NIMO Incident Management Team 2

Zeph Cunnigham - Incident Commander

Prior to joining the U.S. Forest Service and NIMO, Zeph served 22 years with the National Park Service (NPS) in law enforcement, security and emergency services.

During his NPS career, Zeph served for 15 years as Incident Commander (ICT2) on the NPS Eastern Type 2 All Hazard Incident Management Team (EIMT). The EIMT planned and managed dozens of major special events for the National Park Service to include: Presidential Inaugurations; First Flight Centennial; funeral for Coretta Scott King; Lincoln Bicentennial; Jamestown 400; Fort Sumter Civil War 150; Manassas Civil War 150; Gettysburg Civil War 150; and the 50th Anniversary events surrounding the Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. He provided technical expertise for three Presidential Inaugurations. His IMT also responded to numerous emergencies for the National Park Service including Hurricane's Sandy, Katrina, Ivan, Irene, and Dennis, and multiple land-based search and rescue incidents.

In addition, Zeph served on Southern Area Incident Management Teams as the primary Logistics Section Chief from 2007 - 2015, and prior to taking the NIMO position was the primary Logistics Section Chief on the Southern Area Type 1 Red Team. He was also an Incident Commander Type 1 trainee on the Southern Area Red IMT.

Zeph is the lead instructor for L580 Gettysburg “Leadership is Action”. 

Zeph is also qualified as an Incident Commander Type 1 and is currently an Area Commander Trainee.

Zeph is currently working with the State Emergency Services of Ukraine and State Agency of Ukraine for Management of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on developing their coordination system and leadership programs. Zeph is also working with the FAO (Food and Animal Organization of the United Nations) on a project to Strengthen the Global Coordination of Animal Health Emergencies of International Concern (AHEIC)

Zeph graduated from Virginia Tech in 1994 and resides in Virginia with his wife Kelly and daughter Lillian. Kelly works for the National Park Service as a budget analyst. zephaniah.cunningham@usda.gov

Jennifer Rabuck - Safety Officer

Jen has worked in the private, state, and federal systems (USDA and DOI) in both fire and public relations/education fields. After working for multiple non-governmental organizations like the International Crane Foundation and Trees for Tomorrow, she started her federal career in 1997 with the USFWS at the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Part of her duties included assisting with endangered Whooping Crane reintroduction into the eastern flyway. Jen shifted to work in full time fire at the Leopold Wetland Management District. After ten years with FWS, she became a Zone FMO with the USFS in 2007. After more than 12 years with the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin, Jen shifted to the NPS to become their Wildland Fire Safety Specialist at NIFC in Boise, ID. She held that position until joining NIMO in September 2020.

Jen is a Type 1 Burn Boss and annually assists modules at the Prescribed Fire Training Center as a Field Coordinator. She has been a member of various Type 1 and 2 IMTs in Safety, Information and Operations positions. She’s a Peer Supporter, an instructor for Stress First Aid and You Will Not Stand Alone.

Jen lives in northern Wisconsin and is married to Jason, a handmade knife maker/musician. They have one daughter, Morgan. jennifer.rabuck@usda.gov

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Kerry Greene - Public Information Officer

Before coming to NIMO Kerry worked as a Public Affairs Specialist for Fire and Aviation Management in Forest Service Region 5 (California). Kerry was a course coordinator and lead instructor for Northern California Introduction to Incident Information Course (S-203) for Public Information Officers (PIOs) for seven years. She is also an active member, and current Chairperson of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Public Information Officer Sub-Committee.

Before specializing in public affairs she worked as a wildland firefighter with hand crews, fire engines, fire use modules, fire effects monitoring, fire prevention, fire investigation, fire information and security. Kerry worked as the Public Affairs Officer for the Klamath National Forest from 2013-2016 and has been a PIO for 15 years. Kerry has also had the pleasure participating in wildland fire response technical exchanges internationally in the Republic of Georgia, Jamaica and Mexico.

Kerry served as a Public Information Officer on a Type 1 Incident Management Team (California Interagency Incident Management Team 4). Kerry earned a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Natural Resource Management with a minor in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont. She is a mother of a rambunctious ten year old boy and also moonlights as a dance instructor in the off-season at a fitness club near her home in Northern California. kerry.greene@usda.gov

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Dana Carter - Planning Section Chief

Dana began working for the U.S. Forest Service in 1994 and has worked in two regions, on four national forests and in one Regional Office. She began her career on the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona as a seasonal engine crew member. Dana has also worked on the Gila NF, Cibola NF, and the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison NFs, and the Southwest Regional Office in a variety of jobs including hotshot crew member, prevention specialist, fuels specialist, district assistant fire management officer, district fire management officer, interagency unit fuels FMO, and regional cooperative fire specialist. She is currently the Planning Section Chief for the Boise NIMO incident management team.

Dana is currently a qualified Planning Section Chief (PSC1), and holds several unit leader positions within the Planning Section (PSC2, RESL, DMOB, DOCL, SITL, and SCKN). Dana is also a qualified ESFA (ESF4-Administrative Support) and working towards obtaining ESFL (ESF4-Primary Leader) qualification. She has been a member of incident management teams and wildland fire management teams since 2000. Dana has been on incidents ranging from wildland fires to all hazard incidents (World Trade Center, Columbia Shuttle Recovery and hurricane response).

Dana holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Forestry from Northern Arizona University. In her free time, Dana enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with her husband Larry and daughter Shiloh.  dana.carter@usda.gov

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Beale Monday - Operations Section Chief 

Beale started his career with the U.S Forest Service as a seasonal firefighter in 1995 with the Flagstaff Hotshots on the Coconino National Forest. After two fire seasons Beale joined the United States Marine Corps in 1997 and served for 4 years.  He was honorably discharged in 2001 and returned to the Flagstaff Hotshots where he served as a Lead Firefighter and Squad Boss.  In 2003 Beale was promoted to an Engine Captain and stayed in that role until 2007 when he accepted the position of Fuels Specialist on the Peaks Ranger District, Coconino National Forest.

During his time in the position of Fuels Specialist he completed two details as a Fire Management Officer and a detail with the National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) as an Operations Section Chief with the Portland Team.  In February 2019 Beale joined the National Incident Management Organization full time as the Operations Section Chief for the Boise Team. 

Beale began working on Incident Command Teams in 2006 as a Division Supervisor on a Type II Team.  He then continued to work on his qualifications becoming a Type 3 Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief Type 2 and eventually an Operations Section Chief Type 1.  Beale spent 10 years on a Type one Team from the Southwest area before accepting his current position with the National Incident Management Organization. beale.monday@usda.gov

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Stuart (Stu) Rodeffer - Logistics Section Chief

Stu has a diverse response history being involved in multiple incidents some more challenging than others but all a team effort in the wildland and all-hazard environment. He currently facilitates leadership and risk training and is actively involved nationally with the pursuit of organizational, professional, personnel and personal growth in the rapidly changing environment.

Raised as a military kid (Navy) primarily in Hawaii and Maine, he joined the Marine Corps and completed nearly ten years of service. After 9 years and 7 months of service, not the career that he had planned for unfortunately while his medical discharge was pending he was assigned to the Fleet Assistance Program (FAP) working at the Camp Pendelton Fire Department. During this time, he gained many training certificates and experiences in  dynamic all-hazard environments and he completed his National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

Next, Stu started over as a volunteer firefighter in Arizona. He transitioned to full time status in 1995 working for Corona De Tucson, Picture Rocks, and finally the Northwest Fire District. During this time Stu was heavily involved in wildland on engines and a Type 2 IA crew, that crew became the Ironwood Hotshots in 2008. Realizing his injuries were not going to allow continuous crew life in 2004, he started to persue Logistics to support the folks on the ground, where his heart has remained.

In 2010, he became a Type 1 Logistics Chief. In the structure world Stu progressed from a paramedic to an engine captain, to a battalion chief and safety officer. In 2012 he completed his BS in OSHA with a fire service concentration. Stu retired from the structural fire service in 2018 and took a position as the safety and logistics officer with Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. stuart.rodeffer@usda.gov

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Susan Vincent - Finance Section Chief

Susan Vincent began her career in wildland fire with the Bureau of Land Management in 2002 as an Administratively Determined (AD) Personnel Time Recorder (PTRC) trainee with the Alaska Fire Service. In 2004, she transitioned to a permanent position, serving in various roles within Incident Business Management. Over the years, Susan’s passion for supporting emergency response grew as she gained experience across multiple aspects of incident business operations.

In 2011, she expanded her career into the private sector, working as a Project Coordinator for The Black Gold Group, supporting Oil and Gas operations in Alaska, Texas, and North Dakota. However, her dedication to public service brought her back to BLM in 2017 as the Zone Fire Business Lead for Alaska Fire Service.

Susan’s leadership and expertise led to her selection as the BLM Alaska State Incident Business Lead in 2021, where she built a robust Incident Business program for BLM Alaska which covers 192 million acres. In 2023, she accepted a 120-day detail with the National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Team 2 as a Finance Section Chief. The experience reinforced her commitment to national-level incident and program support, and she accepted a permanent position with NIMO in July 2024.

Susan is a qualified Finance Section Chief (FSCC) and Incident Business Advisor (INBA) with a BA in Business Administration. She previously served on the Alaska Type 1 Incident Management Team as FSCC. When she’s not supporting emergency response or priority projects, Susan enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with her grandchildren. susan.vincent@usda.gov