JJ Murphy of Hobbs, New Mexico is a military Reservist who has
committed himself to his service seriously for over 20 years. JJ Murphy’s
assignment today is the coordination of search and rescue and emergency
management out of Tyndall Air Force Base. Located 12 miles from Panama City,
Florida, Tyndall is base for the 325th Fighter Wing of the Air Combat Command.
As a military Reservist, JJ Murphy of Hobbs, New Mexico utilizes
his FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and NIMS (National Incident
Management Systems) certifications. This training has been invaluable in his
duties as a search and rescue coordinator and emergency management official. Murphy
has readily volunteered to deploy to emergency situations, the first being to
Djibouti, Africa in 2008 when he served with the Combined Joint Task Force-
Horn of Africa. Murphy deployed as a volunteer to Haiti in 2010 to assist with
the medical evacuations of over 2,000 Haitians after the catastrophic
earthquake in January of that year.
JJ Murphy of Hobbs, New Mexico attended the Senior Executives in
State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2013. Murphy has
described the program as life-altering. Murphy had access to leaders from
around the world and learned from the world’s best speakers and professors. The
program offers a much-needed training and learning experiences for seasoned
public officials. The falling revenues of municipalities across the United
States, coming with increased need for services and growing distrust of
government has led to an urgent need for knowledge and skills in the area of
civic engagement services. Effective leadership skills such as those taught at
the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program enable public
managers to better work under tight economic constraints and with transparency
in light of intense public scrutiny.
