Tara is an executive crisis leader and licensed clinical social worker with more than 35 years of experience supporting organizations and communities through high-impact incidents, disruptive change, and long-term recovery. Her expertise spans mass violence, mass casualty, disaster, domestic terrorism, transportation, behavioral health, victim assistance, and survivor-centered response.
As Director of the Response & Recovery Initiative and former Project Director for ICP TTA, Tara leads national preparedness, response, recovery, and training and technical assistance initiatives. She works with multidisciplinary teams and partners to strengthen emergency response plans, family assistance center operations, behavioral health supports, public communication, and long-term recovery strategies.
Tara's crisis leadership experience includes immediate response and long-term recovery efforts following natural disasters, transportation incidents, mass violence events, and other complex emergencies. She has supported response and recovery initiatives following Hurricane Katrina, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas, the Buffalo grocery store shooting, and the Lewiston, Maine shooting.
Tara previously directed BJA NTTAC, overseeing national TTA for criminal justice, law enforcement, violence prevention, courts, victim services, and public safety systems. She is recognized for building cross-sector networks, translating lessons learned into practice, and advancing trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and values-based crisis leadership.
Tara holds a BA in Psychology, magna cum laude, from Boston College and a Master of Social Work and Family Therapy Certificate from Boston University. She is an experienced speaker, trainer, facilitator, and subject-matter expert for public safety, emergency management, criminal justice, victim services, behavioral health, education, health care, nonprofit, and community resilience audiences.