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Governor Kevin Stitt announced the hiring of Mark Gower as the Director of the Department of Oklahoma Emergency Management Tuesday. Gower currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer and CyberCommand Director for the State of Oklahoma.

Washington County Emergency Management Director Kary Cox says he is excited to work alongside Gower again. Cox says he worked in Louisiana with Gower when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The two, Cox says, created a program called "Shelter In A Box." It was a program to help Oklahoma deal with mass shelter operation, which led Oklahoma to work directly with the State of Louisiana with Louisiana's shelter operations. At that time, Cox says Gower had great influence in the program.

With over 20-years of experience in Information Security and Technology, Gower has a broad and varied knowledge base to draw upon. Kary Cox says Gower brings a very specific skill set that will help Oklahoma advance and improve Emergency Management. Looking at Gower's experience further, his expertise includes Cybersecurity, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Emergency Preparedness and Response. Gower holds multiple certifications, including Certified Chief Information Security Officer, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Certified Business Continuity Planner, and Certified Information Security Manager.

Washington County Emergency Management Director Kary Cox says that emergency management is unique in a way because it operates as a whole nationally instead of just locally. Natural disaster know no political borders, Cox says, and that requires Oklahoma to work towards crossing those lines.

Compared to other public safety disciplines, Cox says emergency management is in its infancy. Cox says that requires people to work together, which is common in other emergency services. However, Cox says working together or "mutual aid" is critical in emergency management situations.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management prepares for, responds to, recovers from and mitigates against disasters and emergencies. The department maintains the State Emergency Operations Center which serves as a command center for reporting emergencies and coordinating state response activities. OEM delivers service to Oklahoma cities, towns and counties through the network of more than 400 local emergency managers.

OEM also maintains, regularly updates and exercises the State Emergency Operations Plan. The department provides funding and/or assistance to more than 400 local emergency management departments throughout the state.