Mrs. Ryals has over 17 years of experience and training in Emergency Management. She has 11 years serving as an Emergency Management Director and 5 years serving as a Disaster Public Information Officer. She has worked 12 Presidential Disaster Declarations and one Incident of National Significance, the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, and of those disasters she served as Incident Commander for eight of those events. She is extremely knowledgeable with FEMA’s public assistance policies and procedures and has been successful in the FEMA appeals process. She has served as a member of the FEMA Hurricane Liaison Team and testified before the 110th and 111th U.S. Congress on Hurricane Katrina Preparedness and Response Initiatives – Best Management Practices. Mrs. Ryals learned first-hand the type of documentation and determination it takes to be successful in an OIG / FEMA audit. Mrs. Ryals obtained valuable knowledge in documentation proper damage survey, reports/technical writing, and extensive knowledge on FEMA policy and procedure. She is a Licensed and Certified Alabama Emergency Manager; and serves as a NIMS 300 & 400 Course Instructor and holds numerous FEMA and State Emergency Management Certifications. (NIMS Certified Instructor)