Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank CEO Selected to FEMA Regional Advisory Council
The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank announced today that Mike Manning, President, and CEO, will be joining the Regional Advisory Council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 6. Council members consist of representatives of state, local, and tribal governments along with non-profit leaders who advise FEMA on emergency management issues.
Duties include assisting in identifying strengths, weaknesses, or deficiencies in preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation activities. Regional Advisory Councils were created by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 which instructed FEMA to develop councils who could advise the Regional Administrator.
Manning’s selection comes at a time when having experienced disaster response professionals advising on preparedness, response and recovery are at a premium.
Manning has served over the years in various national and local emergency response roles including two terms as the Board Chairperson for the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), Chair for Louisiana VOAD and the Capital Area VOAD, as well as leading a Disaster Taskforce for Feeding America. Manning was also deployed to the American Red Cross Disaster Operations Center following Superstorm Sandy, serving as the liaison between the Red Cross and Feeding America and was also part of the assessment team for Hurricanes Florence and Michael in South Carolina.
Manning has also served on the front lines of emergency response and recovery locally during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, Ida, and more, aiding and supporting the hardest hit areas of the state. He also led the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank through its own disaster during the flood of 2016 which inundated the Baton Rouge based warehouse facility with several feet of water. The Food Bank also distributed an unprecedented number of meals as part of a multi-year Covid-19 pandemic response effort, which focused on serving the food insecure across 11 parishes.
Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Accepting Bids for CACFP Program
