As the former Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Office of Emergency Management and Chief Disaster Officer for the American Red Cross in Greater New York, Kelly McKinney has had a leadership role in every major disaster in New York City for more than 20 years, from the 9/11 attacks to Superstorm Sandy to Covid-19.  Currently, he is Assistant Vice President of Emergency Management and Enterprise Resilience at NYU Langone Health in New York City.

Nationally known for his writing and speaking on the principles and practice of crisis management and business continuity, he is the author of "Moment of Truth, the Nature of Catastrophes and How to Prepare for Them".

He is a FEMA Vanguard Fellow, a member of FEMA’s National Advisory Council and a member of The Joint Commission Standards Review Panel for Emergency Management.

He is the founding principal of Emergency Management Americas, a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to advance the profession and practice of emergency management in the United States and around the world.

He is a registered professional engineer (PE) and certified business continuity professional (CBCP) and was awarded a bachelor of science (BS) in mechanical engineering from the University of Kansas and a master of public administration (MPA) from Columbia University in the City of New York.

He is a member of the board of the American Red Cross in Greater New York, the All-Hazards Consortium and the Urban Assembly High School for Emergency Management in New York City.

His 5-minute video, The Essential Emergency Manager, has been viewed more than 140,000 times on YouTube.

Publications

• Moment of Truth: The Nature of Catastrophes and How to Prepare for Them By Post Hill Press/ Book (Aug 15 2018)