RICHARD A. ROTANZ
DIRECTOR

Mr. Richard Rotanz serves as Director at Homeland Security Solutions (HSS). In his role as Director, Mr. Rotanz supports our Resiliency and Disaster Management Services program and Critical Infrastructure and First Responder Team (CIFRT). In addition, he leads the company’s business development, strategy and marketing efforts in the Northeast region.
Mr. Rotanz has over 40 years of experience in the emergency management field, research and development sector and academia. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the Applied Science Found for Homeland Security. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization that brings together, and works with, the public, private and academic sectors to develop first responder-driven homeland security solutions.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Rotanz served as the first Commissioner for the Office of Emergency Management of Nassau County, New York. In this role, he helped create the agency in 2002, built its first emergency operations center, developed its emergency response planning processes, developed and executed major exercises, and organized the county’s CERT teams.

Prior to his tenure in Nassau County, he was a New York Fire Department Company Commander in Midtown Manhattan and detailed as Deputy Director of New York City's Office of Emergency Management. While there, he was responsible for, among other things, their research & planning.

During the September 11th attacks on New York City, he re-instituted the destroyed emergency operation center at Pier 92, and managed the multi-organization response to the 9-11 tragedy.
His years of experience in emergency management, fire suppression (25 years in the New York City Fire Department, 43 years within the Volunteer Fire Service), research & development, specialized rescue, hazardous materials incidents, special projects and fire suppression; and in surgical nursing, brings a unique multi-discipline perspective to Homeland Security Solutions.  

In 2006, he co-developed Adelphi University’s graduate degree in Emergency Management studies to meet the distinct needs of the Long Island region and still serves as an advising professor for various universities and colleges.

He has co-authored various books in the field of emergency management and is a sought after speaker at events and conferences.