Themata Strategic is a principal-led consultancy advising public agencies, companies, universities, and non-profit organizations on crisis and resiliency planning, emergency management, and critical decision-making.
The practice is grounded in three decades of operational command and executive leadership, most recently as Local Disaster Recovery Manager for the January 2025 Palisades Fire, one of the largest disaster recovery operations in California history. It is matched by a continuing commitment to developing the next generation of crisis leaders.
In classical Greek, to set down what is essential. A thema is a foundation, the point on which everything else rests. Gathered into a coherent whole, they become themata.
That is the discipline this practice brings to a crisis: identifying what is essential, before, during, and after the event.
Crisis and resiliency planning across the full cycle: preparation, response, restoration, and recovery.
Exercises, red teaming, assessments, and after-action reviews that test plans before events do.
Teaching, lecturing, and executive development in crisis operations and critical decision-making.
“The challenges of improving emergency response and crisis management in the United States and other countries are great, but the potential benefits of improvement to individuals, society and the economy are also large.”
— Arnold Howitt and Herman Leonard, Managing Crises
If your organization is preparing for what comes next, let’s talk.