Leadership

Julie Rochman
President & Chief Executive Officer

Julie Rochman joined IBHS in November 2007 with more than 20 years of public affairs and advocacy experience representing major corporations, research and safety organizations, and issue-based coalitions. She is regularly consulted and quoted by national print, broadcast and electronic media on a wide variety of topics. IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, applied research and communication organization supported by the property insurance industry. IBHS is dedicated to reducing societal and economic effects of natural disasters and other causes of residential and commercial property loss. IBHS conducts field and laboratory research to identify and advance improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices.

She joined IBHS from The Glover Park Group, a leading Washington, D.C.-based strategic communication consulting firm, where she was senior vice president of public affairs, managing a portfolio primarily comprising financial services sector clients. Prior to that, Ms. Rochman was senior vice president of public affairs for the American Insurance Association (AIA), a national public policy advocacy organization for property-casualty insurance companies. As a member of AIA’s management team for six years, Ms. Rochman was responsible for developing and executing integrated communication campaigns to achieve AIA’s public policy goals at both the state and federal levels.

From November 1996 until late 2000, Ms. Rochman was vice president of communications for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), where she successfully managed media relations for the IIHS and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI). Upon leaving the IIHS, Ms. Rochman served on the IIHS and HLDI boards of directors for several years. Prior to joining IIHS, Ms. Rochman managed federal communications for the Alliance of American Insurers, worked for the Insurance Information Institute, for a public health organization dedicated to preventing drunk driving, at an advertising agency, and for a global insurance brokerage.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Ms. Rochman earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Tulane University and a master’s degree in American Government from the University of Virginia. She now resides in Tampa.

Debra T. Ballen
General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Public Policy

Debra Ballen joined IBHS in 2008 as the General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Public Policy. In this capacity, she is responsible for managing all of the organization’s legal matters and overseeing IBHS’ public policy efforts. In addition, she also serves as the organization’s Corporate Secretary.

Prior to her work with IBHS, Ms. Ballen was the Executive Vice President of Public Policy Management for the American Insurance Association in Washington, D.C. She developed and implemented policy for AIA's priority federal and state public policy issues. She also has served on the OECD High Level Advisory Board on Financial Management of Large Scale Catastrophes, which includes a heavy emphasis on mitigation measures..

Ms. Ballen graduated with a juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School and an A.B. degree from Princeton University. She also has received the CPCU designation.

Brenda O'Connor
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs

Brenda O'Connor is a seasoned communications strategist, with more than 25 years of public affairs and government affairs experience. Ms. O'Connor has designed and directed a wide range of advocacy, political communication and media relations campaigns for corporations, trade associations and nonprofit organizations. She joined IBHS in 2008, from the Glover Park Group in Washington, D.C., a leading strategic communications firm, where she was a Vice President in the Public Affairs Practice directing many complex accounts for financial services and other interests.

Prior to GPG, she was Vice President of Public Affairs for the American Insurance Association (AIA), a national public policy advocacy organization for property-casualty insurance companies. Ms. O'Connor managed AIA's regional Public Affairs team located in satellite offices around the country. Before joining AIA, she directed government relations efforts for the National Association for Biomedical Research. Ms. O'Connor began her career on Capitol Hill, where she held a variety of positions including Staff Director of the U.S. House Small Business Antitrust Subcommittee. She earned a Master's degree in Public Communication from the American University in Washington, D.C., and a BA degree in Communications and Political Science from Boston College.

Timothy A. Reinhold, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Engineer

Tim Reinhold joined the Institute for Business & Home Safety in 2004 as Director of Engineering and Vice President after 12 years with Clemson University where he was a professor of Civil Engineering. He was promoted to Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Engineer in 2008. His professional career includes 10 years as a consulting engineer with firms in the US, Canada and Denmark and five years at the National Institute for Standards and Technology. He earned BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech in 1973, 1975 and 1978, respectively.

Dr. Reinhold has conducted research on wind effects and structural resistance for most of his professional career. In addition to directing numerous studies to determine wind loads for tall buildings and specialty structures, he has been heavily involved in research relating to the performance of housing and low buildings in hurricanes and other severe wind events. His research includes post event assessments, model and full-scale laboratory studies, and in situ field structural testing. Dr. Reinhold serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE 7 Committee, the ASCE 7 Wind Loads subcommittee and the ASCE 7 General Requirements subcommittee. He served for eight years on the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) Wind Load subcommittee and is a past member of the Board of Directors for the American Association for Wind Engineering. Tim has authored or co-authored numerous journal papers, chapters of books and conference publications.

Professional Staff

Remington "Rem" Brown, P.E.
Senior Engineering Manager

Remington "Rem" Brown joined IBHS in 2007. He works closely with the Fortified... for safer living® team as well as being involved in other projects. He is a registered professional engineer with more than 25 years of experience.

He most recently worked as a consultant providing design services to the structural component industry. Rem earned a bachelor's in civil engineering from Clarkson University.

Warner Chang, P.E.
Structural Engineer

Mr. Chang joined IBHS in 2008. He has worked as a structural engineer in Florida since 1994, with design and construction experience in residential, commercial, institutional and health care buildings, governmental facilities, and marine/coastal structures. His engineering experience is extensive and includes design development, interdisciplinary coordination, engineering analysis, inspection, project management, and construction administration.

Mr. Chang’s received a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in civil engineering and a master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University in civil engineering with an emphasis in structural engineering. He is a registered professional engineer and a licensed Special Inspector for threshold buildings in the state of Florida.

Anne D. Cope, Ph.D., P.E.
Director of Research

Dr. Anne Cope joined IBHS in June 2009, after previously working at Reynolds, Smith & Hills, Inc., where she served as a project manager and structural engineer in support of NASA, Department of Defense and commercial launch operations. Her research has encompassed topics ranging from the simulation of full-scale wind effects on buildings to detailed studies of the vulnerabilities of buildings to natural hazards and the development of damage prediction models. She is responsible for developing and guiding the research program at the Institute’s new multi-peril research facility, which is being constructed in Chester County, South Carolina.

Dr. Cope’s experience also includes time served as an officer in the United States Army, 35th Signal Brigade (Airborne) in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Clemson University, and her doctorate from the University of Florida. She is a registered professional engineer in the state of Florida.

Kristen Curts
Finance Manager

Kristen Curts joined IBHS in 2008, after having worked in both the public and private accounting sectors. She has over fifteen years experience in various accounting arenas and specializes in the nonprofit, construction, and real estate development industries.

Ms. Curts is a Certified Public Accountant in Ohio. She holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in accounting from Cleveland State University in Ohio and completed the non-degree fifth year accounting program at the University of South Florida, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Wanda Edwards
Director of Code Development

Wanda Edwards joined IBHS in 2006, after having served as deputy commissioner in the Engineering Division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance. In 2004, she was Fulbright Scholar to University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, where she developed a training and certification program for building inspectors in the country. She previously owned a residential construction company, performed structural defect inspections for a national home warranty corporation, and taught community college courses on construction and building codes.

She earned bachelor's degrees in civil engineering and environmental design architecture from North Carolina State University. She is a licensed professional engineer and past member of the structural committee with the International Code Council.

Michelle Harvey
Executive Administrative Assistant

Michelle Harvey joined IBHS in June 2008. Ms. Harvey has more than 15 years of senior executive administration experience and is a polished professional with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. She began her career with an international travel company and then worked for both American Express and Sony Music Entertainment, managing travel arrangements for VIP clients and senior executives, including negotiating hotel and airline contracts.

Ms. Harvey went on to serve as an executive assistant to C-suite officers at a number of high profile organizations, including the NBA Corporate Offices where she handled international projects and maintained key company databases. She was born and raised in Great Britain where she graduated from East Surrey College with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Candace Iskowitz
Director of Public Affairs

Candace Iskowitz joined IBHS in 2006, after spending 15 years as a journalist, reporting on public safety, environmental, public health, and governmental issues for various newspapers in California, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Virginia, including The Orange County Register in California and Media General Communications in Florida.

During her reporting career, Ms. Iskowitz received numerous local and national awards, including the Freedom Communications Award of Excellence; Excellence in Crime News Reporting from the Florida Press Club; the Transportation Safety Award from the Florida Department of Transportation; Excellence in Investigative Journalism from the Associated Press and numerous awards from Media General. Candace holds a bachelors' in mass communication and journalism and political science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Donna Johnson
Receptionist

Donna Johnson joined IBHS in March 2009, with more than 25 years of administrative experience. She provides database support to the IBHS Member Relations Manager and performs all front desk administrative tasks including switchboard operations and publication request processing.

Prior to coming to IBHS, Ms. Johnson worked as an administrative assistant for a local engineering firm in Tampa.

Amy Kellogg
Graphic Designer

Amy Kellogg joined IBHS in 2000, as in-house graphic designer to develop and maintain the visual identity of the organization. She is the lead designer for all of the Institute’s major research reports, including Hurricane Ike: Nature’s Force vs. Structural Strength and Megafires: The Case for Mitigation. In addition, Ms. Kellogg is the designer for IBHS’ primary mode of communication with its members, Disaster Safety Monthly. She also has designed annual reports, the archive of the IBHS journal Disaster Safety Review, as well as dozens of consumer-oriented property protection brochures.

Ms. Kellogg is responsible for the new DisasterSafety.org web site. She holds a bachelor's in graphic design from Florida State University.

Zhuzhao Liu, Ph.D.
Research Engineer

Zhuzhao Liu joined IBHS in September 2008, as a research engineer. His primary responsibility is to develop the wind research program at the new IBHS Research Center in Chester County, South Carolina. Prior to coming to IBHS, he worked as a structural engineer in Houston, Texas, and as a research associate at Clemson University in South Carolina.

Dr. Liu obtained his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Clemson University in August 2006, and he has been a registered professional engineer since 2008. He specializes in structural and cladding wind loads and pedestrian-level wind studies.

Fred Malik
Fortified Program Manager

Fred Malik joined IBHS in September 2009, as the Fortified program manager with more than 17 years of experience in the residential and commercial construction industry. He has extensive experience as both a small business owner and as the vice president of operations for a Florida residential and commercial development firm.

Mr. Malik is an accomplished public speaker and presenter and is acknowledged for his focus on the achievement of bottom-line results. His work with large teams and intense deadlines has been featured on national television programs including Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He is also active in the community serving as a committee member on the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee in Melbourne, Florida.

He earned his master's degree in business administration in Management and Operations from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and recently became a Florida certified general contractor.

Erika Martin
Benefits Administrator

Erika Martin joined IBHS in 2007, as an administrative assistant and in 2008, she became the benefits administrator. Some of her other responsibilities include providing support to the Human Resources Manager and Finance Manager. Ms. Martin is pursuing her bachelor's in Human Resources Management.

Diana McClure
Business Resiliency Program Manager

Diana McClure joined IBHS in 1997 and in recent years has been responsible for the development and implementation of the Open for Business®program. She has also managed IBHS' Showcase Communities/Showcase State for Natural Disaster Resistance and Resilience and land use initiatives.

Prior to joining IBHS, she worked for Rhode Island Sea Grant at the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center and was a mitigation specialist with FEMA Region I, traveling throughout the U.S. to help communities recover from natural disasters. Before focusing on natural hazards loss reduction, she served as a regional representative for the Insurance Information Institute and a consultant on civil liability of law enforcement officials and civil rights conflict management. She has a master's degree from Boston College and a B.A. from Brown University.

Mischa Morgera, PEng (Canada), AAIA, CCCA, CMC, PX
Project Engineer – Building Sciences Specialist

Mischa Morgera joined IBHS in August 2009, as a project engineer with over 20 years of public and private sector program/project management experience in building science and construction. She has worked on and managed contracts for both new and existing facilities including convention centers, Disney facilities, county facilities, and institutional, commercial, heath care, residential, and government facilities. She has also assisted in the development of the commissioning program for state government buildings in Louisiana. Prior to joining IBHS, Ms. Morgera served as the project manager for the Palm Beach Community College Humanities & Technology Building and guided the selection of building envelope components and systems performance and vulnerability studies.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Center for Building Studies from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, and is certified in Business Administration by Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Business School, Edinburgh, UK. She is certified as a Florida Mechanical Contractor and Building and Mechanical Plans Examiner and CSI Construction Contract Administrator and CDT. She is registered as a Professional Engineer (Canada) and member of the Florida Engineering Society (FES) and Associate of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Ricardo Paiva
Facilities Administrator

Ricardo Paiva joined IBHS in 1994 and currently holds the position of facilities administrator. He relocated to Tampa when the organization moved from Boston in 2000. He has held several positions during his tenure.

Ricardo is responsible for assisting with business operations, including vendor contracts and relationships, management of internal communications systems and mailings, office equipment procurement and security assessments. He is trained in Internet Technology Systems.

Deborah Perricone
Human Resources

Deborah Perricone joined IBHS full-time in June 2008, as the Human Resources Manager, after having served as a consultant to IBHS for human resources issues for the previous five months. Bilingual in Spanish, Ms. Perricone has more than 27 years of experience in all areas of human resources, which include benefits, employee relations, safety, policy development and administration, recruitment and salary administration.

Prior to joining IBHS, she was the Human Resources Director at Thompson & Co., a leading national direct mail and catalog retailer in the U.S., and before that she was the Personnel Director for Tropical Garment Manufacturing Co. Ms. Perricone formerly served as a board member of the West Coast Employers Association of Florida and has participated in many community and national human resources forums.

Hank Pogorzelski
Applied Statistician

Hank Pogorzelski joined IBHS in 2008, as the organization’s first applied statistician. His responsibilities include planning studies, conducting surveys and compiling data relating to property losses and injuries for analysis.

Mr. Pogorzelski is also responsible for preparing written reports and graphics to communicate findings. His prior experience includes seven years with a large distributor of computer products and services. He holds a master’s of arts in economics and a bachelor’s in international relations, both from the University of South Florida.

Suzane Qualls
Information Technology Manager

Suzane Qualls joined IBHS in 2008, as the organization’s Database Administrator and quickly moved to Information Technology Manager. Her responsibilities include managing all of IBHS’ databases, server maintenance, and end user support.

Ms. Qualls is also responsible for leading the conversion of internal database functions into Web-based functions, administering the transfer import process of data, and selecting the best hardware/software for each new project. Her prior experience includes 15 years of IT support, and she most recently was with an IBM business partner where she became a certified DB2 administrator. She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Computer and System Analysis from Taylor University in Indiana.

Joy Whaley
Member Relations Manager

Joy Whaley joined IBHS in 2006 and is responsible for the recruitment, retention, communication, training and education of current and potential IBHS member, affiliate member and associate member companies.