilvy, he served for more than 25 years in the Army and the National Guard. Last military assignment was as the Deputy Director for Public Affairs at the National Guard Bureau. While assigned there, Dan led the first military public affairs deployment into New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.Dan was also employed for three years under the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. In that capacity, he responded to the attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, and established and maintained a public affairs crisis communication center continuously for the first 44 hours. In addition, he represented the 1.2 million military Reserve force as their primary spokesperson.Dan has extensive experience in leadership counsel, risk/crisis communications, media relations, media training, strategic messaging, branding, public-private partnerships and reputation management.Graduating from the University of New Hampshire, with a Bachelor’s in Interpersonal Communications, he later returned to the same campus and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (Secondary English). He taught High School English for two years.Dan lives in West Chester, PA with his two daughters, Ivy Grace and Chloe Lane.Read more about this authorRead less about this author