Speakers

Joe Thalheimer is the Director of Emergency Management at the University of Central Florida (UCF).  He has been part of UCF's Emergency Management team since 2014, initially serving as the warning and communications coordinator.  Over the years, he has taken on various roles, including Manager of Operations and Technology.  He was appointed as the department's director in 2019.

Thalheimer is a graduate of UCF, his undergraduate and graduate work focused criminal justice, with an emphasis on security management.  Before joining UCF, he worked as Assistant Security Supervisor for the Orange County Convention Center, where he developed his passion for emergency management. 

In his current role, Thalheimer has led the Emergency Management team through many significant events such as seven (7) tropical storms/hurricanes and the Covid-19 pandemic.  He serves as a voting member for Florida's Domestic Security Coordination Group, and chairs the committee on education and critical infrastructure for the Regional Domestic Security Taskforce.  Thalheimer also serves as a member of the advisory board for UCF's top ranked emergency management academic program.