James K. Joseph

James K. Joseph serves as the Chief Growth Officer for Tidal Basin Group, where he is responsible for executing growth strategies and overseeing the company’s marketing, communications, proposals, and government affairs functions. Before serving in this role, he was the Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer, where he executed and directed all of the CEO’s administrative, financial, and operational activities. He also organized and prioritized critical issues to facilitate and execute efficient decision-making for the Tidal Basin Group. 

Before serving as the Chief of Staff, James served as Vice President of Response where he oversaw growth strategies, operational deployments of personnel and projects for response programs, and represented the organization at national events. During his tenure in this role, Joseph supported projects, including the State of Florida and State of Georgia vaccine programs, federal assistance contracts and deployments, and growth support for other business units within Tidal Basin. 

James has two decades of management experience in the public and private sectors. Before joining Tidal Basin, James was a Presidential appointee serving as Regional Administrator of FEMA Region 5 and FEMA’s Director of External Affairs during the Whole-of-America response to COVID-19 and the historic hurricane and wildfire season in 2020-2021. Joseph also served in the cabinet of the Illinois Governor in two capacities: State Director of Emergency Management and Deputy State Homeland Security Advisor. Prior, James served as Director of Homeland Security in DuPage County (Illinois), and Vice President of Security and Fraud for HSBC North America. He has also served in local government as Chairman of the Police and Fire Commission and Chairman Pro-Tem of the Building and Zoning Commission in Carol Stream, IL. 

James is a nationally recognized thought leader, public speaker, and diversity champion. He currently serves as a Board member of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM) and previously served as Co-Chairman of the National Homeland Security Consortium, Executive Board of the National Emergency Management Association, and a member of the US Department of Homeland Security State and Local Intelligence Council.