The 501(c)3 national coalition aims to advance resiliency through the development of community resilience benchmarks
Washington, D.C. – The Alliance for National and Community Resilience (ANCR) appointed Antoine B. Richards, Chief of Staff at the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM), to their Board of Directors. Richards will assist the International Code Council and ANCR as the organizations continue development of the Community Resilience Benchmarks and engage communities in the benchmarking process.
Richards joins the board with nearly a decade of experience in the healthcare and emergency management sectors. Previously, he served as an Advisory Board member of the Georgia Trauma Foundation, and he currently co-leads the Diversity, Equity and Racial Inclusion Initiative for the Association of Healthcare Preparedness Professionals (AHEPP) and served as 2021 Inclusion Group Co-Chair of the Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay. He is also recognized as a 2021 Top 10 Under 40 recipient for his work in the advancement of health equity. Richards is a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) Candidate in Emergency Management at Jacksonville State University and received his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Morehouse School of Medicine and his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Communication from Kennesaw State University.
“We are excited to have Antoine join the ANCR Board. His expertise and experience in social equity, public health, and emergency management will be incredibly valuable as we continue to build the Community Resilience Benchmarks and engage communities in improving their resilience,” said Ryan Colker, ANCR Executive Director and Vice President of Innovation at the International Code Council.
ANCR was founded in 2016 by the Code Council, Community & Regional Resilience Institute (CARRI), and the U.S. Resiliency Council (USRC). The coalition aims to understand and improve the resilience of communities through the use of Community Resilience Benchmarks. To date, ANCR has released three benchmarks that cover key requirements aimed at increasing the resiliency of communities and has completed piloting of those benchmarks with Martinsville, Virginia and Oakland Park, Florida.
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be appointed to the Board of Directors for the Alliance for National and Community Resilience,” said Richards. “Our mission at I-DIEM strongly aligns with ANCR’s goals towards building resilient communities. I look forward to holistically engaging in the process and striving to ensure that equity is a priority within ANCR benchmarks while simultaneously focusing on the expansion of pilot opportunities that help elevate ANCR’s work to be adapted in communities nationally and serve as a model for resilience globally.”
To learn more about ANCR, the Community Resilience Benchmarks and how you can provide your support, click here.