Bishop Scanlan has appointed Mr. Edward A. Robertson of St. Andrew’s in the Valley as the Emergency Disaster Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania.

Mr. Robertson has worked as the Director of Emergency Social Services for the Red Cross in the Susquehanna Valley and as an Emergency Management Trainer and Disaster Services Government Liaison. His appointment to this position will call for him to interact with the Episcopal Relief and Development organization and to collaborate with colleagues across our General Church. To contact Ed via email, click here.

Bio:

Ed Robertson was appointed Diocesan Disaster Coordinator by Bishop Scanlan in the fall of 2015.

Ed is a member of St. Andrew’s in the Valley, Harrisburg, where he serves on the Vestry and on the Finance and Communications Committees.  He is a Lector and occasionally is asked to deliver a sermon.

Ed brings over fifty years of disaster preparedness, response and recovery experience with the Red Cross and FEMA to the diocese.  His most recent major one-year assignment was as Red Cross liaison to FEMA and NJ State Agencies providing long term recovery to Super Storm Sandy survivors.  He currently represents Red Cross and the PA VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) at the Commonwealth Response Coordination Center when it is activated for significant disaster events in Pennsylvania.

Other highlights of Ed’s long career include Red Cross Night Operations Director in New York after 9/11, Red Cross Relief Operations Director for the Northeast US providing assistance to almost 10,000 families evacuated from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and administrative leadership positions on over thirty national disasters since 1984.

Ed was recognized by the American Red Cross with the ‘Clara Barton Honor Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership’ (1997) and with ‘Special Achievement Award for Going Above and Beyond’ (2007).  In 2014, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency recognized Ed ‘For Outstanding Service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’.

Ed and his wife Betty live in Susquehanna Township and  have, between them, four children, nineteen great-grandchildren and one great, great – grandchild.